MLB Player News

The Mariners optioned Bazardo to Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

Just two days after coming up from the minors, Bazardo will be sent back down to Triple-A without appearing in a game. Troy Taylor was selected from Double-A Arkansas to fill the open roster spot.

Kittredge allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning, earning his major-league-leading 30th hold of the season in Friday's 8-5 win over the Royals.

Kittredge has been one of the best setup men in the majors this year, which has helped the Cardinals rely on the bullpen to find success. He's on a 7.1-inning scoreless streak since the All-Star break, adding five holds and a blown save in that span. For the year, Kittredge has pitched to a 3.02 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 49:15 K:BB while adding one save, five blown saves and a 1-4 record over 50.2 innings.

Liberatore (3-3) allowed one walk and struck out three over three scoreless and hitless innings to earn the win Friday over the Royals.

Liberatore allowed nine runs over his first 3.2 innings following the All-Star break, but he's bounced back with 6.2 scoreless innings and a 9:2 K:BB over his four appearances in August. The southpaw has been a multi-inning reliever and occasional spot starter for the Cardinals this year. He's now at a 4.76 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 53:22 K:BB through 62.1 innings, but it doesn't look like he'll find a path to a regular starting role any time soon.

Manager Bob Melvin said Friday that Walker will serve as the Giants' closer going forward, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Walker has been dominant out of the bullpen this season, posting a 2.24 ERA and 0.88 WHIP across 60.1 frames while typically handling the seventh inning for the Giants. With the struggling Camilo Doval now in Triple-A Sacramento, Walker will become San Francisco's go-to reliever in save situations and is worth rostering in all fantasy formats.

The Yankees recalled Marinaccio from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.

The Yankees will add extra depth to their bullpen by appointing Marinaccio as their 27th man for Saturday's twin bill versus the Rangers. The 29-year-old reliever has found consistent success in the big leagues this season with a 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through 19 frames, though there's a good chance he'll be sent back to Triple-A following Saturday's games.

The Rangers recalled Anderson from Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.

Anderson will return to the Rangers to give the team extra bullpen depth as the 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader against the Yankees. The 27-year-old owns an 8.53 ERA and 1.63 WHIP through 19 frames in the big leagues, but he has allowed just two runs (both unearned) in eight Triple-A innings since being optioned to the minors in early July.

Helsley gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 37th save of the season in an 8-5 win over the Royals.

It didn't look like Helsley's services would be needed headed into the late innings, but the Cardinals scored twice in the eighth and ninth frames to erase a 5-4 deficit. The St. Louis closer then made things interesting by bring the tying run to the plate with one out, but he coaxed a double play grounder out of Vinnie Pasquantino to end the night. Helsley has worked three of the last four days, likely making him unavailable Saturday, but he racked up saves in each appearance to extend his major-league lead in saves over Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase (33).

Neris gave up two hits and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 16th save of the season in a 7-6 win over the White Sox.

The veteran right-hander gave up back-to-back singles to lead off the ninth before walking Andrew Benintendi with two outs, but Neris got Andrew Vaughn to fly out to escape the jam. Neris hasn't blown a save since June 16, posting a 1.26 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 17:6 K:BB over 14.1 innings since then to build up some job security as the Cubs' closer.

Rasmussen is slated to serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Orioles.

After returning from the 60-day injured list Wednesday upon completing his recovery from the internal brace procedure he underwent last July, Rasmussen was summoned from the bullpen later that evening and was electric in his 2024 MLB debut, striking out three Cardinals batters over two perfect innings. Though the Rays intend to have Rasmussen slot back into the rotation in 2025, he's expected to be limited mostly to 1-to-2-inning appearances coming out of the bullpen for the rest of the current season. Though he's technically starting Saturday, Rasmussen is unlikely to work more than once through the batting order before turning the game over to lefty Tyler Alexander, who is expected to operate as a bulk reliever.

Martinez (5-2) earned the win over the Phillies on Friday, allowing one run and striking out one over a scoreless ninth inning.

Martinez's ascension to the back end of the Diamondbacks' bullpen continued. He was prepping for a save opportunity, but setup reliever A.J. Puk allowed an inherited runner to score, negating the chance. For Martinez, it was a sixth straight scoreless outing, during which he's struck out 12 batters in six innings.