MLB Player News

The Rays traded Belge to the Cubs on Saturday in exchange for Richard Lovelady.

Belge has spent all of 2024 at Double-A Montgomery while putting up a 4.20 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 15 innings out of the bullpen. The 26-year-old southpaw will presumably remain in Double-A as he moves into the Cubs' farm system.

The Rays transferred Waguespack (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Saturday.

Waguespack will give up his spot on the 40-man roster in order to make room for recent acquisition Richard Lovelady. Waguespack landed on the injured list May 6 due to right shoulder inflammation, and he will now be ineligible to return until July 5.

Suarez earned a hold against Atlanta on Friday, allowing two hits and striking out two batters over one inning.

Suarez has been one of the best closers in baseball this season with 12 saves (in 12 chances) and a 0.47 ERA, so his usage in the eighth inning against Atlanta was not a demotion. Rather, the right-hander was called upon to face the heart of Atlanta's formidable lineup, and though he gave up singles to Marcell Ozuna and Chadwick Tromp, Suarez managed to emerge from the outing with his 16-game scoreless streak intact. The 33-year-old should see most of his work in the ninth inning going forward, though Friday's usage is an indication that manager Mike Shildt won't hesitate to use Suarez in the highest-leverage situations prior to the ninth if the situation calls for it.

Matsui earned a hold against Atlanta on Friday, walking one batter and striking out two over two-thirds of an inning.

Matsui was called upon with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning with the trying run at the plate, and he struck out Michael Harris to end the frame. The lefty reliever then struck out Orlando Arcia to begin the seventh before walking Adam Duvall, which got him the hook. Interestingly, usual closer Robert Suarez was deployed in a high-leverage spot in the eighth frame Friday, but Matsui -- who was expected to compete for the ninth-inning role after working mostly as a closer during his 10-year career in Japan -- wasn't available to close since he had already been used. If Suarez sees more work before the ninth, it's possible Matsui gets an occasional save chance, though he's mostly struggled in May, allowing four runs on five hits while posting a 6:6 K:BB over 4.2 innings covering six appearances.

Kahnle (shoulder) may be activated from the IL during the Yankees' series against Seattle that begins Monday, per MLB.com.

Kahnle kicked off a minor-league rehab assignment May 8 and has been dominant through four outings, posting a 9:0 K:BB while tossing four perfect frames. The veteran reliever is slated to make another rehab appearance Saturday, after which he'll be re-evaluated. If Kahnle is cleared at that point, he could make his season debut for the big-league Yankees as soon as Monday.

Ferguson earned a hold against the White Sox on Friday, striking out one batter in two-thirds of an inning.

Fellow reliever Ian Hamilton began the eighth frame for the Yankees but got himself into hot water, allowing three hits to the four batters he faced to yield a run and put the tying runs in scoring position. Ferguson was called upon to put out the fire and did just that, striking out Andrew Benintendi and getting Corey Julks to line out to keep New York's advantage at two runs. Though his ERA still sits at an unappealing 5.74 on the campaign, Ferguson has been one of the Yankees' highest-leverage relievers of late, nailing down four holds over his past 10 appearances. He's posted a 10:3 K:BB across seven innings during that span, and all four of his earned runs during that stretch came in a single outing (May 12 versus Tampa Bay).

Hamilton earned a hold against the White Sox on Friday despite allowing one run on three hits while striking out one batter over one-third of an inning.

This wasn't Hamilton's finest performance, as he gave up a double followed by a run-scoring single prior to recording his only out. The right-hander then yielded another double to put the tying runs in scoring position, but Caleb Ferguson came to the rescue in relief of Hamilton to prevent any more runs from scoring. Despite the poor outing, Hamilton was credited with his first hold since May 1. The 28-year-old has taken a bit of a step back in comparison to last season, but he's still been relatively effective this year with a 3.18 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 19:9 K:BB through 22.2 innings.

Fairbanks struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his fourth save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Blue Jays.

The right-hander needed only six pitches (five strikes) to dispatch the heart of Toronto's order, setting down Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero and Justin Turner. Fairbanks still isn't quite flashing his usual velocity -- he topped out at 97.3 mph with his fastball Friday after averaging 98.9 mph in 2023 -- but he hasn't seemed to miss the extra gear since coming off the IL, firing four straight hitless, scoreless appearances with a 6:0 K:BB.

Holmes walked one and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 13th save of the season in a 4-2 win over the White Sox.

The right-hander is back in a four-way tie for the league lead in saves with Emmanuel Clase, Kyle Finnegan and Ryan Helsley, but Holmes is the only one of the quartet who still sports a 0.00 ERA. The closer's luck on that front will run out eventually, but his 0.98 WHIP and 23:4 K:BB through 19.1 innings highlight how dominant he's been to this point.

Atlanta outrighted Stephens to Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.

Stephens came up from the minors May 4 to replace the injured Pierce Johnson, and will now return to Triple-A as Johnson comes off the IL. Stephens made three appearances in his latest big-league stint, allowing one run over 3.1 innings while striking out two batters and walking one.