MLB Player News

Cruz struck out one and served up a solo home run in the ninth inning Wednesday to record his first career save in a 5-4 win over the Giants.

With Alex Lange having worked the prior two days, Cruz got the call in the ninth and got the job done, although he was taken deep by Casey Schmitt to make things interesting. Cruz has been scored upon just twice in his last 13 appearances, both times on solo shots, and over that stretch the right-hander has a 1.38 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB in 13 innings.

The Blue Jays optioned Estrada to Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.

Estrada had thrown 41 pitches over two innings in Tuesday's loss to the Rays, so he was replaced by a fresh bullpen arm. The right-hander has collected a 4.82 ERA and 6:5 K:BB over 9.1 innings with Toronto in 2026.

The Orioles optioned Walker to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

Walker served as the 27th man on the roster for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader in Boston, but he did not appear in the contest. The lefty has yielded three runs with a 7:2 K:BB over six innings in the majors this season.

Hart will serve as the Padres' opening pitcher for Thursday's game in Atlanta.

Hart -- who has an ugly 10.80 ERA in six appearances this month -- will handle the first inning or two for the Padres before turning things over to Griffin Canning. The lefty has had one other opener assignment this season, giving up one run in two frames on June 27 versus the Dodgers.

Latz struck out one and retired all three batters faced in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the White Sox.

Latz threw 14 pitches (10 strikes) in a non-save situation after not having pitched since Saturday. It appears manager Skip Schumaker didn't want his All-Star closer getting rusty. The Rangers are off Thursday, and Latz will be available as normal when the club returns to action Friday against Seattle.

Baker earned the save in Wednesday's win over the Blue Jays, firing a scoreless inning and recording one strikeout.

Baker needed only nine pitches to get his 26th save of the season and vault into a tie for second place in MLB in that category behind the Guardians' Cade Smith. The All-Star has not blown a save since May 13 and has not allowed a run since June 24. Baker has also been quite efficient of late, needing 16 pitches or less to get through an inning in each of his last seven outings.

Fisher threw 1.1 innings as the opener and gave up one earned run on no hits and two walks in Wednesday's loss to the Rays. He struck out one.

Fisher walked the last two batters he faced before exiting, and the second subsequently came around to score on Victor Mesa's RBI single off Spencer Miles. That resulted in Fisher being charged with a run for the fourth time in his last five appearances. After a strong start to the season, Fisher has struggled over the last month while pitching to a 6.52 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 1.9 HR/9 across the 9.2 innings covering his last nine trips to the mound.

Quantrill (3-3) allowed two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out one over three innings to take the loss versus the White Sox on Wednesday.

Tyler Alexander allowed one run over the first two innings of the game before Quantrill came in for a bulk-relief assignment. It wasn't an encouraging performance, as Quantrill threw 30 of 55 pitches for strikes and gave up a pair of runs in the fourth inning, which was ultimately the difference. Over four games in July, Quantrill has yielded 12 runs (11 earned) across 18 innings with a 7:6 K:BB. He's posted a 4.05 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 32:17 K:BB through 53.1 innings over 21 games (five starts) overall. Quantrill could be at risk of losing his rotation spot once Jordan Montgomery (elbow) is activated from the 60-day injured list -- Montgomery has posted a 5.52 ERA over 14.2 innings across six outings during his rehab assignment.

Hudson struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Rangers.

Hudson earned his fourth save of the season and first since June 10 versus Atlanta. The White Sox weren't in a pinch with the bullpen after using just two relievers Tuesday and with an off day ahead, so it's at least interesting Hudson got the save chance. Grant Taylor worked a two-inning relief outing earlier in the game and Sean Newcomb didn't pitch. The White Sox's bullpen remains firmly in committee mode, making it tough for fantasy managers to target any one reliever for saves. Hudson has played his role well, pitching to a 2.08 ERA despite a 1.20 WHIP and 42:16 K:BB through 43.1 innings. He's added four saves in six chances this season, in addition to six holds.

Gamboa will remain with the Red Sox after serving as the 27th man during Wednesday's doubleheader against Baltimore, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.

Gamboa was originally expected to return to Triple-A Worcester after the conclusion of Wednesday's twin bill, but it'll instead be Eduardo Rivera who heads back to the minors to get Boston back within the 26-man limit. Gamboa pitched a scoreless inning Wednesday to bring his ERA down to 2.00 through nine frames, and he's likely to remain in a middle-relief role with Boston.