MLB Player News

Smith struck out two batters over 1.2 hitless and scoreless innings to earn a hold in Saturday's 2-0 win over Cleveland.

Smith, who needed just 19 pitches to get those five outs, shepherded the lead to the ninth inning for Aroldis Chapman, who was as efficient as Smith in picking up his first save since joining Texas. Earlier in the day, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy announced that Smith and Chapman would be co-closers, per Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com. Smith's value obviously takes a hit with the new arrangement, but he's converted 15 of 17 save opportunities and is a trusted arm.

Chapman allowed one hit and struck out two over a scoreless ninth inning to record a save in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Guardians.

Chapman threw 10 of 12 pitches for a strike to record his first save since joining the Rangers at the end of June. Texas manager Bruce Bochy announced earlier in the day that Chapman will share the closer role with Will Smith, and the manager wasted no time giving the recent bullpen addition his first opportunity. Smith was used as the bridge, getting five outs before Chapman took over. Bochy said whichever reliever gets the call to close out games will depend on the set of hitters due up. Both are lefties, so it will not be solely based on lefty-righty matchups.

Scott was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Sunday, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

The journeyman right-hander finds himself in DFA limbo again after four outings with the Red Sox, including appearances in both of the team's first two games following the All-Star break. He had previously been designated for assignment by the Dodgers in June. Scott has allowed eight runs on 12 hits and eight walks in 9.2 total innings this season.

Graveman picked up a save against Atlanta on Saturday, allowing one run on three hits while striking out one batter over one inning.

Graveman was asked to protect a two-run ninth-inning lead and nearly blew it. The right-hander served up a leadoff homer to Ronald Acuna Jr., then saw two of the next three batters reach base to put runners on the corners with one out. However, Graveman was able to induce a game-ending double-play groundout from Sean Murphy to escape with the save. The veteran reliever leads Chicago with eight saves on the campaign, though he'll likely revert back to a setup role in the near future with Liam Hendriks (elbow) back to tossing bullpens and seemingly nearing a return.

Fairbanks earned a save against the Royals in Game 2 of a twin bill Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter over one inning.

Fairbanks got the call from the bullpen with Tampa Bay up two runs in the ninth inning. He allowed a leadoff single to Salvador Perez but retired the next three batters in order to wrap up the win. Fairbanks has recorded all five of the Rays' saves since he returned from the injured list June 15, allowing just one run and posting an 8:3 K:BB over 6.2 innings across seven contests during that stretch.

Pressly allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and struck out one over one inning to take a blown save in Saturday's 13-12 extra-inning loss to the Angels.

Pressly was tasked with protecting a three-run lead in the ninth inning but failed to get the job done. Shohei Ohtani hit a solo home run, and further traffic on the bases yielded two more runs before the Angels completed their comeback against Phil Maton a frame later. Prior to Saturday, Pressly had given up just one unearned run while allowing no hits and four walks over his previous 12 innings. The closer had a shaky stretch in early June, so fantasy managers will have to hope Saturday's outing doesn't lead to extended troubles. Pressly has a 2.36 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 46:8 K:BB while going 21-for-25 in save chances over 41.1 innings this season.

Holmes allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Rockies.

Holmes had limited opponents to two walks and no hits over his last five outings (4.2 innings). While his hitless stretch ended, he turned in another scoreless effort. Holmes has been scored on in just six of his 39 appearances, pitching to a strong 2.17 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 47:15 K:BB over 37.1 innings. He's added 11 saves, five holds, two blown saves and a 4-2 record while serving as one of the Yankees' top high-leverage relievers.

Duran picked up the save Saturday against the Athletics. He struck out two over one clean inning.

After giving up five runs over his last three appearances, Duran bounced back with a perfect inning to nail down his 14th save of the campaign Saturday. Though Duran has struggled as of late, he owns a 2.23 ERA through 33 appearances (36.1 innings) on the year and is locked into closing duties for Minnesota.

Harris allowed five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five over four innings Saturday against the Twins.

Harris took over in the second frame for opener Austin Pruitt, who gave up a pair of runs in his lone inning of work. Harris didn't fare much better, serving up five runs, including a two-run homer to Michael Taylor, over four innings. The southpaw has now given up four or more runs and walked at least three batters in each of his last four appearances. However, Hogan had allowed only eight runs in his last 28 innings prior to the poor four outings.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Saturday that Chapman and Will Smith will share closer duties based on which hitters are due up, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

The comments came after Chapman picked up his first save since joining the Rangers on Saturday versus the Guardians, striking out two while allowing one hit in a scoreless frame. Smith tossed 1.2 scoreless innings before Chapman in the game. The latter is having a terrific season and hasn't done anything recent to lose his job, but Chapman has had an even better year and is arguably a better choice at closer for the American League West leaders. For now, the two left-handers will share the gig.