MLB Player News

The Twins placed Sands on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right forearm strain, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Sands gave up two earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning during his last appearance Tuesday, and he'll now have to wait at least a couple of weeks to redeem himself after coming away from his outing with a forearm injury. John Klein will come up from Triple-A St. Paul to take Sands' place in Minnesota's bullpen.

Baker picked up the save in Friday's 3-0 win over the Giants, firing a hitless and scoreless ninth inning with one strikeout.

After blowing a save against the Pirates on April 18, Baker has now tossed four consecutive scoreless innings, recording a save in four straight appearances. With Griffin Jax working on becoming a starter for Tampa Bay, Baker appears to have a stranglehold on the closer gig. He's 8-for-10 in save opportunities and has logged a 2.92 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB across 12.1 innings.

Smith (0-1) took the loss Friday, allowing one run on three hits in two innings of relief as the Tigers fell 5-4 to the Rangers. He struck out three.

The veteran righty got the call in a high-leverage spot but couldn't seal the deal, giving up the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning on an Alejandro Osuna double as Texas broke a 4-4 tie. With Kenley Jansen struggling of late, Will Vest (undisclosed) not 100 percent and Kyle Finnegan having pitched the prior two days, manager A.J. Hinch's late-game options were limited Friday, but Smith has pitched well enough since being promoted from Triple-A Toledo to potentially be in the mix. Through 7.1 innings over four appearances, he's delivered a 2.45 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB.

Latz struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his third save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Tigers.

The lefty produced his seventh straight appearance without allowing a run as he works his way to the top of the pecking order in the Rangers' bullpen. Latz has the team's last three saves dating back to April 25, and on the season he sports a 1.02 ERA, 0.45 WHIP and 15:3 K:BB through 17.2 innings. Latz doesn't have the premium stuff of a typical closer, but as long as he's getting the job done, manager Skip Schumaker will stick with him.

Erceg struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Friday's 7-6 win over the Mariners.

Erceg has settled back in after back-to-back blown saves in mid-April. He's allowed just one unearned run over his last five innings, picking up three saves and two wins over five appearances in that span. For the season, the right-hander has a 4.05 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 11:10 K:BB with eight saves and a hold over 13.1 innings. Erceg continues to fill in as the Royals' primary closer while Carlos Estevez (foot) works his way back to full health.

Ragans allowed four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out eight over 5.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Friday.

All of the runs against Ragans came via the long ball. Julio Rodriguez had a two-run home run in the first inning, and Connor Joe and Randy Arozarena added solo shots in the fifth and sixth. Ragans has alternated good and bad starts all year, and this was the third time he's surrendered three homers. Overall, he has a 5.29 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 41:21 K:BB across 32.1 innings over seven starts. He's tentatively lined up to make his next start at home versus the Guardians.

Englert (forearm) is set to throw a bullpen session Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Boyle faced live hitters in batting practice Thursday, and he could go on a minor-league rehab assignment after Sunday's bullpen. The right-hander is working his way back from right forearm tightness, and he's tracking toward rejoining Tampa Bay's bullpen in mid-to-late May. It's worth mentioning that Rays want Englert to be built back up to work multiple innings.

Imaging on Helsley's right elbow came back negative Friday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Manager Craig Albernaz said that he isn't too concerned about Helsley's elbow now that the team knows he isn't dealing with any structural damage. He added that the 31-year-old reliever has been dealing with elbow discomfort for the past week but thought the issue would subside on its own. Helsley is now set to remain sidelined until at least May 15, though Albernaz's comments suggest he may not need much more than a minimum-length stay on the IL. In the meantime, Rico Garcia and Yennier Cano figure to be the leading candidates for saves in Baltimore.

Chapman earned the save in Friday's 3-1 win over the Astros, allowing one hit and no walks with one strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.

Chapman was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning and worked around a two-out double to slam the door. He's now 6-for-6 in save chances this season while keeping opponents off the board in nine of 10 appearances. The veteran southpaw has been dominant through 9.2 frames, posting a 0.93 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB.

The Mariners recalled Simpson from Triple-A Tacoma on Friday.

With Matt Brash (lat) landing on the injured list Friday, the Mariners will call upon Simpson to fill the void in their bullpen. The 28-year-old southpaw struggled mightily in the big leagues last year, finishing with a 7.34 ERA and 1.83 WHIP across 30.2 innings with the Marlins. However, he's bounced back nicely with the Rainiers this season, allowing just one earned run on three hits and six walks while striking out 12 batters over 9.1 frames.