MLB Player News

The Athletics optioned Alvarado to Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday.

Alvarado was roughed up in his last outing against the White Sox on Friday, when he allowed four runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three across two innings. That game rose his season numbers to an 8.38 ERA and 1.86 WHIP over 9.2 innings, so Alvarado will head down to the minors to regain some form. The A's recalled Mason Barnett from Las Vegas in a corresponding move.

The Athletics recalled Barnett from Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday.

Barnett opened the 2026 season in the minors after failing to make the Athletics' Opening Day roster. He has a 2-0 record across three starts in Triple-A with a 3.07 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 14:10 K:BB across 14.2 innings. The Athletics optioned Elvis Alvarado to Las Vegas in a corresponding move, indicating that Barnett will likely operate out of the A's bullpen in a long-relief role.

The Cubs transferred Horton (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Horton will miss roughly 16 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery Thursday, so the Cubs will stash him away on the 60-day IL for the rest of the year. Corbin Martin was selected from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move.

The Cubs selected Martin's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Martin will join the big-league bullpen for the first time this season after giving up one earned run in two innings with Iowa. Cade Horton (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day IL in a corresponding move.

Faucher (1-2) took the loss Friday against the Brewers, giving up three runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk in the 10th inning. He struck out one.

Tasked with protecting a 4-4 tie, Faucher instead loaded the bases with nobody out before a throwing error by Xavier Edwards and then a double by Garrett Mitchell brought all three runners home. Faucher has had a very shaky start to the season, stumbling to a 6.43 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and 11:8 K:BB through eight appearances and seven innings, and he could be slipping into a low-leverage role as a result -- his only hold so far in 2026 came back on April 5.

Helsley walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his sixth save of the season in a 6-4 win over the Guardians.

The right-hander continues to get the job done as the Orioles' closer, and Helsley has converted all six of his save chances to begin the season. Last year's homer issues also have yet to resurface -- after he served up nine long balls over 56 innings in 2025 between the Cardinals and Mets, leading to a 4.50 ERA, Helsley has yet to be taken deep over 8.1 innings in 2026 while producing a 2.16 ERA.

Jackson went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 6-4 win over the Guardians.

The Orioles were down 4-0 heading into the eighth inning -- a deficit created in part by Jackson's first error of the season -- but the 26-year-old utility player redeemed himself when he capped a six-run eruption by launching a Connor Brogdon fastball into the left-field seats. Jackson has five homers on the campaign and all of them have come in the last seven games, a stretch in which he's batting .429 (12-for-28) with two doubles, five runs and 13 RBI.

After tossing a scoreless inning of relief in Friday's 1-0, 10-inning loss to the Red Sox, Finnegan is now up to nine consecutive scoreless appearances this season.

Finnegan has managed to keep the opposition off the board so far this year, but there are some signs for concern. He only has three strikeouts across nine innings and has walked eight batters, which has contributed to a 1.33 WHIP that is a jump up from the 1.11 WHIP he posted for the Nationals and Tigers last year. Finnegan should remain locked into a key setup role for Detroit, though he'll need to flip the strikeouts and walks around if he wants to sustain his early success.

Vest (1-3) allowed an unearned run on a hit and a walk across 1.1 innings of relief to take the loss Friday in extra innings against the Red Sox. He struck out two.

Vest covered the bottom of the ninth inning in a 0-0 game and was then asked to come back out in the 10th. The veteran uncorked a wild pitch and ended up allowing a single to Masataka Yoshida that brought home the automatic baserunner from third base to win the game for the Red Sox. Despite taking his third loss of the season, Vest managed to lower his ERA from 6.75 to 5.63, and he's only allowed two earned runs over his last six appearances to go along with 10 strikeouts, so he's pitching a bit better than his overall stats would suggest.

Chapman allowed a walk and two hits over a scoreless ninth inning in Friday's 1-0 extra-inning win over Detroit.

Chapman, pitching in a non-save situation, allowed base runners for the fifth consecutive outing. It may not be much of a concern at this point, but his 3.9 BB/9 this season is higher than his dominant 2025, when walked a career-low 2.2 batters per nine innings.