MLB Player News
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Anthony Banda RP | MIN
Twins' Anthony Banda: Blows save in loss
Banda blew the save in Friday's 9-8 win over the Rockies. He allowed two runs on three hits and no walks without a strikeout over two-thirds of an inning.
Minnesota entered the ninth inning with a 7-3 lead, but Eric Orze was unable to close things out, retiring just one of the four batters he faced. Banda was then called upon for the save once the lead was cut down to one run, but he surrendered two doubles and a homer before escaping the frame. Banda has recorded two saves and nine holds through 38 appearances this season, though his 4.54 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 31:14 K:BB aren't likely to net him regular chances in the ninth inning.
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Ben Joyce RP | LAA
Angels' Ben Joyce: Throwing only fastballs
Joyce (shoulder) has been throwing at the Angels' complex in Arizona, but he's limited to fastball-only bullpens, per MLB.com.
Joyce has yet to pitch for the Angels this season as he continues to work his way back from right shoulder surgery. The fireballing reliever had progressed as far as taking part in a minor-league rehab assignment, but he was pulled from that stint in mid-May after four outings because he wasn't recovering as well as hoped. It appears the organization is taking a cautious approach to Joyce's recovery, so he may not be ready to join the big-league club until after the All-Star break.
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Cameron Booser RP | TB
Rays' Cam Booser: Records second hold
Booser picked up a hold Friday against Arizona, recording the final out of the sixth inning.
After beginning the season with Triple-A Durham, Booser has since carved out a key spot in the Rays' bullpen. Through 9.1 innings thus far, the 34-year-old left-hander has a 0.96 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 10:3 K:BB with two holds.
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Grant Wolfram RP | BAL
Orioles' Grant Wolfram: Registers ninth hold
Wolfram picked up a hold Friday against the Nationals, striking out two in a clean eighth inning.
The 29-year-old left-hander has now turned in 23 outings with no earned runs allowed among 29 appearances this season, though he has given up multiple earned runs on three occasions. Wolfram has managed to be a fairly reliable setup man in 2026 despite having a .281 batting average against him, posting a 3.47 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 27:3 K:BB with nine holds across 23.1 innings.
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Cole Sulser RP | TB
Rays' Cole Sulser: Starting in bullpen game
Sulser will serve as the opening pitcher for the Rays in Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
With Shane McClanahan being pushed back in the pitching schedule for rest purposes, the Rays will lean on Sulser and their bullpen to get through Saturday's contest in what would have been McClanahan's turn in the rotation. The 36-year-old Sulser owns a 5.40 ERA and 1.55 WHIP through 31.2 innings on the season, but he's fired 5.1 shutout frames while striking out eight batters over his last four appearances. He's likely to work no more than an inning or two Saturday before exiting the contest.
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Simeon Woods Richardson RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Simeon Woods Richardson: DFA'd by Toronto
The Blue Jays designated Woods Richardson for assignment Friday.
Woods Richardson was acquired from the Twins earlier this month and has appeared in three games out of the bullpen for Toronto. While he hasn't allowed a run, the right-hander has an ugly 5:7 K:BB across 10 innings.
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Kai-Wei Teng RP | HOU
Astros' Kai-Wei Teng: Slated to start Saturday
The Astros announced that Teng would start Saturday's game against the Tigers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Cristian Javier (shoulder) appeared to be a candidate to come off the 60-day injured list to start Saturday in Detroit, but the Astros will instead give Teng another turn through the rotation while Javier continues to work his way back. Teng had a nice bounce-back outing against the Guardians in his last start Sunday, allowing just one run on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts over six innings to pick up his fourth win.
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Yilber Diaz RP | DET
Tigers' Yilber Diaz: Claimed by Detroit
The Tigers claimed Diaz off waivers from the Diamondbacks on Friday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.
Diaz was designated for assignment last weekend after he was tagged for seven runs on seven hits and one walk across two-thirds of an inning in last Saturday's loss to the Twins. The 25-year-old still sports a high-90s fastball and potentially plus slider despite major control and command issues, and he'll get a fresh start in Detroit's organization.
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Steven Cruz RP | KC
Royals' Steven Cruz: Drawing opener assignment Friday
Cruz is listed as the Royals' opener for Friday's game against the White Sox.
Kansas City has an opening in its rotation Friday with Stephen Kolek (personal) away from the team while he awaits the birth of his child, so Cruz will step in to make his first MLB start since 2023. The 27-year-old right-hander hasn't recorded more than six outs in any appearance this season and will be pitching on just two days' rest, so he's unlikely to last even once through the batting order. The Royals called up Mitch Spence from Triple-A Omaha on Friday, and he'll presumably be tasked with covering multiple innings in bulk relief.