MLB Player News
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Drew Anderson RP | DET
Tigers' Drew Anderson: Effective in long relief Friday
Anderson tossed four scoreless innings of relief in Friday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays. He allowed a hit and struck out one.
With Detroit having to resort to a bullpen game after Ty Madden took a 107.9-mph comebacker off his forearm in the third inning, Anderson was needed to cover the most innings in relief, and he was up to the task. It was the longest outing of the year for the righty, who's been good this month with a 2.70 ERA and 12 strikeouts across 10 innings. Overall, Anderson has a 4.67 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 27 innings this year, and he should stick in a long-relief role for the Tigers.
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Orion Kerkering RP | PHI
Phillies' Orion Kerkering: Notches first save of 2026
Kerkering walked one and struck out one while giving up an unearned run in the 10th inning Friday to record his first save of the season in an 11-9 win over the Pirates.
With Jhoan Duran not yet pitching on back-to-back days and Brad Keller having worked Wednesday and Thursday, interim manager Don Mattingly has to get creative with his high-leverage arms. Jose Alvarado struck out the side in a scoreless ninth, and then after the Phillies rang up three runs in the top of the 10th, Kerkering got the call and allowed only the phantom runner to score. The right-hander hasn't seen much usage in key situations this season, and through 16.1 innings over 18 appearances he sports a 2.20 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 12:7 K:BB with just one win and one hold in addition to Friday's save.
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Tejay Antone RP | CIN
Reds' Tejay Antone: Logs save
Antone allowed one run on one hit over one inning, recording the save in Friday's 7-6 win over the Guardians.
It was an unlikely save opportunity for Antone and the Reds, who upped a lead to 6-1 in the eighth inning before the bullpen fell apart. Graham Ashcraft and Brock Burke combined to give up four runs on five walks and one hit in the bottom of the eighth to make this contest a closer-than-it-should-have-been affair. Cincinnati's closer has been unsettled since Emilio Pagan (hamstring) landed on the injured list, and Antone could be one of several arms trotted out in the ninth inning.
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Steven Cruz RP | KC
Royals' Steven Cruz: Tagged with loss in extras
Cruz (0-1) was tagged with the loss Friday against the Cardinals after allowing an unearned run on one hit and one walk across two-thirds of an inning.
Cruz entered Friday's game to pitch the 11th inning in a 4-4 tie, but he allowed a two-out RBI single to Yohel Pozo, scoring Nathan Church. Cruz has made four appearances since returning to the big-league roster May 8, posting a 6:3 K:BB across 3.2 innings. This unearned run was the lone run he's given up in that span.
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Lucas Erceg RP | KC
Royals' Lucas Erceg: Blown save Friday
Erceg allowed an unearned run on two hits in an inning of work Friday against the Cardinals, striking out two. He was charged with a blown save.
Erceg entered the game in the 10th inning with the Royals holding a one-run lead, but he allowed an RBI single to Alec Burleson that scored Thomas Saggese. This was Erceg's third blown save of the season, and he's now allowed runs in his last two outings. Erceg has gone 10-for-13 in save chances this season while posting a 3.44 ERA and 17:12 K:BB across 19 outings (18.1 innings).
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Trevor Megill RP | MIL
Brewers' Trevor Megill: Collects fifth save
Megill struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-2 win over the Twins.
Megill's ninth-inning opportunity came after manager Pat Murphy elected to use Abner Uribe in the eighth. Both relievers have struggled with consistency this season and own an ERA above 4.60, so it's unlikely the Brewers are ready to abandon their closer-by-committee approach.
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Mason Miller RP | SD
Padres' Mason Miller: Flirts with danger in save
Miller allowed two hits and a walk while striking out four over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the save in Friday's 2-0 win over the Mariners.
Miller had a close call after being called upon to relieve Jason Adam in the eighth inning, allowing a single to load the bases before striking out Connor Joe. In the ninth, Miller put two more runners on base but struck out the last two batters he faced to finish the save. He threw 34 pitches (19 strikes) in his second appearance in three days, so his workload could be managed over the weekend. The flamethrower has converted all 14 of his save chances this season while pitching to a 0.86 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 44:6 K:BB across 21 innings.
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Randy Vasquez SP | SD
Padres' Randy Vasquez: Tosses six shutout innings
Vasquez (5-1) allowed four hits and struck out three without walking a batter over six scoreless innings to earn the win Friday over the Mariners.
Vasquez has been more good than bad this year, posting three scoreless outings and four quality starts among his first nine starts of the campaign. This was also the fourth time this year he's avoided issuing a walk. He avenged a poor showing at home against the Mariners back on April 15, when he allowed four runs over a season-worst four innings. The right-hander is now at a 2.68 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 45:13 K:BB through 50.1 innings this season. His 2.3 BB/9 has been his biggest area of improvement in 2026, which has helped Vasquez be one of the Padres' most reliable starters. His next start is projected to be a tough one at home versus the Dodgers.
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Hogan Harris RP | ATH
Athletics' Hogan Harris: Picks up third save
Harris allowed a hit and struck out one without walking a batter in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 5-2 win over the Giants.
Harris picked up his second save in May and his third of the year. He's allowed just one run on eight hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings this month. The Athletics' bullpen roles have been fluid for much of the season -- Harris is now one of four relievers with at least three saves, and he's added seven holds. Jack Perkins and Mark Leiter have struggled at times this month, while Joel Kuhnel has seen less high-leverage usage recently. Harris is at a 2.45 ERA on the year, though his 1.64 WHIP and 24:17 K:BB over 22 innings would suggest there will be volatility for him at some point. He walked 33 batters in both of the previous two seasons as well. The southpaw figures to be a matchups-based option for saves as the Athletics' top left-handed reliever.
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Kenley Jansen RP | DET
Tigers' Kenley Jansen: Records first 2026 win Friday
Jansen (1-2) pitched a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts and earned the win in Friday's 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays,
Jansen was effective in the top of the ninth inning for the Tigers and then earned the win when the team scored in the bottom of the frame. After a few rough outings at the end of April, the veteran reliever has now strung together four straight scoreless appearances with eight strikeouts to begin May. Jansen appears to be re-establishing himself as a reliable endgame option in Detroit.