MLB Player News

The Rays recalled Englert from Triple-A Durham to start Sunday against the Astros.

The right-hander spent the past few weeks in the minors and will rejoin Tampa Bay to start Sunday's series finale in Houston. It'll be just the second big-league start of the season for Englert, though he was utilized as a long reliever during his most recent stint in the majors in early June, when he made two appearances and allowed one run on eight hits and two walks with six strikeouts over nine innings. For the season, the 26-year-old has a 3.96 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 19:6 K:BB across 25 big-league innings.

Bibee mentioned the greater use of his sinker as the main reason for his recent turnaround, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports. "It just feels like a real weapon, where I can really lean on it to get quick outs," the right-hander said Friday. "Or I still can have guys freeze on it... It opens up a lot of stuff."

Bibee, who is Sunday's scheduled starter against the White Sox, changed up his pitch mix following a disastrous outing against the Nationals on May 25, when he gave up seven runs and five home runs over three innings. In the six starts since then, he's made throwing the sinker a priority, using it 37.2 percent of the time, and the change has resulted in a 2.29 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 28:8 K:BB over 39.1 innings. The sinker has also made his four-seamer and cutter more effective, as his opponents' batting average and hard-hit rates have dropped against each pitch. What would really help Bibee, who is 2-9 over 18 starts, is more help from his teammates; his 2.78 runs of support ranks 133rd out of 136 pitchers with at least 10 starts.

The Rays optioned Martin to Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

Martin will give up his spot on the 26-man active roster to right-hander Mason Englert, who was recalled from Triple-A to start Sunday's game in Houston. Over six relief appearances with Tampa Bay this season, Martin has yielded five earned runs on 14 hits and four walks while striking out seven across 11.1 innings.

McDougal (forearm) allowed three earned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out two across one inning with High-A Winston-Salem on Saturday, MLB.com reports.

McDougal has been sidelined by forearm tightness since late April and has now made two rehab appearances. They've each been a single inning, so it's unclear when he'll be activated from the injured list or what his role might be.

Bush (elbow) has resumed participating in long toss, MLB.com reports.

Bush suffered a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery in late May and had been ruled out until the second half of the season. It seems clear he won't return at any point in July, but he has at least resumed his rehab process.

Martinez (foot) took batting practice Saturday for the first time since landing on the injured list, MLB.com reports.

Martinez has reached an important milestone in his recovery process after shedding the walking boot for his fractured left foot last week. When Martinez was placed on the injured list June 16, he was given an estimated 4-to-6-week timeline for a return. While the four-week mark would put him on track to be ready to rejoin the Guardians coming out of the All-Star break, Martinez may need a little extra time beyond that to complete a rehab assignment before Cleveland activates him from the IL.

Thorpe (elbow) threw a live bullpen Friday, MLB.com reports.

Thorpe is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and that already lengthy process was slowed when he underwent an appendectomy in late May. There's no exact timeline for Thorpe's return, but he is still expected to pitch for the White Sox sometime in 2026.

Murakami (hamstring) ran for the second consecutive day before the White Sox's game against the Guardians on Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Murakami ran the bases and gave a thumbs-up to reporters afterward, suggesting that he's feeling good after landing on the shelf May 30 due to a right hamstring strain. Assuming he recovers well from his running workouts over the weekend, he's expected to report to Triple-A Charlotte and could begin a rehab assignment Tuesday. The door is open for Murakami to potentially return from the 10-day injured list before the White Sox's final series before the All-Star break next weekend against the Athletics.

Hedges went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the White Sox.

Hedges homered for the second time in three games and has hit safely in his last six starts, going 8-for-18 (.444) during that stretch. This was the third start in four contests for the catcher, who is enjoying his best season at the plate with a .281/.343/.413 slash line over 46 games. Despite Hedges' unexpected production, he's still considered the backup to Patrick Bailey and his .179/.234/.253 line.

Peters went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored Saturday against the Guardians.

Peters started his 10th consecutive game, nine of which have come in center field. He has hits in each of his last seven appearances, during which he's gone 9-for-26 with six runs scored and a stolen base. Peters offers very little pop, but he's maintained a .291 batting average with a .349 OBP across 256 plate appearances this season.