MLB Player News

Varland retired both batters he faced in the ninth inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Red Sox.

Varland was summoned with two runners in scoring position and one out after Michael Waldron struggled to open the ninth inning, and the closer quickly slammed the door on just five pitches. Since blowing his first save of the season Thursday, the 28-year-old Varland has picked up a win and two saves over his past three appearances. On the season, he's now converted 26 of 27 save chances while posting a 1.30 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 76:17 K across 62.1 innings.

Whitlock was unavailable for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays due to elbow inflammation, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Interim manager Chad Tracy said after the game that Whitlock has been dealing with a nagging elbow issue for a while. The 30-year-old right-hander is scheduled to undergo further evaluation Thursday, at which point the team may know whether he has to spend time on the injured list.

Hader turned in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Giants.

Hader has been nearly untouchable of late, turning in nine straight hitless appearances (9.2 innings), issuing just two walks while striking out nine in that span. Hader improved to a perfect 17-for-17 in save chances this season while lowering his ERA to 0.96 with a 0.71 WHIP and 38:10 K:BB across 28 innings.

Romano earned the save in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks, issuing one walk in a scoreless ninth inning.

Romano has now converted six of his last seven save chances, allowing just one run over seven innings in that span. Since joining Colorado, Romano has posted a 3.09 ERA across 11.2 innings with a 1.54 WHIP and 14:7 K:BB.

The Dodgers recalled Knack from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

The move corresponds with the Dodgers sending right-hander Seth Halvorsen down to Triple-A. Knack opened the 2026 season on the injured list while recovering from an intercostal strain but was reinstated right before the All-Star break. He's been deployed out of the Dodgers' bullpen in each of his two major-league outings and figures to operate in a long-relief role.

The Dodgers optioned Halvorsen to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Halvorsen was traded by the Rockies to the Dodgers on July 20 and made his debut with his new team Tuesday against the Royals, when he was credited with the win after issuing one walk in a scoreless ninth inning. He'll head down to Triple-A, but Halvorsen could see more big-league action over the next couple of weeks should the Dodgers require more right-handed depth out of the bullpen. Landon Knack was recalled by the Dodgers from Oklahoma City in a corresponding move.

The Marlins have tentatively scheduled Bender (shin) to face hitters Friday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

After completing a 15-pitch bullpen session Friday, Bender took the mound again Tuesday and threw 25 pitches, per MLB.com. Assuming he feels fine physically coming out of the latter side session, Bender will take the next step forward by throwing against live hitters. The right-hander has been on the shelf since June 30 due to a right shin stress reaction and will likely need to complete a rehab assignment prior to being activated.

Curtis (side) was reinstated from Triple-A Indianapolis' 7-day injured list Wednesday, Dominic Campbell of SI.com reports.

Curtis has been sidelined by side discomfort since July 25, but he's progressed enough in his recovery to return to the Triple-A squad. He made his major-league debut with the Pirates on July 18, when he operated in a bulk-relief role against the Guardians and allowed two hits and two walks while striking out four across five scoreless innings. Curtis has a 5.84 ERA and 1.69 WHIP over 24.2 innings in the minors this season but could see some major-league action over the final weeks of the regular season.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Wednesday that Kempner will require surgery for his sprained right elbow, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

The Marlins aren't expected to provide further details until the operation is performed, but Kempner will presumably require Tommy John or internal brace surgery (or a hybrid of the two), which will keep him out for the rest of the 2026 season and most, if not all, of the 2027 campaign. The 25-year-old righty was placed on the injured list July 12 and had initially taken the rest-and-rehab approach for his treatment plan, but he apparently wasn't progressing as well as the Marlins had hoped. He'll close the season with a 2.92 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 14:4 K:BB in 12.1 innings over nine appearances with the big club.

Mlodzinski will start Wednesday's game against the Marlins in Miami.

Mlodzinski rejoined the rotation last week after the Pirates shut Mitch Keller down for the season Aug. 3 due to a right arm teres major muscle injury. While making his first start since May 25 in last Friday's 6-4 loss to the Mets, Mlodzinski dropped to 6-4 on the season while yielding five earned runs on seven hits and one walk across three innings. He threw 63 pitches in that outing but should be able to push up into the 70-to-80 range Wednesday as he builds back up following his extended stay in the bullpen.