MLB Player News

Smith allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Guardians.

Smith has lost the full-time closer job, but he remains in the ninth-inning mix while sharing duties with Aroldis Chapman. The Rangers didn't take the lead until the eighth inning Sunday, so this was a bit of a surprise save chance. Smith has converted 16 of 18 save opportunities with a 2.83 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 38:8 K:BB through 35 innings. With the Rangers among the top teams in the American League, Smith should continue to see plenty of save chances, though he's also likely to pick up some more holds along the way.

Duran allowed one hit in a scoreless inning while earning a save over Oakland on Sunday.

Duran gave up a one-out double but was able to work around the small threat to close out the 5-4 game. He'll likely be unavailable Monday against Seattle after throwing an inning in each of the last three games against the Athletics. He's now sporting a 2.17 ERA and a 47:15 K:BB through 37.1 frames.

Sewald allowed one hit in a scoreless inning Sunday, striking out three and earning a save over the Tigers.

Sewald made his first appearance of the second half and easily finished off the 2-0 win. He worked around a one-out single and recorded three strikeouts to pick up his 18th save of the year. Sewald lowered his season ERA to 3.13 with a strong 54:12 K:BB through 37.1 innings.

Devenski will be placed on the injured list Monday due to a hamstring injury, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Devenski hasn't performed particularly well in July, as he's allowed nine runs in 4.2 innings over his last five appearances. It's possible his injury factored into some of his struggles, and he'll have some time to recover over the next few weeks. It's not yet clear whether he'll be forced to spend more than the minimum amount of time on the IL.

Alcala (forearm) has started throwing and is expected to pitch again this season, John Shipley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Alcala was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right forearm in the middle of May, and it wasn't clear if he would be able to return this season. He struggled with a 6.46 ERA and 1.37 WHIP through 15.1 innings before the injury.

Thielbar (oblique) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session in St. Paul without any issues July 16, MLB.com reports.

He'll next throw another bullpen session Saturday, and the Twins are expected to make plans for a rehab assignment soon thereafter. It looks like Thielbar may not return until August as a result.

Stewart (elbow) has been playing catch from up to 90 feet without issues and hopes to be back in "several weeks" after building up his throwing progression, MLB.com reports.

A report on July 7 said Steward would be ready soon after the All-Star break, but it sounds like he's still weeks away since he's throwing only long toss. Stewart went on the injured list June 27 with right elbow tendinitis.

The Guardians list Curry as their probable starting pitcher for Monday's game against the Pirates.

Curry was a starter throughout his minor-league career and received two starts during his first taste of the big leagues in 2022, but the Guardians have deployed him exclusively as a reliever thus far in 2023. Since he tossed a 20-pitch inning in relief Saturday in Texas and hasn't logged more than three frames in any appearance since beginning of May, Curry isn't expected to work deep enough into Monday's outing to qualify for the win. Instead, look for the Guardians to treat the series opener in Pittsburgh as more of a bullpen day.

Coulombe picked up the save in Sunday's 5-4 victory over the Marlins. He allowed a run on two hits over two-thirds of an inning.

Colombe came on in relief of Eduard Bazardo in the ninth, allowing one inherited runner to score before allowing an RBI double to Dane Myers, cutting Baltimore's lead to 5-4 with two outs. However, Colombe coaxed a lineout from Luis Arraez to strand the tying run on second and pick up the first save of his MLB career. The 33-year-old lefty has been solid for the Orioles this season, pitching to a 2.90 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP over 31 innings. However, he's unlikely to see much more ninth-inning work with Felix Bautista firmly locked in as the closer.

Tarnok (0-1) worked out of the bullpen and was the pitcher of record in Saturday's 10-7 loss to the Twins after allowing two earned runs on two hits and three walks over 2.2 innings. He struck out two.

Making his Athletics debut, Tarnok was entrusted with preserving a 7-7 tie when he entered with one out in the sixth inning, but he eventually stumbled by allowing a two-out solo home run to Kyle Farmer in the following frame. A two-out bases-loaded walk issued to Byron Buxton in the eighth inning then accounted for the second run on Tarnok's ledger, saddling him with the loss. Due to his poor control, Tarnok needed 63 pitches just to record his seven outs, but the hefty workload seemingly dispelled any doubts about the strength of his previously strained shoulder. The 24-year-old could be in line for more long-relief assignments in the immediate future, but his experience as a starter at the minor-league level also makes him a rotation option should the Athletics look to move on from Hogan Harris, Ken Waldichuk or Luis Medina.