MLB Player News

Smith, who tossed two scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts in Friday's loss to the Twins, now has a 1.86 ERA this season.

Smith has been back and forth between Detroit and Triple-A Toledo, so he's only logged 9.2 innings for the Tigers to date, but he's impressed in the small sample, allowing just four hits and three walks for a strong 0.72 WHIP. The 25-year-old is working in a mostly low-leverage role with limited fantasy impact during his rookie campaign, though he could earn more high-leverage innings if he continues to pitch well.

Flexen tossed four scoreless innings of relief in Friday's 7-4 loss to the Astros. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out one.

Chicago starter Cade Horton was hit hard, allowing seven earned runs in his four innings of work, but Flexen kept the Cubs in the game the rest of the way. It was a pretty standard outing for the veteran righty, who's allowed only two earned runs in 28 innings this season but is also sitting with just a 4.5 K/9. Flexen's middle-relief role and lack of strikeouts limit his fantasy appeal, though he's been exceptional in real life for his new team in 2025.

Atlanta optioned Petersen to Triple-A Gwinnett following Friday's 13-0 loss to Philadelphia.

Atlanta will replenish its bullpen by sending Petersen back down to Triple-A while recalling Kevin Herget. Petersen was recalled by Atlanta on Thursday, and across two bullpen outings he allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out three in 3.2 innings.

Atlanta recalled Herget from Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.

Herget will take the spot on Atlanta's 26-man roster vacated by Michael Petersen, who was optioned to Triple-A following Friday's 13-0 loss to Philadelphia. Herget was claimed off waivers by Atlanta in mid-May after he was DFA'd by the Mets. He's spent most of the season in Triple-A and has a 3.29 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 24:8 K:BB across 27.1 innings.

Doval struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his 13th save of the season in a 3-1 win over the White Sox.

After getting Edgar Quero to ground out to begin the ninth, Doval got Mike Tauchman and Chase Meidroth to chase sliders out of the zone to wrap things up. It was a strong bounce-back effort from the right-hander after he'd been tagged for six runs (five earned) without fanning a batter in his prior two appearances. Since being named the closer by manager Bob Melvin at the end of May, Doval has posted a shaky 5.40 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and 15:9 K:BB over 13.1 innings, but he's converted eight of his nine save chances.

Casparius is scheduled to pitch in bulk relief behind starter Shohei Ohtani in Saturday's game in Kansas City, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani will make his third start as a pitcher Saturday, but the Dodgers have been managing the two-way star's workload carefully coming off his September 2023 Tommy John surgery. The right-hander has covered exactly one inning in both of his prior two starts, with Casparius working behind him on both occasions. Between those outings, Casparius has picked up a pair of wins while allowing five earned runs on eight hits and two walks over 8.2 innings. The Dodgers haven't specified how long Ohtani will work Sunday, but assuming he doesn't cover more than two or three innings, Casparius will still be well positioned to earn a win if the Dodgers are able to defeat the Royals. Ohtani is expected to eventually be ready to handle a traditional starter's workload, but he and Casparius seem likely to work in tandem for at least a couple more turns through the rotation.

Rangel recorded his first career save in Friday's 13-0 rout of Atlanta, allowing six hits and a walk over five scoreless innings of relief. He struck out four.

Mick Abel was the scheduled starter for the Phillies, but a rain delay was called prior to the first pitch after the right-hander had already warmed up. When play resumed, the team elected to go with a bullpen game, and Rangel did most of the heavy lifting after Philadelphia raced out to an 11-0 lead in the third inning, tossing 71 pitches (49 strikes). Expect the 27-year-old to get sent back down to the rotation at Triple-A Lehigh Valley and be replaced with a fresh bullpen arm in short order.

Graveman (hip) threw a bullpen session Friday, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

This was Graveman's most significant activity since he was placed on the 10-day injured list with a hip impingement earlier this month. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said the right-hander felt good following the session, and the team will monitor his recovery from it.

Stephenson (biceps) expects to begin throwing again Monday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Stephenson landed on the injured list June 2 (retroactive to May 31) due to a stretched nerved in his right biceps. The veteran reliever was initially shut down from throwing but appears close to beginning to ramp back up. If he progresses well, Stephenson could return to the Angels' bullpen around the All-Star break.

Hader retired the only batter he faced to earn the save in Friday's 7-4 win over the Cubs.

Bennett Sousa stayed in the game in the ninth inning after pitching the eighth, but he struggled a bit in the frame. Hader was called in with two outs and a runner on second base, and he got Ian Happ to line out to end the threat. Hader is up to 22 saves on the year, including one in each of his last four appearances. He's shown a little shakiness with four runs allowed (three earned) over 12.2 innings in June, but his 21:1 K:BB for the month showcases his continued late-inning dominance. Overall, he's at a 1.72 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 56:7 K:BB through 36.2 innings on the year.