MLB Player News

Ynoa was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Ynoa made just one appearance out of the bullpen during his two-day stint with the big club, allowing one hit while striking out two across two scoreless innings during Sunday's 15-1 win over the Phillies. It remains to be seen whether the 21-year-old righty will return to a starting role with Triple-A Gwinnett or continue to serve as a reliever. Grant Dayton was recalled from Gwinnett in a corresponding move.

Eickhoff surrendered five runs on six hits and a walk over his lone inning of relief in Sunday's 15-1 loss to the Braves.

Eickhoff had lined up for two starts entering the week, but he ultimately missed out on the two step since he was removed from the Philadelphia rotation after surrendering seven runs in three innings to the Diamondbacks on June 10. Unfortunately for those that included him in weekly lineups, Eickhoff still did plenty of damage to fantasy managers' ratios while mopping up in the blowout loss to Atlanta. The Phillies have yet to decide on a permanent fifth starter, but Eickhoff probably doesn't rank high among the team's potential options after serving up a whopping 18 home runs in his last seven appearances.

Velasquez (2-4) struck out four but surrendered four runs on four hits and a hit batsman in Sunday's 15-1 loss to the Braves.

The fifth spot in the Phillies' rotation remains unsettled, and Sunday's contest didn't bring much clarity on that front. If there's a silver lining for Velasquez, who transitioned to a bullpen role in late May, it's that the other primary candidates for the final rotation spot both faltered while working behind him. Cole Irvin was blitzed for six runs in 3.2 frames before turning the game over to Jerad Eickoff, who promptly surrendered five runs over his lone inning. Velasquez topped out at 38 pitches Sunday, so even if he gets the nod the next time a fifth starter is required Friday versus Miami, he'll likely be in line for another restricted workload.

Williams (side) is listed as the Pirates' scheduled starter for Wednesday's game against the Tigers, Nubyjas Wilborn of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The Pirates will wait until Wednesday before formally activating Williams from the 10-day injured list, but the right-hander will be back in the fold after enduring no complications with his strained right side while covering three innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Indianapolis last week. Williams tossed 71 pitches in that outing, so there's a good chance the Pirates exercise more caution with his workload Wednesday than they normally would. Williams submitted a 3.33 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 54 innings before landing on the IL in mid-May.

Gray retired one of the four batters he faced and issued three walks in relief in Sunday's 14-13 loss to the Padres.

Even though he had covered six innings while starting the series opener Thursday, Gray was summoned for his first relief appearance of the season while closer Wade Davis melted down in the ninth inning. After Davis exited a tie game with a runner on third base, Gray entered the contest and proceeded to load the bases with a pair of intentional walks to get to pinch hitter Matt Strahm, who was called upon to bat with no other position players available off the bench for San Diego. Gray couldn't take advantage of the plus matchup against a pitcher, as he issued a non-intentional walk to allow the go-ahead run to score. Despite the disappointing outcome, Gray only tossed 12 pitches in the outing, which will function as a de facto between-starts bullpen session. Gray is still on track to make his next scheduled turn through the rotation Wednesday against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

Ryu did not factor into the decision against the Cubs on Sunday, pitching seven innings and giving up two unearned runs on seven hits. He struck out eight and did not walk a batter.

Despite settling for a no-decision, Ryu was once again in peak form. The only runs he allowed were unearned, coming on the heels of an error by Justin Turner leading off the sixth inning. Otherwise, Ryu was in complete control, throwing 68 of 94 pitches for strikes, whiffing eight and allowing no walks for his third consecutive start. The South Korean lefty has had a transcendent season thus far, compiling a 9-1 record with a minuscule 1.26 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and eye-popping 85:5 K:BB. He'll look to make the Rockies his next victim when he faces them at home Friday in his next scheduled start.

Quintana did not factor into the decision against the Dodgers on Sunday, pitching five innings and giving up two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three.

Though he gave up only a pair of runs, Quintana was far from sharp in the start, issuing three walks and throwing 99 pitches -- only 58 of which were strikes -- in five innings. He was nonetheless in line for the win when he took the mound in the sixth inning, but a leadoff home run by Cody Bellinger and a pair of hits that followed sent Quintana to the showers. The 30-year-old will look to get back in the win column for the first time since May 5 when he faces the Mets at home Saturday in his next scheduled start.

Alcantara allowed three runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and two walks across six innings during a no-decision against the Marlins on Sunday.

The Pirates had runners in scoring position pretty much all afternoon against Alcantara, but the right-hander limited the damage by holding Pittsburgh to a 2-for-16 day with runners in scoring position. It wasn't enough, though, as the Pirates broke through against the Marlins bullpen to retake the lead. Alcantara is 3-6 with a 3.73 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 58 strikeouts in 82 innings this season. He will pitch next at the Phillies on Friday.

Gray (3-5) allowed three runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and no walks across five innings to earn a victory against the Rangers on Sunday.

The 29-year-old tossed up two homers, which accounted for all three of the Rangers' runs, but that's just about all the damage Texas could inflict on the right-hander. Gray struck out at least eight batters for the fourth time this season, and with the win, he improved to 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA in his last five outings. Overall, Gray is 3-5 with a 3.77 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 79 strikeouts in 71.2 innings. He is scheduled to pitch next at the Brewers on Friday.

Martinez pitched two scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth while allowing one hit and striking out two batters to earn a save during a 4-3 victory against the Mets on Sunday.

Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks hasn't pitched since Thursday, but after Martinez threw 14 pitches in the eighth Sunday, the Cardinals elected to stick with him for the ninth. While he does have two successful saves in his last four outings, Martinez has allowed four earned runs in his last eight appearances. He is 1-0 with two saves, 3.09 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 11 strikeouts in 11.2 innings this season.