MLB Player News

Hamilton (groin) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Sunday.

Hamilton will likely need to make a handful of rehab appearances at the Double-A level before having a chance to rejoin the New York bullpen. The right-hander has been out since the middle of May with his right groin strain. He was pitching effectively with a 1.23 ERA and 30:9 K:BB over 22 innings in his 16 appearances.

Hader allowed a hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Rays.

After a blown save to close out May, Hader has pitched five straight scoreless innings in June while earning four saves in that span. The closer has been scored on in just four of 28 appearances while pitching to a 1.32 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 39:12 K:BB over 27.1 innings. He's 17-for-20 in save chances on the year and once again looks like one of the best relievers in baseball.

Smith gave up two hits and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his 12th save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Blue Jays.

The veteran reliever converted his eighth straight save chance, a stretch that dates back to May 8 in which he's posted a 2.40 ERA and 18:2 K:BB through 15 innings. Smith has solidified the back of the Texas bullpen this season, reaching double-digit saves for the fourth time in his career, and his rebound this season may be the product of more than a little luck -- despite a career-low 23 percent groundball rate and career-high 41 percent flyball rate, his 5.7 percent HR/FB% is less than half his 2022 mark.

Houston acquired Kuhnel from the Reds on Saturday for cash considerations and optioned him to Triple-A Sugar Land, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Kuhnel was designated for assignment by the Reds on Tuesday, and he'll now provide some organizational depth for the Houston bullpen. The right-hander made two relief appearances in 2023 while allowing three earned runs on six hits with two walks over 3.1 innings.

Sewald blew the save in Saturday's 4-3 loss against the White Sox, allowing one run on two hits and one walk while striking out one over one inning.

Sewald couldn't secure Seattle's one-run lead and blew his second save of the season. The right-hander owned a 2.54 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 40:9 K:BB through 28.1 innings and had converted 13 of 14 saves coming into Saturday, so it's safe to chalk the poor outing up as an outlier. However, Andres Munoz, who tossed a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts during the loss, may get a few more save opportunities moving forward if Sewald continues to falter.

Duran picked up the save in Saturday's 2-0 victory over the Tigers, allowing one hit while striking out one.

Duran was part of a shutout effort for the Twins' bullpen, finishing off the Tigers with his four-seam fastball in the ninth inning to earn his ninth save of the season. The right-handed reliever has allowed just one run since April 29 against the Royals and has not walked a batter in three of his last four appearances. With Saturday's scoreless inning Duran lowered his ERA to 1.33 on the season to go along with a 0.96 WHIP.

De Leon did not factor into the decision Saturday, pitching two scoreless innings against the Tigers while not allowing any hits or walks. He struck out two.

De Leon opened the game for Minnesota and was highly effective over his 2.1 innings of work, striking out two while not allowing a runner to reach base. He did basically all of his damage using his four-seamer and changeup and was part of a strong bullpen effort overall in shutting out the Tigers on the afternoon. The reliever had surrendered three runs over his last 2.1 innings coming in (over two appearances) but now holds a very solid 3.38 ERA on the season after Saturday's scoreless appearance.

Beck was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento by the Giants on Saturday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Beck will take the roster spot of Wilmer Flores after Flores was placed on the injured list with a foot bruise. In his previous appearance with the Giants, Beck allowed two runs -- one earned -- over 4.1 innings versus the Cubs on June 11. He'll be a multi-inning relief option while with the major-league club.

Richards (0-1) took the loss Saturday as the Blue Jays fell 4-2 to the Rangers, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk over three innings. He struck out two.

Toronto has gone with something of a tandem approach to filling the hole in its rotation, and for the second straight appearance Richards started and went three innings before giving way to the rest of the bullpen. Unlike his last outing June 10, when he fanned seven Twins over three shutout frames, the right-hander had far less success this time around, tossing 36 of 65 pitches for strikes and serving up back-to-back homers to Josh Jung and Jonah Heim in the second inning. Until Alek Manoah turns things around or Hyun Jin Ryu (elbow) is ready to return, the Jays will likely continue patching together their fifth starter spot, and Richards should remain a big part of that plan. On the season, he sports a 3.82 ERA and 51:15 K:BB through 33 innings.

Mayers did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing six runs on seven hits and one walk over five innings against the Angels. He struck out one.

Mayers had been operating as a bulk reliever behind an opener during his last three appearances, but he drew his second start of the year Saturday. The role switch didn't change things for the right-hander, who has now given up 16 earned runs over his past three outings while posting more walks (five) than strikeouts (three) during that stretch. The Royals are dealing with numerous injuries to their pitching staff, which has allowed Mayers to carve out a role recently, but if he continues to struggle, Kansas City may have to look for help in the minors.