MLB Player News

Bednar earned the save in Monday's 5-4 victory over the Brewers, allowing a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning with one strikeout.

After yielding a leadoff single to Caleb Durbin, Bednar was bailed out when Durbin was caught attempting to steal second. The Pittsburgh closer then worked around a free pass to Jake Bauers to lock down his 95th career save. Since being recalled from the minor leagues April 19, Bednar has rounded back into All-Star form with a 2.10 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 37:5 K:BB over 25.2 innings while going a perfect 10-for-10 in save opportunities.

Ashcraft did not factor into the decision in Monday's 5-4 win at Milwaukee, allowing one hit and no walks over three scoreless innings with two strikeouts.

The 25-year-old rookie made all seven of his previous appearances out of the bullpen, so he wasn't expected to go deep in this contest. Ashcraft managed to stymy the Brewers lineup across his 35 total pitches, 28 of which were strikes. Prior to being called up May 26, the right-hander had started 10 games for Triple-A Indianapolis, so it is possible that the Pirates are seeking to incorporate Ashcraft into the big league rotation. Through 14.2 total major-league innings, he has pitched to a 1.23 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB.

Lee struck out two batters over 1.1 perfect innings Monday while earning a save over the Mets.

Lee entered with two on and two out in the eighth inning, tasked with protecting a 3-2 lead. He struck out Juan Soto to end the threat before retiring the Mets' 4-5-6 hitters in order during the ninth inning to finish off the win. Raisel Iglesias recorded two outs and put two runners aboard in the eighth before Lee took over, while Pierce Johnson -- who hasn't pitched since Friday -- remained in the bullpen. Lee earned his second save of the year and first since April 26. He dropped his ERA to 1.77 across 36 appearances and has not allowed an earned run in his last 13.2 frames.

DeSclafani picked up the save in Monday's 10-0 win versus the White Sox, allowing two walks and no hits over three scoreless innings. He struck out four.

The grizzled veteran secured his first career save with this performance, as he generated an impressive 11 whiffs out of 45 total pitches. DeSclafani hadn't pitched since 2023 before joining Arizona on June 15. Following this appearance, the 35-year-old now sports a 6.14 ERA through 7.1 total frames and looks set to continue working in long relief for the Diamondbacks.

Leasure will serve as the White Sox's opening pitcher for Tuesday's game against Arizona, Jack Ankony of SI.com repots.

Leasure will likely cover the first inning or two before exiting the game. Lefty Tyler Alexander is a candidate to work in long relief Tuesday.

Fulmer worked around two hits to toss two scoreless innings of relief in Monday's 8-2 loss to the Cardinals.

After Chicago starter Ben Brown was tagged for eight runs in five innings, Fulmer came on in mop-up duty with the game largely out of reach. It was the veteran righty's first appearance for the Cubs this season, as he started the year in Boston before getting cut loose toward the end of April. Fulmer previously pitched for Chicago in 2023, logging a 4.42 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 65 strikeouts across 57 innings out of the bullpen. He will likely serve as a low-leverage reliever this time around for the Cubs, which limits his fantasy appeal.

Latz will start Tuesday's game against the Orioles, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Latz was technically available out of the bullpen for Monday's 6-0 loss to the Orioles, but the Rangers stayed away from him so that he'll be available to take the hill Tuesday for his second start of the season. The left-hander tossed 5.2 innings and 82 pitches in his most recent relief appearance Thursday against the Royals, so Latz will likely be operating as a traditional starter Tuesday rather than leading off a bullpen game. He's expected to head back to the bullpen after Tuesday's outing, as the Rangers are likely to get Nathan Eovaldi (triceps) back from the injured list later this week.

Wells (shoulder) was activated from the 7-day injured list Saturday.

The right-hander's stay on the injured list was a brief one, as he was able to bounce back from right shoulder inflammation quickly. Wells fared well in his first outing since suffering the injury, surrendering one run on four hits while striking out one over three innings Saturday against Double-A Erie.

Varland (undisclosed) has given up one earned run on one hit and two walks while striking out four over 2.1 innings in his two relief appearances for Triple-A Charlotte since being reinstated from the 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Varland missed two and a half months of action due to the undisclosed injury, but he's healthy again and will look to put together a slew of quality relief performances to earn a call-up to the big leagues. He posted a 3.42 ERA over 26.1 innings in 2024 between stops in the majors with the Dodgers and White Sox a season ago.

Latz appears tentatively scheduled to start Tuesday's game in Baltimore, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Dane Dunning is also an option to start Tuesday, but the Rangers appear prepared to have Latz open the contest as long as he isn't needed out of the bullpen in Monday's series opener. Fifteen of Latz's 16 appearances this season have come out of the bullpen, but he covered 5.2 innings and threw 82 pitches in his most recent relief appearance Thursday against the Royals, so he's stretched out enough to provide length Tuesday. With Nathan Eovaldi (triceps) expected back from the injured list later this week, Latz will likely be in line for just one turn through the Texas rotation.