MLB Player News

Harvey gave up a hit and struck out two over two scoreless innings Wednesday to record his third save of the season in a win over the Dodgers.

Kyle Finnegan entered the game in the seventh inning with the Nationals ahead 5-4 and blew the lead, but a three-run rally in the top of the eighth set Harvey up for the save. The former Oriole had a roller-coaster May, blowing four of his seven save chances with a 4.20 ERA in 15 innings, but he also picked up two wins and four holds with a 19:3 K:BB. Harvey figures to remain in the high-leverage mix with Finnegan even if he doesn't become Washington's full-time closer.

Solomon cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

He's no longer on the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster but will remain in the organization. Solomon has posted an ugly 12.15 ERA over five relief appearances at the major-league level this season.

The Mets have acquired Nittoli from the Cubs, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Nittoli had opted out of his minor-league contract with the Cubs but got shipped to another organization before reaching free agency. He will be on the 40-man roster, but it's not clear whether the Mets intend to put him on the big-league roster or assign him to Triple-A Syracuse. Nittoli holds a 3.48 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 20.2 innings this season at the Triple-A level.

Pressly allowed one hit and struck out one batter over a scoreless inning Thursday to earn a save against the Angels.

Pressly blew his first save of the campaign against the Twins in his previous appearance, but he was able to get back on track. The veteran closer allowed a one-out double, though that didn't provide extensive stress given that he was protecting a three-run lead. Pressly has 11 saves in 12 chances since April 21, posting a 1.69 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 18:2 K:BB over 16 innings during that span.

Blanco (1-0) garnered the win against the Angels on Thursday, allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out five batters over 5.1 innings.

It wasn't a breezy outing for the right-hander -- he threw just 59 of 94 pitches for a strike and dealt with plenty of traffic on the bases -- but he mostly got out of trouble when he needed to (including an inning-ending strikeout of Shohei Ohtani with the bases loaded in the second.) Blanco had come out of the bullpen for each of his first 16 major-league appearances but will pitch as a starter for the time being with the Astros not getting their next day off until June 12. It remains to be seen how he will adjust to the role, as it's relatively foreign to him -- over eight minor-league campaigns, only 23 of his 191 appearances came as a starter.

Jax (3-6) earned the win in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Guardians. He didn't allow a hit or walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning.

Jax struggled with an 8.18 ERA and three blown saves between April 21 to May 19. He's since thrown five scoreless innings in his last five appearances with an 8:0 K:BB ratio, so it looks like he's back to being a reliable setup man.

Pagan (hip) allowed a hit and no walks over 2.1 scoreless innings in Thursday's 7-6 victory over the Guardians.

Pagan left Sunday's loss to Toronto with a minor muscle strain in his hip area. He needed a few days off, but he's back to full speed. He's had an up-and-down season (4.57 ERA entering Thursday) and has continued to struggle in high-leverage spots. He'll continue to work in middle relief.

The Dodgers designated Burdi for assignment Thursday, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

Less than a week after being claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay, Burdi will be the Dodgers' roster casualty after the team traded for Ricky Vanasco on Thursday. The 28-year-old Burdi holds a 8.44 ERA during his major-league career and will likely have to improve upon his 4.91 ERA in Triple-A this season before he gets another shot in the bigs.

Johnson (0-2) blew the save and took the loss Thursday against the Diamondbacks. He allowed two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.

Johnson had the Diamondbacks down to their final strike before surrendering a double to Ketel Marte, followed by Corbin Carroll's walk-off base hit. It's Johnson's first blown save of the year despite his 6.85 ERA and 1.88 WHIP through 22.1 innings. While the 32-year-old righty has struggled, Daniel Bard has pitched to a 0.57 ERA. Johnson's grip on the closing job may be slipping.

Fujinami will serve as the Athletics' opener Friday against the Marlins, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Fujinami's first season in the majors has certainly been rough, as he holds a 12.00 ERA and 1.97 WHIP through 30 innings. However, he's seen an uptick in performance recently, allowing one run on one hit over 2.1 frames. Fujinami will likely stay in Friday's game for an inning or two before turning things over to Hogan Harris, who will take on most of the workload.