MLB Player News

Brubaker secured the save Saturday against Colorado, allowing a solo home run and no walks in two innings. He struck out two.

Caleb Kilian blew the save in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Rockies and also worked each of the past two days for the Giants, so the club called upon Brubaker for his first save chance of the year Saturday. San Francisco has struggled for stability at closer largely due to Ryan Walker's season-long ineffectiveness, leaving the door open for Brubaker to see more high-leverage work. He's taken advantage of those chances with a 2.87 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 33:20 K:BB with three holds over 47 innings.

O'Brien walked one, hit a batter and struck out one in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 4-1 win over Atlanta.

O'Brien wasn't quite at his best while pitching for the third time in four days, but he got the job done. He's on a seven-inning scoreless streak and has earned six saves with a 6:2 K:BB in that span. The All-Star reliever has converted 24 of 28 save chances this season while pitching to a 3.43 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 39:13 K:BB through 39.1 innings. O'Brien presumably won't be available if a save opportunity surfaces Sunday -- JoJo Romero or Ryne Stanek would be top options to step in for a save chance since George Soriano has also pitched consecutive days.

Major League Baseball announced that Mikolas will begin serving his five-game suspension Sunday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

The suspension stemmed from his role during a bench-clearing brawl with the Red Sox on July 2. Mikolas initially appealed his suspension, but after teammate Cade Cavalli completed a five-game ban of his own, the veteran right-hander is now required to begin serving his time. Mikolas will be available to return to action July 21 against the Rockies, the Nationals' fifth game out of the All-Star break. Mikolas heads into the break with a 5.78 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 50:19 K:BB across 90.1 innings.

Duran earned the save against the Tigers on Saturday after tossing a perfect ninth inning with no strikeouts.

Duran needed just eight pitches (seven strikes) to protect the Phillies' two-run lead in Saturday's win. It was his 24th save of the season, which is third most in the majors behind Cade Smith (28) and Bryan Baker (25). Duran has a 1.38 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 50:6 K:BB across 32.2 innings this season and has converted his past eight save chances.

Phillips will start Sunday's series finale against the Guardians, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Phillips last pitched Wednesday against the Mariners, but the Marlins are expected to heavily rely on their bullpen for Sunday's contest, so the veteran right-hander will take the hill on three days' rest and presumably operate with a limited pitch count. Phillips has recorded a 3.28 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 55:34 K:BB across 74 innings this season.

The Dodgers designated Barnes for assignment Saturday.

Barnes will surrender his spot on the 40-man roster to Landon Knack (chest), who was activated from the 60-day injured list Saturday. Barnes has allowed 10 earned runs in just 12 major-league innings this year while also accumulating a 4.39 ERA and 1.52 WHIP through 55.1 frames in the minors.

The Dodgers optioned Hurt to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday.

After giving up six earned runs in just 3.2 innings since the beginning of July, Hurt will head back to the minors as the roster casualty necessary to make room for Landon Knack's (chest) return from the IL. Hurt's 3.55 FIP paints a more encouraging picture of how effective he's been out of the bullpen for the Dodgers this season, and he could return to Los Angeles later in the summer if he returns to form while in the minors.

The Padres optioned Brito to Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.

Brito joined the active roster Tuesday after spending the first few months of the season on the injured list, but he'll now be pushed back to Triple-A in order to make room for Matt Waldron's (forearm) return from the IL. Brito conceded two earned runs in 4.1 innings during his two appearances with the big club, and he could be an option to return to San Diego later in the season to provide length out of the bullpen.

The Cubs reinstated Maton (knee) from the injured list Saturday, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Maton landed on the injured list in late June with right knee tendinitis but has now been cleared to return to Chicago's bullpen after tossing 1.2 shutout innings during his lone rehab outing at Triple-A. The 33-year-old has struggled to find his footing this year, turning in a 6.08 ERA and 1.76 WHIP over 26.2 innings. He'll replace Jake Woodford on the active roster.

Murdock was added to the active roster as Pittsburgh's 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader against Milwaukee.

Murdock has spent the entire 2026 campaign in the minors and owns a 3.45 ERA through 15.2 innings at Triple-A Indianapolis. He'll now join the big club for the first time this year to add depth to the Pirates' bullpen for the second game of the twin bill, and he'll likely be sent back down to Triple-A once Saturday's festivities are complete.