MLB Player News

Taylor allowed one walk while striking out two over a scoreless eighth inning in Wednesday's 10-8 win over Atlanta.

With Matt Barnes unavailable to close out the game, manager Alex Cora went with Adam Ottavino and bumped up Taylor to be the eighth-inning bridge, a role Ottavino typically fills for Barnes. It was a clear indication of Cora's confidence in Taylor, who earned his ninth hold and has not allowed a run since April 24.

Chapman gave up two hits and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his 14th save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.

Vladimir Guerrero and Teoscar Hernandez led off the ninth with back-to-back hits, but Chapman buckled down and escaped the jam with a little help from the umpires. The veteran closer sports his typically dominant numbers with a 1.78 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 45:11 K:BB through 25.1 innings on the year.

Ottavino picked up the save against Atlanta on Wednesday, tossing one inning and giving up one run on two hits while striking out one.

Usual closer Matt Barnes was unavailable Wednesday after pitching each of the previous two days, so Ottavino was called upon to close with Boston holding a three-run ninth-inning lead. It was hardly a smooth performance by the veteran reliever -- he allowed a run on a single and a double -- but Ottavino struck out Freddie Freeman to end the game. The right-hander has converted four saves and 13 holds on the season and is the clear top choice for ninth-inning duties when Barnes is unavailable.

Shaw gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits and struck out three in one inning to earn a hold in Wednesday's 8-7 win over Baltimore.

Shaw allowed just three runs over 20.2 innings in the first two months of the season. He's already given up five runs (four earned) across 7.1 innings in June. The right-hander nearly gave up the lead in the seventh inning Wednesday, but he was able to strike out Pedro Severino and Anthony Santander (ankle) for the final two outs with two runners aboard. For the year, Shaw has a 2.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 35:21 K:BB across 28 innings, but his performance is trending in the wrong direction. He'll need to work on trimming down his walk rate of 6.8 BB/9 to have more effective performances.

Akin (0-2) allowed eight earned runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out seven across 5.2 innings to take the loss Wednesday against Cleveland.

Akin suffered through a five-run third inning, when he allowed six baserunners -- five of which reached on hits. He managed to minimize the damage from there, though Matt Harvey allowed two inherited runners to score, further bloating Akin's line. More positively, Akin did strike out seven, a performance backed by 16 swinging strikes on 96 total pitches. After beginning the season in the bullpen, Akin has now taken four consecutive turns through the rotation and allowed 12 earned runs across 19.1 innings while also racking up 17 strikeouts.

Clase didn't allow a baserunner and struck out one to earn the save Wednesday against the Orioles.

James Karinchak worked in the eighth inning with a one-run lead, leaving the save chance for Clase. Despite the high-leverage spot, Clase needed only 12 pitches to retire the side without allowing a baserunner to record his 11th save of the season. Since May 21, Clase has earned four saves while Karinchak has recorded two. The former has also maintained an excellent 0.94 ERA with 32 strikeouts across 28.2 frames on the campaign.

Hall was placed on the 7-day injured list at Double-A Bowie with soreness in his left elbow, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The young southpaw had an MRI come back clean, but he'll still miss some time after experiencing soreness following his last start Saturday. Hall is expected to be sidelined for at least a couple weeks.

Hernandez allowed two hits and struck out four over three scoreless innings in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Detroit.

Starter Brady Singer left Wednesday's game with a shoulder injury after three innings, but Hernandez was able to deliver solid work in a bulk-relief outing. The 24-year-old hasn't been great at the major-league level in 2021, posting a 6.00 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 17:8 K:BB across 12 innings. He'll likely remain in a low-leverage role unless he can put together more successful outings like he did Wednesday.

Fulmer allowed two runs on three hits and struck out one in one inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 6-5 win over Kansas City.

Fulmer was fortunate to have a three-run lead to protect, as he gave up an RBI double to Whit Merrifield and an RBI single to Carlos Santana with two outs. The righty was able to strike out Salvador Perez to end the threat. Fulmer is now 5-for-6 in save chances with a 3.65 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 37:10 K:BB across 37 innings this year. Wednesday was just his second appearance since returning from a shoulder injury. Gregory Soto and Jose Cisnero remain in the mix for save chances, although the latter worked a perfect eighth inning for a hold in this contest.

Wilson (hamstring) completed a bullpen session Tuesday and is expected to throw another session Friday, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

Assuming Friday's session goes smoothly, manager Aaron Boone said Wilson could then progress to "a live pitching situation." The veteran lefty landed on the shelf in late May with a strained right hamstring, and it's unclear if he'll require a rehab assignment before being activated.