MLB Player News

Cox retired one batter and picked up his third hold of the season but was charged with two earned runs on two walks in Monday's 7-6 win over the Royals.

Cox appeared poised to pick up a save chance Monday, as he entered the game in the top of the ninth with the Royals holding a 5-4 lead. After issuing a leadoff walk, Cox was able to induce a groundout but was then pulled from the game after walking the next batter he faced. Nick Wittgren came on with one out and two on and wasn't able to protect the Royals' 5-4 lead, but he ended up scooping up the backdoor win after Kansas City broke through for two runs in the bottom of the ninth. With all three of the Royals' high-leverage relievers in Cox, Wittgren and Carlos Hernandez (two outs recorded, two earned runs allowed) struggling Tuesday, the team's closing situation would still appear to be highly unsettled in the wake of Scott Barlow being dealt to the Padres on Aug. 1.

Felipe (1-1) took the loss against the Cardinals on Monday despite also being credited with his fourth hold, allowing three earned runs on three walks over one-third of an inning. He struck out one.

Felipe entered the game in the seventh inning with a 5-3 lead, but he set up bullpen mate Francisco Perez with quite a jam by issuing walks to Paul Goldschmidt, Andrew Knizner and Tyler O'Neill around a Nolan Arenado strikeout. Felipe was subsequently charged with three runs and the loss when all of those runners crossed the plate after his exit, his first big-league defeat in 14 appearances. The right-hander has now been charged with five runs overall over his last five appearances, although all have come within three of outings in that span.

Lopez earned a save in Monday's 10-2 win over the Giants, allowing one run on three hits while striking out two batters over three innings.

Lopez was called up from Triple-A Durham earlier in the day and made his first big-league appearance in the bottom of the seventh inning with Tampa Bay holding a 6-1 lead. The southpaw encountered a bases-loaded situation due to an error, single and hit-by-pitch but showed poise in striking out Wade Meckler to end the threat. Lopez then allowed a run in the eighth before retiring the side in order in the ninth to earn the save. He threw 47 pitches in the outing, so he may be out of commission for a few days or sent back down to the minors in favor of a fresh arm.

Bautista earned a save in Monday's 4-1 win over the Padres, allowing two walks in a hitless and scoreless inning.

Bautista didn't make things easy on himself, as he threw only 10 of 21 pitches for strikes and issued a pair of one-out walks to bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of Manny Machado. However, the All-Star closer was able to get Machado to ground into a double play, ending the threat and giving Bautista his AL-best 32nd save. He's had an uncharacteristically tough time of late, though, allowing five runs on six hits and posting a 6:5 K:BB over his past 4.2 innings covering four appearances.

Wittgren (1-0) was not charged with a run but allowed two hits and a walk while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning to earn the win after blowing a save Monday against the Mariners.

Wittgren entered the game with runners on first and second after Austin Cox struggled in the ninth inning. Wittgren proceeded to let both inherited runners to score, but the Royals rallied back for a walk-off win. When he was selected from Triple-A Omaha in May, he began in a low-leverage role, but Wittgren's 10.2-inning scoreless streak has earned him some more important assignments. Overall, he has a mediocre 4.97 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 18:11 K:BB through 29 innings while adding two holds this season, so he's unlikely to perform well enough to interest fantasy managers.

Brash dropped to 8-4 after allowing two runs on two hits in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Royals. He was charged with a blown save and recorded one out.

Brash was given the save chance in a 6-5 game and gave up two runs on a sacrifice fly and a sacrifice bunt. He entered Monday with a nine-inning scoreless streak but saw his ERA climb to 3.35 after the hiccup. Justin Topa threw a scoreless frame while Andres Munoz didn't enter the contest.

Tarnok is dealing with a Grade 2 right calf strain, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Tarnok was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier Tuesday, and the reason for his deactivation is now known. Manager Mark Kotsay said Tarnok will be shut down in the interim, so the rookie looks set to miss more time than the minimum 15 days.

Kelly (elbow) could face hitters next week, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

This is the first update on Kelly's status since he underwent an elbow procedure in early May, but he has apparently made good progress in his recovery and is on the verge of reaching a key step in the process.

The Rays selected Lopez's contract from Triple-A Durham on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lopez will join the bullpen, likely in a multi-inning role, after registering a sharp 2.67 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 110:41 K:BB through 84.1 frames (19 starts, two relief appearances) this season between Triple-A and Double-A Montgomery. The 25-year-old left-hander was a 26th-round pick of the Giants in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft.

Brentz (elbow) is expected tobegin a rehab assignment Wednesday with Kansas City's rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate.

Brentz has been out of action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in July 2022, but he has made good progress in his recovery and is nearly ready for the final phase of his rehab program. If all continues going as planned, chances are he will return from the 60-day injured list and get a look out of the big-league bullpen before the 2023 campaign comes to a close.