MLB Player News

Lee walked one and struck out one in a scoreless seventh inning Wednesday to record his 11th hold of the season in a win over the Blue Jays.

The 31-year-old leads Atlanta in holds, and he's already got his career high of 19 in his sights. Lee is tracking toward the best season of his MLB career, producing a 1.26 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 35:4 K:BB through 29 appearances and 28.2 innings as the primary left-handed setup man for closer Raisel Iglesias.

The Astros announced Friday that Walter (elbow) is in the midst of a throwing progression at the team's complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Walter is one of three Astros starters in Florida rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, though Hayden Wesneski (elbow) and Ronel Blanco (elbow) are further along in their programs after undergoing procedures in May and June of last year, respectively. Both Wesneski and Blanco will have chances at returning from the 60-day injured list late in the season, but since he had his surgery Sept. 23, 2025, Walter isn't a realistic candidate to pitch until 2027. Walter's main focus will be building up toward facing live hitters by the end of the season with the aim of entering spring training with few restrictions, if any.

The Astros announced Friday that Sousa (elbow) has begun a throwing progression, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Sousa was placed on the 15-day injured list May 9 due to left elbow inflammation and was shut down from activity for nearly three weeks before receiving clearance to start playing catch. The left-handed reliever isn't expected to require a lengthy buildup period, but he'll presumably need to complete a rehab assignment prior to being activated from the IL.

Patrick struck out four over four shutout innings of relief in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Giants. He scattered three hits and two walks in the 49-pitch appearance.

After making a four-inning start versus the Cardinals on May 27, Patrick has since returned to the bullpen and ended up being used twice during the Brewers' three-game series versus the Giants. Patrick essentially piggybacked starter Robert Gasser in Wednesday's contest, entering the contest while the Brewers faced a one-run deficit and proceeding to cover the final four frames. Three spots in the Milwaukee rotation are in flux at the moment while Brandon Woodruff (shoulder), Logan Henderson (back) and Quinn Priester (shoulder) are all on the shelf, but the Brewers appear content to keep Patrick in a versatile relief role rather than recommitting to him as a full-time starter.

O'Brien recorded his 15th save of the season in Wednesday's win over the Rangers. He tossed a scoreless ninth inning with one walk.

O'Brien walked Kyle Higashioka to start the ninth inning, but he retired Michael Helman, Joc Pederson and Josh Jung to close out the door on a potential Rangers comeback. O'Brien is now 15-for-19 in save chances in 2026 while posting a 3.95 ERA and 29:6 K:BB across 27.1 innings in 27 appearances. He should continue to operate as St. Louis' go-to option in the ninth inning until further notice.

The Red Sox selected Kahnle's contract from Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Kahnle exercised an opt-out clause in his minor-league contract earlier this week, and the Red Sox have decided to add him to the big-league roster rather than let him reach free agency. The veteran reliever has collected a 1.40 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 21:11 K:BB in 19.1 innings at Worcester and will fill a middle-relief role in Boston.

Harris (3-0) earned the win in relief in Wednesday's extra-inning victory over the Cubs. He tossed a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts.

Harris tossed 11 strikes in a 17-pitch inning, and with the A's grabbing the lead in the 10th, he ended up getting his third win of the season. Harris has been excellent in recent weeks and has 12 scoreless outings over his last 13 appearances, with the lone exception a May 19 outing in which he allowed two runs over an inning against the Angels. Over that 13-appearance stretch, Harris owns a 1.74 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 12.2 K/9 across 10.1 innings.

Fluharty will serve as the Blue Jays' opening pitcher for Thursday's game in Atlanta, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The southpaw hasn't recorded more than four outs in any of his 32 appearances on the season, so the Blue Jays aren't likely to ask him to work past the first inning Thursday in what will be his third start of the season. Toronto hasn't named a designated bulk reliever to enter the game behind Fluharty, but Chad Dallas was added to the Blue Jays' taxi squad and could be formally called up from Triple-A Buffalo prior to the contest. The Blue Jays also acquired Simeon Woods Richardson from the Twins on Wednesday, and he could be an option to pitch in bulk relief if he's able to join the team in Atlanta ahead of the game's 7:15 p.m. ET start time.

Sterner earned his first save of the season in Wednesday's extra-inning win over the Cubs. He tossed a perfect inning while striking out one.

Scott Barlow pitched two-thirds of an inning in Tuesday's series opener against the Cubs, so the A's turned to Justin Sterner for the save in the bottom of the 10th inning Wednesday. This was Sterner's first save of the season, and he needed just 14 pitches (10 strikes) to get the job done. The 29-year-old has been on a roll of late and hasn't allowed a run in any of his last five outings (5.1 innings). He's now 1-for-2 in save chances, but he's not expected to take the closer role any time soon.

Roberts (0-1) was tagged with the loss in Wednesday's extra-inning defeat against the Athletics. He allowed an unearned run and didn't record a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.

Roberts entered the game in the 10th inning with a runner on second, but he couldn't get the job done and was lifted after the A's had already grabbed the lead. Roberts has been one of the few bright spots for the Cubs' bullpen this season, but he's allowed three runs (two earned) in his last two outings (1.2 innings). However, considering he allowed just one run over his first 11 appearances (15 innings), some regression was to be expected.