MLB Player News

Kranick (elbow) had his rehab assignment shifted to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, MLB.com reports.

Kranick struggled across two outings and 4.1 innings by allowing five earned runs with Single-A Bradenton. He turned things around a bit in his opening appearance with Indianapolis, allowing only one hit across 2.2 scoreless innings while striking out four and walking one. Kranick is returning from Tommy John surgery, and it's possible that he will be activated from the injured list at some point in September.

Cruz will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Diamdonbacks, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Though the Reds haven't confirmed that a bulk reliever will work behind Cruz, Ben Lively (pectoral) is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list Saturday and appears likely to cover multiple innings out of the bullpen. Cruz, who will be making his first start of 2023, hasn't recorded more than six outs in any of his 46 appearances this season. He carries a 4.30 ERA and 1.22 WHIP into Saturday's contest.

The Angels optioned Rosenberg to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Rosenberg was returned to Triple-A one day after he was called up and appointed as the Angels' 27th man for a doubleheader with the Reds. He covered two innings out of the bullpen in the Angels' 9-4 loss in the first game of the twin bill, giving up one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out three.

Campbell (4-0) got the win against the Royals on Friday, firing a perfect fifth inning during which he recorded a strikeout.

Campbell got through his one frame on just nine pitches -- seven of which he pounded in for strikes -- after starter Bryce Miller labored through the first four frames. The rookie right-hander had conceded an earned run in each of his last two outings, but he's still carrying an impressive 2.76 ERA across his first 16.1 big-league innings.

Moore earned a hold against the Mets on Friday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in one scoreless inning.

Moore had a rare blow-up his previous time on the mound, giving up three runs in one inning against Cincinnati. He was back in form Friday, escaping with a scoreless frame despite seeing the first two batters he faced reach base via a double and an error. Moore has held the opponent scoreless in 13 of his last 14 appearances, notching eight holds while posting a 1.93 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 20:4 K:BB over 14 innings during that span. The southpaw leads the Angels with 20 holds on the campaign.

Hall was recalled by the Orioles on Saturday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

The 24-year-old lefty has struggled to a 5.94 ERA in 16.2 career MLB innings despite a 32.9 percent strikeout rate. He recorded a 4.57 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts at the beginning of this season before the Orioles elected to back him off and rebuild his arm strength at the team's spring training complex, as his velocity was down nearly three ticks. He's since returned to strike out 18 batters in 7.2 innings of relief and could be a weapon out of the bullpen down the stretch in Baltimore. A corresponding move has yet to be announced.

Newcomb fired two scoreless innings in a win over the White Sox on Friday, allowing no hits and one walk while recording three strikeouts.

Making his second appearance for the Athletics after a promotion from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, Newcomb was once again impressive while firing 28 of his 42 pitches for strikes. The veteran left-hander, once a 12-game winner as a starter with Atlanta back in 2018, figures to continue drawing plenty of multi-inning assignments in Oakland down the stretch and could certainly see his fair share of hold opportunities and decisions in the process.

Neal (1-0) picked up the win in Friday's 12-4 victory over the White Sox, giving up four runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out two.

The 34-year-old righty wasn't exactly sharp -- four of the five hits off Neal went for extra bases, including homers by Lenyn Sosa and Eloy Jimenez -- but he got plenty of run support and lasted just long enough to qualify for the win in his first start at the big-league level this season. Neal tossed 87 pitches (53 strikes) and likely did enough to stick in an A's rotation in need of healthy arms. If he stays on turn, Neal's next start appears ticketed for next week in Seattle.

Graterol earned a hold over the Red Sox on Friday, allowing two hits and striking out two batters over 1.2 scoreless innings.

Graterol has picked up two saves since Aug. 10, but he remains a secondary closing option for Los Angeles behind Evan Phillips. Graterol has emerged as a shutdown high-leverage weapon for manager Dave Roberts, racking up 12 straight scoreless appearances and yielding just one run over 25.2 innings since June 21. The fireballing right-hander has just 17 strikeouts during that span, but he's posted a 0.90 WHIP and notched two wins, three saves and 10 holds. Phillips has also been solid and is in no danger of losing his closing job, so Graterol's fantasy value is mostly limited to leagues that count holds, though he could pick up a few more saves down the stretch.

Lange (6-3) worked around a walk to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and earn the win Friday against the Astros.

Lange worked the ninth in a 1-1 tie and managed to not let a walk hurt him. The righty then earned the win when Parker Meadows smashed a walk-off home run in the bottom half of the frame. After some control issues led to a rough patch earlier in the month, Lange has been better lately, tossing 5.2 scoreless innings over his last six appearances with only three walks. He also appears to have regained the ninth-inning role in Detroit, with two saves and a win in his last three outings.