MLB Player News

Woods Richardson (0-5) took the loss Friday against the Blue Jays, allowing six runs (four earned) on nine hits and one walk with two strikeouts across 4.2 innings.

Woods Richardson has now been hammered for 25 runs (22 earned) across 23 innings over his last five starts. Armed with mediocre stuff and a second percentile strikeout rate, Woods Richardson doesn't have the arsenal to consistently miss big-league bats. It's fair to wonder how long Minnesota will keep trotting out the right-hander for starts. He leads the majors with five losses and owns a 6.49 ERA, 1.76 WHIP and 17:14 K:BB across 34.2 innings.

The Twins placed Sands on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right forearm strain, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Sands gave up two earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning during his last appearance Tuesday, and he'll now have to wait at least a couple of weeks to redeem himself after coming away from his outing with a forearm injury. John Klein will come up from Triple-A St. Paul to take Sands' place in Minnesota's bullpen.

The Marlins selected Ekness's contract from Triple-A Jacksonville on Saturday, Craig Mish of FanDuel Sports Network Florida reports.

Although he's logged an impressive 21:6 K:BB, Ekness has struggled to limit runs in Triple-A this year, turning in a 5.68 ERA and 1.56 WHIP across 12.2 innings. He'll now join the major-league bullpen despite his difficulties and will be making his MLB debut whenever he gets into a game.

Baker picked up the save in Friday's 3-0 win over the Giants, firing a hitless and scoreless ninth inning with one strikeout.

After blowing a save against the Pirates on April 18, Baker has now tossed four consecutive scoreless innings, recording a save in four straight appearances. With Griffin Jax working on becoming a starter for Tampa Bay, Baker appears to have a stranglehold on the closer gig. He's 8-for-10 in save opportunities and has logged a 2.92 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB across 12.1 innings.

Brazoban (2-0) earned the win in relief Friday against the Angels after tossing a perfect sixth inning, striking out one.

Brazoban only needed 11 pitches to get through the sixth, and after the Mets' bullpen combined for four scoreless frames, the veteran right-hander was awarded his second win of the season. This scoreless outing represents a rebound after Brazoban allowed runs in his previous two outings, but those are the only two appearances in which he's allowed any damage. Through 13 appearances and 14.1 innings, Brazoban owns a 1.26 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with a strong 12:3 K:BB.

Williams earned his third save of the season Friday against the Angels, tossing a perfect ninth inning while striking out two.

Williams is trending in the right direction of late -- this was his third straight scoreless outing, and he is now 3-for-4 in save chances. Williams endured a rough stretch between April 15 and April 23, allowing eight runs on nine hits with a 6:4 K:BB across four appearances, but it looks like he's finding his groove again. Even with his struggles, Williams remains the Mets' ninth-inning arm until further notice, so he remains a valuable fantasy asset, especially considering his track record.

Smith (0-1) took the loss Friday, allowing one run on three hits in two innings of relief as the Tigers fell 5-4 to the Rangers. He struck out three.

The veteran righty got the call in a high-leverage spot but couldn't seal the deal, giving up the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning on an Alejandro Osuna double as Texas broke a 4-4 tie. With Kenley Jansen struggling of late, Will Vest (undisclosed) not 100 percent and Kyle Finnegan having pitched the prior two days, manager A.J. Hinch's late-game options were limited Friday, but Smith has pitched well enough since being promoted from Triple-A Toledo to potentially be in the mix. Through 7.1 innings over four appearances, he's delivered a 2.45 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB.

Mejia (0-3) was tagged with the loss in relief Friday against Atlanta, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one in one inning.

Mejia entered the game in the top of the ninth inning in a tie game, but he couldn't hold the score. Mejia walked Kyle Farmer and was later taken deep by Michael Harris, who launched his seventh homer of the campaign. This marks the fourth time Mejia has allowed multiple runs in his 13 outings this season. He owns a 5.87 ERA and 1.83 WHIP in 2026.

Latz struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his third save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Tigers.

The lefty produced his seventh straight appearance without allowing a run as he works his way to the top of the pecking order in the Rangers' bullpen. Latz has the team's last three saves dating back to April 25, and on the season he sports a 1.02 ERA, 0.45 WHIP and 15:3 K:BB through 17.2 innings. Latz doesn't have the premium stuff of a typical closer, but as long as he's getting the job done, manager Skip Schumaker will stick with him.

Holmes didn't factor into the decision Friday against the Rockies, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks across five innings. He struck out four.

This was far from Holmes' best outing, though the expectations weren't very high considering the disadvantage that Coors Field represents from a pitching perspective. The reality is that Holmes has been trending in the wrong direction, as he has just one quality start over his last four outings. During that stretch, the right-hander has a 5.95 ERA and 1.53 WHIP with a 15:9 K:BB across 19.2 innings. He's scheduled to make his next start on the road against the Mariners next week.