MLB Player News

Perkins (2-5) took the loss Thursday against the Tigers, allowing three runs on two hits and two walks while striking out two over three innings.

The right-hander entered behind opener Jose Suarez, who recorded four outs without a baserunner. Perkins was hurt by the long ball, surrendering a solo homer to Jake Rogers to open the scoring before Zach McKinstry added a two-run blast later in the outing. Across seven starts and bulk-relief appearances this year, Perkins has struggled to an 8.19 ERA with zero wins.

Kittredge earned the save Thursday against the Cubs, allowing one hit with no strikeouts or walks in a scoreless ninth inning.

With multiple Baltimore relievers having worked Wednesday, Kittredge was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the ninth. After Nico Hoerner reached on an error to begin the inning, Kittredge caught a break when Hoerner was thrown out attempting to steal second one batter later. The right-hander would finish off the frame to secure his second save of the season. He enters the All-Star break owning a 4.70 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with four holds in 23 innings.

Jansen worked around a hit and a walk to secure the save in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Athletics. He struck out one.

Jansen wasn't his sharpest as he allowed a few baserunners and needed 19 pitches to get through the ninth inning, but he still managed to lock down his 11th save in 15 chances this season. The veteran hasn't been his typical dominant self with a 4.76 ERA across 22.2 innings, which is up from 2.59 last year and his career ERA of 2.62. Despite some struggles, Jansen seems locked in as Detroit's closer, and his impressive MLB track record suggests he could pitch better as the season rolls along.

Chapman secured the save Thursday against the White Sox, throwing a clean ninth inning.

Chapman made quick work out of the Chicago bats, landing all but one of his nine pitches for strikes. The hard-throwing left-hander has been shaky lately, having yielded six runs with two blown saves over his last seven innings, though he managed his first perfect outing Thursday since June 5 against the Yankees. Through 27.2 innings, Chapman has a 2.28 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 35:12 K:BB with 19 saves in 21 opportunities.

Smith secured the save Thursday against the Twins, throwing a clean ninth inning. He struck out two.

With Thursday's save, the 27-year-old right-hander moved in front of Bryan Baker for the major-league lead. Cade Smith has flourished as Cleveland's full-time closer in 2026, posting a 2.76 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 61:11 K:BB with 27 saves in 30 attempts over 42.1 innings. Smith has yet to allow a hit across four outings in July so far.

Bradford (elbow) will resume his rehab assignment at Double-A Corpus Christi on Sunday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Coming back from an internal brace procedure, Bradford threw two innings in one rehab outing back in early April but had to be pulled off that assignment after a setback. The left-hander is ready to give it another try and is slated to pitch one inning for Corpus Christi this weekend. Assuming the Rangers still intend to bring Bradford back as a starting pitcher, he will need several weeks to rebuild his stamina.

Blackburn took a no-decision Thursday against the Rays, allowing one run on two hits and no walks in two innings. He struck out three.

Blackburn served as opener of a bullpen game Thursday, serving up a solo home run to the red-hot Junior Caminero in the first inning. However, the three punchouts were a season best for the 30-year-old right-hander, who has made 29 relief appearances as opposed to a pair of brief starts this year. Blackburn hasn't offered much fantasy viability but has been an effective member of New York's pitching staff, posting a 2.31 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 35:15 K:BB over 46.2 innings.

Natera (1-0) earned the win over Texas on Wednesday, striking out five batters over two perfect innings in relief.

The Angels built an early lead, and starter Walbert Urena held the Rangers scoreless through four frames. However, Urena also struggled with his control and needed 90 pitches to get through those four innings, so he wasn't able to go deep enough to qualify for the win. Natera entered in the fifth and dominated across two frames, throwing 19 of 24 pitches for strikes and fanning five of the six batters he faced. That earned the lefty his first big-league win in his 11th appearance. Natera was blown up for four runs over two-thirds of an inning July 4 versus Boston, but he's otherwise been lights-out. In his other 10 outings, he's given up just one run on three hits across 12.2 frames while recording an impressive 20:6 K:BB. Natera has logged one save and one hold and could be working his way up to more high-leverage situations given how effectively he's pitched.

Banda underwent surgery to repair his left lat strain and will miss the remainder of the 2026 season, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Banda last pitched June 28 and was placed on the 15-day injured list 11 days ago. He expects to be ready for the start of spring training in February. The lefty reliever appeared in 39 games out of the bullpen for Minnesota this season and registered a 4.46 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 33:15 K:BB across 34.1 innings.

The Guardians placed Herrin on the 15-day injured list Thursday due to a left elbow contusion.

Herrin was lifted from his most recent relief appearance in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Twins after being hit in the left elbow by a comebacker. X-rays came back negative, but Herrin's injury was deemed serious enough to keep him on the shelf through June 23. Herrin has appeared in 41 games out of the bullpen this season, logging a 3.06 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 27:19 K:BB across 32.1 innings.