MLB Player News

Junk (2-5) took the loss Wednesday against Atlanta, allowing eight runs on eight hits and no walks in five innings. He struck out three.

Junk poured in 62 of his 88 pitches for strikes Wednesday, but he might have been too aggressive in pounding the zone. The 30-year-old right-hander was tagged for a season-worst eight runs, and he's now served up six home runs over four starts in the month of May after giving up only a pair of homers in his first six outings of the season. Junk will be trying to keep the ball in the park during his next scheduled appearance in Toronto, where he'll bring a 5.07 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 40:13 K:BB over 55 innings.

Mejia was charged with a blown save Wednesday in the 5-4 loss to the Rangers, giving up one hit with one strikeout over two-thirds of an inning.

With the Rockies holding a one-run lead, Mejia was called upon to put out a ninth-inning fire with the bases loaded and one out, but a passed ball and a single resulted in two inherited runners coming across to score, tagging him with his first blown save. The right-hander has recorded three saves this year and should remain in the mix at closer for Colorado given that he has not been charged with a run in his past seven appearances and holds a 3.80 ERA over 19 outings overall.

Anderson didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Guardians, allowing two hits and two walks over 4.2 scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

Making his first start of the season, Anderson was limited to 63 pitches, but he certainly made the most of them, blanking the Guardians while logging a career-high seven strikeouts. After giving up 10 runs in his first 11.1 innings this year, Anderson has posted a sparkling 1.77 ERA over his last nine appearances (20.1 innings). The 32-year-old Anderson certainly seems to have earned another look in Detroit's rotation after Wednesday's outing -- he's currently lined up for a home matchup with the Angels.

Sewald struck out one in a hitless and scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 6-3 win over San Francisco.

Sewald pitched for the first time in the three-game series versus the Giants and got his 11th save in 12 chances this year. The right-hander needed only 13 pitches to earn the save and has now converted two straight after blowing his first save of the season a week ago in Texas. The clean showing lowers his ERA to 4.15 with a 20:6 K:BB.

Ferrer earned the save in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the White Sox, allowing a run on one hit while striking out three in the ninth inning.

Chicago made things interesting in the ninth inning after Randal Grichuk launched a home run off Ferrer to lead off the frame, cutting Seattle's lead to 4-3. However, the left-hander would rebound and strike out the subsequent three batters he faced, sealing a one-run victory and his third save this season. Ferrer, who got the save chance after Andres Munoz pitched in the Mariners' previous two contests, sports a 1.90 ERA with a 1.27 WHIP and 22:3 K:BB across 23.2 innings this season.

The Astros are expected to call up Santa from Triple-A Sugar Land, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

It appears Santa will be called up to the majors ahead of the Astros' weekend series against the Cubs in Chicago. The move will bolster an Astros bullpen operating without Bennett Sousa (elbow) and Josh Hader (biceps). Santa has appeared in 18 games in Triple-A this season and has a 1.42 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, two saves and a 24:7 K:BB across 19 innings. His first appearance out of the Astros' bullpen will be his major-league debut.

Crochet (shoulder) threw two innings in an up-and-down bullpen session Wednesday, Christopher Smith of Masslive.com reports.

Crochet will throw a brief side session Friday or Saturday before tossing his first live batting practice next week. The 26-year-old southpaw is progressing in his recovery from left shoulder inflammation that landed him on the 15-day injured list in late April. The Red Sox should have a better sense of Crochet's recovery timeline after his live session next week.

The Angels recalled Saucedo from Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.

It's the second time this season that Saucedo has been called up by the big club, with his lone major-league appearance coming against the Mets on May 3, when he allowed one run while striking out two batters across two-thirds of an inning. In Triple-A this season, Saucedo has a 4.82 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 20:13 K:BB across 18.2 innings. In a corresponding move, right-hander Ryan Johnson was optioned to Double-A Rocket City following the Angels' 14-6 loss to the Athletics on Tuesday.

Strzelecki cleared waivers Wednesday and elected free agency, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Strzelecki was selected to the Brewers' active roster Saturday to provide extra bullpen depth but was DFA'd by the team Sunday without making an appearance. He'll now explore his options in free agency after passing through waivers unclaimed, though he will likely have to settle for another minor-league contract.

The Diamondbacks released Ross on Monday.

Ross was torched for eight runs in 3.2 innings during a stint with the Diamondbacks earlier this season but has spent most of his time at Triple-A Reno, where he held a 4.29 ERA and 12:5 K:BB over 21 frames. The veteran hurler will now be on the lookout for a new contract with an organization seeking swingman depth.