MLB Player News

Minter earned the save against the Guardians on Saturday, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.

With Yoendrys Gomez struggling in a loss Friday, Minter was summoned to preserve a one-run lead in the ninth inning Saturday and did so on 16 pitches. It was likely just a matchup play, as the southpaw's last save came May 13, 2024. On the season, he owns a 2.01 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 36:7 K:BB across 40.1 innings with the Mets and Twins.

The Royals claimed Bivens off waivers from the Giants on Saturday.

Bivens has been assigned to Triple-A Omaha. He was designated for assignment by San Francisco earlier in the week after appearing in four games out of the bullpen. Across 81 big-league appearances from 2023-2024 -- his only prior MLB experience -- Bivens posted a 3.68 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 98:36 K:BB across 129.2 innings.

The Nationals optioned Yean to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday.

The 25-year-old right-hander was just recalled three days ago and has appeared in eight games for the Nationals this season, posting a 2.45 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 7:2 K:BB across 11 innings.

Marte struck out four and allowed three hits and two walks over five scoreless innings of relief in Friday's 7-5 loss to the Padres.

Marte entered the game in the top of the fourth, but it's unclear if he was making a planned piggyback appearance behind starter Anthony Molina. The Giants turned to Marte after Molina was tattooed for seven earned runs on nine hits and two walks across three innings, with the right-hander needing 72 pitches to record his nine outs. Marte pitched impressively in long relief and now owns a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 9:6 K:BB across his first 14.2 big-league innings. His strong performance Friday could put him back in the mix to make a start or two before the season comes to a close.

The Orioles signed Suarez to a minor-league contract Saturday, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.

Suarez elected free agency earlier in the week after being DFA'd three days earlier. The 36-year-old has been doing this same old song and dance -- being DFA'd, electing free agency and re-signing -- with the Orioles all season. Suarez owns a 4.12 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 41:20 K:BB across 59 innings of relief for Baltimore this season.

Mayza will serve as the Phillies' opening pitcher for Saturday's game in Atlanta, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Mayza will make his fifth start of the season, but he has yet to record more than six outs in any of his 54 appearances to date and will likely be limited to 1-to-2 innings. The Phillies don't have an obvious bulk reliever available behind Mayza, but Grant Holman hasn't been used since being recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sept. 1 and could be called upon to pitch multiple innings once Mayza exits.

Zeferjahn notched a save against the Pirates on Saturday by striking out the only batter he faced.

Chicago took a one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning and began the ninth with Ryan Rolison, who had already completed one frame, on the mound. Rolison gave up an infield single followed by two outs, and manager Craig Counsell then turned to Zeferjahn, who struck out Bryan Reynolds on six pitches to slam the door shut. The save was Zeferjahn's second over his past three outings dating back to Sept. 5, and no other Cubs reliever has logged a save during that stretch. Jacob Webb and Daniel Palencia have both had their share of struggles lately, so Zeferjahn could be sneaking into the closer mix late in the campaign, though it's too early to say he's the team's primary ninth-inning option.

Romano blew a save against the Tigers on Saturday, allowing two runs on one hit and two walks over one inning.

Colorado held a 7-4 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, but the Rockies' bullpen couldn't hold the advantage. Jaden Hill allowed five straight batters to reach base without getting an out, and Romano couldn't do much better, walking the first two batters he faced before giving up a two-out, two-run triple. The veteran reliever had a stretch of nine appearances without giving up an earned run from mid-August to early September, but over his past three outings he's blown two saves while giving up four earned runs across 2.2 frames. Colorado doesn't have many reliable options in its bullpen, so Romano probably isn't in imminent danger of losing his closer role.

Gordon allowed four runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out five batters over four innings in a no-decision against Detroit on Saturday.

Of the Tigers' 10 hits against Gordon, four -- including a Kevin McGonigle solo homer -- went for extra bases. It was the second time this season the righty hurler has surrendered double-digit hits and the ninth time he's yielded at least four earned runs. Gordon had a promising two-start stretch to end August during which he gave up just two runs over 12 innings, but since then he's allowed nine runs across his subsequent two outings spanning 8.2 frames. He'll carry a season-long 5.55 ERA into his next start, which is tentatively slated to be a matchup versus San Diego at Coors Field.

The Rangers optioned Macko to Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.

Macko has coughed up seven runs (six earned) in just 6.2 innings since joining the big club Aug. 28. His poor performance will end up costing him a spot in the Rangers' bullpen as the team makes room for Nathan Eovaldi's (elbow) return from the injured list.