MLB Player News

Halvorsen earned the save in Monday's 8-6 win over the Guardians, allowing one run on one hit and two walks with one strikeout in the ninth inning.

Halvorsen was called upon to protect a three-run lead after the Rockies rallied in the top of the ninth, and he managed to hang on despite throwing just 13 of 27 pitches for strikes. Over his past 10 appearances, the 25-year-old has converted all six of his save chances despite allowing seven earned runs. For the season, he's up to 11 saves with a 4.99 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 36:20 K:BB across 39.2 innings.

Smith (2-4) took the loss against the Rockies on Monday, allowing four runs (one earned) on two hits while recording only one out in the ninth inning. He did not register a strikeout.

With Emmanuel Clase on non-disciplinary leave through Aug. 31, it was Smith who received the team's first save chance in his absence. Unfortunately, he allowed the tying run to score on his own throwing error and was ultimately charged with three more runs. While it wasn't an ideal audition for the closer role, Smith has gone 3-for-5 in save opportunities this season with a 3.40 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 65:17 K:BB across 45 innings. It's unclear whether he'll get the next shot in the ninth or if manager Stephen Vogt will go with a committee approach moving forward.

Ross (back) threw a bullpen session ahead of Monday's game against the White Sox, per MLB.com.

Ross is recovering from back spasms, and it's encouraging to see that he's going through his throwing progression. It's unclear if the 32-year-old right-hander will be able to come off the injured list when first eligible on Aug. 6, but it doesn't appear as though he's facing an extended absence.

Megill threw one-third of an inning to pick up the save in Monday's 8-4 win over the Cubs. He struck out one.

Megill was tasked with recording only one out after Craig Yoho walked a pair of batters, and the latter got Seiya Suzuki to strike out en route to nabbing his 24th save of the year. The hard-throwing right-hander has now rattled off eight consecutive scoreless outings in a row, and Megill has an outstanding 1.57 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 34:10 K:BB over his last 28.2 innings since the start of May.

Iglesias pitched a clean inning with no strikeouts to earn the save in Monday's 10-7 win at Kansas City.

The 35-year-old threw just seven pitches, all of which were strikes, after relieving Rafael Montero, who conceded three runs on two hits and two walks to open the ninth frame. Iglesias has now picked up the last three Atlanta saves but will be a part of trade talks this week because he's on an expiring contract. The veteran reliever sports a 4.97 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 46:10 K:BB in 41.2 total innings while going 12-for-17 on save chances.

Flexen allowed two runs on three hits across two innings of relief in Monday's 8-4 loss to the Brewers. He struck out one.

Flexen has now allowed at least one run in five straight appearances, and he has a 7.98 ERA during the rough patch. He did make one start in there, allowing three runs over four innings against the Yankees on July 11, but his relief outings haven't been any better. Flexen had established himself as a valuable long reliever earlier in the year, though at this point, it's hard to trust the veteran until he strings together a few good performances and gets back on track.

Dreyer recorded one out to pick up the save in Monday's 5-2 win at Cincinnati.

After veteran right-hander Blake Treinen struggled with a four-run lead, allowing one run on two hits and two walks, Dreyer relieved him and entered with the bases loaded. The rookie southpaw induced a Matt McLain groundout on his third pitch to notch his first big-league save. This save marks an anomaly for Dreyer, who is unlikely to garner many future save chances. The 26-year-old has pitched to a 2.91 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 51:20 K:BB across 52.2 frames this season.

Fairbanks picked up the save in Monday's 4-2 win at the Yankees, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out one over 1.1 scoreless innings.

The right-handed closer locked down his first save of four or more outs this season with this 19-pitch performance. Fairbanks looked sharp, as he fired 14 strikes while allowing a lone single to Ryan McMahon with two outs in the ninth. In 39.1 total frames, the 31-year-old has pitched to a 2.75 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 33:15 K:BB while converting 18-of-21 save opportunities.

Shugart (knee) resumed throwing off a mound last Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Shugart had been scheduled to throw a proper bullpen session later in the week, but the Pirates haven't confirmed whether or not that happened. In any event, Shugart seems to be taking steps forward in his recovery from left knee inflammation, but he'll still likely need to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated from the 15-day injured list.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said that Mears (back) will be available for Monday's game against the Cubs, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.

Mears tweaked his back prior to his relief appearance in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Marlins, but after resting up during the final two games of the weekend, the veteran reliever looks like he'll be ready to go for Monday's series opener. The right-hander heads into the contest having logged one win and 13 holds to go with a 2.95 ERA and 0.91 WHIP over 45 appearances for Milwaukee this season.