MLB Player News

Akin was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday with lower back discomfort, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

Akin appears to have picked up a back injury when he last pitched Wednesday, getting charged with a loss after he tossed two-thirds of an inning and allowed four runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk while striking out two batters versus Cincinnati. He'll now be unavailable for at least a couple weeks. Left-hander Nick Vespi was called up from Triple-A Norfolk to replace Akin on the major-league roster.

The Orioles recalled Vespi from Triple-A Norfolk on Friday.

With Keegan Akin (back) headed for the 15-day injured list, Vespi will give the Orioles another left-handed option out of the bullpen. The 27-year-old has been great in Triple-A this season with a 1.71 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through 26.1 frames, and he's capable of pitching multiple innings at a time.

Chapman (4-2) gave up an unearned run on a hit and a walk and struck out two over one inning Thursday, earning the extra-inning win over the Guardians.

Jose Ramirez made a straight steal of home in the 10th inning after beginning as the initial runner on second base and moving to third on a groundout. Chapman was in line for the loss until the Royals walked it off with a two-run double from Freddy Fermin. The lefty reliever has been reliable with a 20:6 K:BB and just two runs allowed (one earned) over nine innings in June. He's picked up three of his four wins this month, and he has a 2.45 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 53:20 K:BB over 29.1 innings overall.

Harris (2-2) took the loss Thursday, allowing five runs on nine hits and two walks over 5.1 innings against the Yankees. He struck out two.

Harris pitched fairly well through five innings, holding New York to two runs before surrendering three in the sixth, including a two-run homer by Josh Donaldson. Harris has now allowed eight earned runs through 10 innings over his last two starts after pitching to a 2.57 ERA in his previous five outings. Overall, the 26-year-old southpaw has a 5.17 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with a 29:15 K:BB through 38.1 innings.

Clase (1-5) blew the save and took the loss Thursday against Kansas City. He allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits while striking out one over one-third of an inning.

Clase was unable to protect a one-run lead in the bottom of the 10th inning, allowing a leadoff single to Nicky Lopez before surrendering a game-ending, two-run double to Freddy Fermin. The Cleveland closer had converted his last nine save attempts coming into Thursday, with his last blown save coming back on May 19 against the Mets. He remains tied with Jordan Romano for the league lead in saves with 24.

Bradford did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks over 4.1 innings in a 8-5 loss to Detroit. He struck out eight.

Bradford was pulled after allowing a solo homer to Spencer Torkelson with one out in the fifth, but that was still enough time to record a career-high eight strikeouts. He struck out the side in the third, with each batter going down swinging, and then struck out two of the three hitters he faced in the fourth. Bradford has failed to make it through five innings in each of his last two starts, but since a shaky MLB debut May 15, he has a 3.77 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 17:5 K:BB through 14.1 innings.

Romano earned a save over the Giants on Thursday, allowing one run on two hits while striking out one batter over one inning.

Romano entered with Blue Jays leading 2-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning. He wasn't able to uphold the shutout, as each of the first two batters he faced notched a hit to record a run. However, the righty reliever caught a break when catcher Blake Sabol was caught stealing, and Romano overcame a two-out Matt Chapman error to finish off the Toronto win. It was the 14th consecutive successful save conversion for the Canadian closer, who has recorded a 2.45 ERA and 17:3 K:BB over 14.2 innings during that stretch. On the campaign, he's tied with Emmanuel Clase for the MLB lead in saves with 24.

Graveman allowed two earned runs on two hits and struck out two across one inning Thursday against the Angels.

Graveman entered the game in the ninth inning, but it wasn't a save chance as the White Sox were up by four runs. He got two quick outs before allowing a single to Mike Trout and a two-run homer to Shohei Ohtani. While his struggles didn't cost the team a victory, Graveman has allowed seven hits and two walks across his last three innings of work. There's no sign that he's at risk of losing the closer role so long as Liam Hendriks (elbow) is sidelined, though Joe Kelly has also been effective out of the bullpen.

Lopez has a 6.43 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across his last seven appearances while also picking up one win, one hold, one loss and one blown save.

Lopez has made seven appearances since Liam Hendriks (elbow) last took the mound, four of which have been scoreless. He's allowed multiple runs on two other occasions and has particularly struggled with his control by walking four batters across seven frames. Lopez continues to pitch late in games, though most of his appearances in recent weeks have come with the White Sox losing. Between his inconsistent success and usage, a return to regular save chances doesn't seem likely for Lopez in the near future.

Kelly threw a scoreless seventh inning while allowing a hit and a walk Thursday against the Angels.

Kelly entered the game in the seventh inning, the first reliever after Lance Lynn was lifted. He successfully held the lead and turned in his sixth consecutive scoreless outing, during which he has picked up two holds and maintained a 6:3 K:BB. Though he's been effective for most of the campaign, Kelly has only one save and looks to be behind Kendall Graveman for save chances with Liam Hendriks (elbow) sidelined.