MLB Player News

Fujinami fired two scoreless relief innings in a loss to the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing three hits while recording two strikeouts.

Although he got only 18 of his 30 pitches into the strike zone, Fujinami's scoreless effort represented a welcome resurgence from a rough showing Saturday when he'd allowed two earned runs on four hits over just two-thirds of an inning while taking his seventh loss. The Nippon Professional Baseball import has been appreciably steadier as a reliever than he was as a member of the rotation, with Fujinami now owning a 2-2 record and a serviceable 4.26 ERA in the 12.2 innings covering his last 12 appearances.

Francis (1-0) was credited with the win in Wednesday's 6-1 victory over the Giants, allowing one run on four hits over four innings. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The 27-year-old rookie took the mound in the fourth inning with the Jays ahead 5-0, after Trevor Richards had spun three shutout frames, and aside from an Austin Slater solo shot, Francis was effective over 47 pitches (32 strikes) en route to his first career win in the majors. The right-hander has worked multiple innings in four of his five MLB appearances, often serving as the back half of a tandem with Richards, and Francis has delivered a 2.92 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 10:4 K:BB through 12.1 innings. The role does afford him some fantasy upside as a source of further wins, but he's already been optioned back to Triple-A Buffalo twice since making his season debut in early June as Toronto juggles its pitching staff while trying to cover the fifth spot in its rotation.

Richards didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Giants, allowing one hit and one walk over three scoreless innings while striking out five.

The right-hander's changeup was devastating, and Richards generated 10 swinging strikes in the first inning alone -- becoming only the fourth pitcher this season to rack up double-digit whiffs in a single frame and joining Hunter Greene (hip), Andrew Heaney and MacKenzie Gore in that club. Richards continues to give the Jays some impressive outings as the front end of a tandem, posting a 3.07 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 21:5 K:BB through 14.2 innings in June, but the role puts a cap on his fantasy value as it makes it virtually impossible for him to record a win. Until the front office finds more permanent options to fill the holes in the team's rotation though, the 30-year-old should continue to be deployed as an opener.

Littell will serve as an opener Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Littell will take the mound first for Tampa Bay, with Yonny Chirinos slated to cover bulk relief innings. It will be the first opener assignment this season for Littell, who holds a 6.57 ERA and 11:5 K:BB over 12.1 innings covering 10 appearances between the Red Sox and Rays.

Murphy allowed two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one over two innings in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Marlins.

Murphy pitched the eighth and ninth innings of what was a bullpen game for the Red Sox. The former starter has showed promise as a bulk reliever since transitioning to the bullpen in the minors at the beginning of the month. The Red Sox are rolling with three healthy starters and expect James Paxton (knee) to start Friday. Beyond that, the fifth spot in the rotation may be what was on display Wednesday, a combination of long relievers that features Murphy and Nick Pivetta. Both Tanner Houck (face) and Chris Sale (shoulder) are on the injured list.

Pivetta (4-5) allowed two runs on one hit and two walks while striking out seven over 3.1 relief innings Wednesday, taking the loss as Boston fell 6-2 to Miami.

The Red Sox scheduled a bullpen game with Kaleb Ort throwing the first two innings followed by Pivetta, who retired 10 of the first 11 batters faced before back-to-back walks in the sixth inning. At that point, rain fell and the game was delayed. When play resumed, Josh Winckowski and poor infield defense -- a common theme for Boston in 2023 -- conspired to let both of Pivetta's runners score. A former member of the starting rotation, the right-hander has thrived in a long-relief role, posting a 2.16 ERA with 18 strikeouts and seven walks over 16.2 innings (11 appearances).

Cox (0-1) took the loss against Cleveland on Wednesday, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks while striking out two batters over 3.2 innings.

Cox was magnificent in his first six major-league appearances (all out of the bullpen), posting 12.1 scoreless innings with a 13:4 K:BB. The scoreless streak continued for two frames in his first start Wednesday, but Jose Ramirez put an end to it with a grand slam in the third. Cox retired five of the next seven batters before being pulled with two outs in the fourth. Control was a problem for him in the outing, as he threw just 39 of 68 pitches for a strike and walked four. The last-place Royals could keep in the rotation to see if he's able to improve upon his poor first start, though his minor-league numbers don't inspire confidence that he's ready to be a reliable big-league arm.

Barria (2-3) allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks over three innings. He took the loss versus the White Sox on Wednesday and failed to strike out a batter.

Barria had made just one appearance since his June 13 start versus the Rangers -- he tossed three scoreless innings of relief versus the Royals on June 18. His return to the rotation didn't go well, as he yielded three home runs, which accounted for four of the five runs on his line Wednesday. The right-hander now has a 2.92 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 40:16 K:BB through 49.1 innings over 17 appearances (five starts) on the season. Barria is clearly the Angels' sixth starter, which puts him at risk of getting skipped in the rotation when there are numerous off days available to keep the rest of the starters on turn. That's not the case for the next week, and he's tentatively projected for a road start versus the Padres his next time out.

An exam on Stewart's injured right elbow confirmed he has tendinitis, the Associated Press reports. "Everything I think came out just as we thought it would," manager Rocco Baldelli told the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Wednesday.

Stewart was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with right elbow soreness. While it sounds like he's avoided a worse-case scenario, there's still not a timetable for his return. Still, it sounds like he has a chance to return in mid-July.

Fairbanks walked one and struck out one in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

A ninth-inning rally from the Rays created the save situation, and Fairbanks was able to get the job done. The 29-year-old right-hander has converted a save in four of his five appearances since returning from a hip injury, though he took a loss in the one outing in which he allowed a run in that span. The closer is up to nine saves with a 1.65 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 15:8 K:BB over 16.1 innings on the season. Jason Adam has not converted a save since Fairbanks' return from the injured list June 15.