MLB Player News

Armstrong walked one over 1.2 scoreless and hitless innings to earn the save in Friday's 5-2 win over the Athletics.

Armstrong's steady pitching in August looks to have vaulted him to the top of the Rangers' closing hierarchy. He's earned the team's last two saves, though chances haven't been plentiful in recent weeks. Phil Maton has blown three saves in his last five appearances, which has opened the door for Armstrong to get more closing opportunities. After Friday's outing, Armstrong is on an 11.2-inning scoreless streak with a 13:3 K:BB in that span. He's at a 2.43 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 61:18 K:BB through 59.1 innings this season while adding five saves, 10 holds and three blown saves.

Ort earned the save against the Angels on Friday, striking out two and retiring all four batters he faced.

With Bryan Abreu unavailable after pitching on back-to-back days, Ort was called in with the bases loaded in the eighth and escaped the jam before tossing a perfect ninth. It was just the second save of the 33-year-old's career, and he now owns a 4.36 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 46:25 K:BB across 43.1 innings this season.

Funderburk notched the save in a 7-4 win over the Padres on Friday, allowing no hits and two walks with one strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.

It was the first save of the season for Funderburk, whose usage was certainly interesting Friday. Justin Topa appeared to be first in line for save opportunities from the Minnesota bullpen, but he worked the seventh inning against San Diego. It's likely too early to gauge if Funderburk has definitively made his way into the closer picture -- the southpaw owns a dicey 4.40 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and 23:15 K:BB for the year -- but he hasn't yielded an earned run over his last 11.2 innings.

Vest notched the save Friday against the Royals, allowing one hit and no walks with no strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.

The Tigers continue to deploy a committee approach at closer, with Vest working the ninth inning and Kyle Finnegan handling the eighth frame Friday. Although his usage could be frustrating at times, Vest remains worth holding onto for rosters in need of saves in the vast majority of fantasy leagues. The right-hander has a 2.76 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 64:19 K:BB while converting 20 of his 26 save chances over 58.2 innings.

Munoz (3-2) blew the save and took the loss against the Guardians on Friday, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits in one-third of an inning. He did not record a walk or a strikeout.

Munoz was tasked with protecting a one-run lead in the ninth inning and gave up a run on back-to-back hits before surrendering a walk-off sacrifice fly to Steven Kwan. It marked Munoz's first blown save in 11 chances since the All-Star break, though he's now allowed at least one run in four of his last five outings. Despite the rough stretch, the 26-year-old still carries a 1.72 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 66:24 K:BB with 31 saves across 52.1 innings.

Weissert (6-5) blew the save and took the loss against the Pirates on Friday after allowing one run on two hits while striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.

Weissert was brought in for the sixth inning with two runners on base, tasked with protecting the Red Sox's two-run lead and to put southpaw Payton Tolle in line for his first major-league win. Weissert wasn't able to get the job done, yielding two doubles in a row that brought three runs home to put him in line for the loss. With Friday's performance, the 30-year-old right-hander has a 3.48 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 10.1 innings in August.

Santana collected the save in Friday's 4-2 win over the Red Sox, allowing one walk while striking out two batters in one scoreless inning.

Santana was brought in for the ninth to protect the Pirates' two-run lead. He yielded a walk to Nick Sogard, but Santana rebounded by striking out Ceddanne Rafaela before getting Connor Wong to pop out to first base. Santana has converted each of his last five save opportunities and has yielded just one earned run over his last nine innings.

Rodriguez (elbow) will decide this weekend whether to undergo Tommy John surgery, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Rodriguez landed on the 15-day IL on Tuesday (retroactive to Saturday) due to a right elbow issue, and after consulting multiple doctors, the injury is believed to be severe enough for Tommy John surgery to be recommended. The 25-year-old is expected to make his decision this weekend, but surgery would keep him out of action for the entire 2026 season. The Giants are using Ryan Walker as the closer down the stretch.

Martin (calf) was sent to Double-A Frisco on Friday to begin a rehab assignment.

Martin is scheduled to pitch for Frisco on Friday, a significant step in the right direction after he was pulled from a live batting practice last Saturday. The 39-year-old will likely need a longer ramp-up period, considering he's been sidelined for over a month with a strained left calf.

Brieske will be shut down for the rest of the 2025 season due to a right elbow injury, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Brieske has been on Triple-A Toledo's 7-day injured list since July 14. The severity of his elbow injury is enough for him to miss the rest of the season, though he'll be shut down for at least four-to-six weeks and doesn't appear to be in immediate danger of missing the start of spring training, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Brieske appeared in 22 major-league games in 2025 and finished with a 6.55 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 16:12 K:BB across 22 innings.