MLB Player News

Sulser gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his first save of the season in a 1-0 win over the Guardians. He struck out two.

Bryan Baker had pitched the prior two days and three of the last four, so Tampa Bay's closer got a breather while Sulser handled the ninth in his place. The 36-year-old righty delivered his sixth straight scoreless appearance, and the save was his first since 2022 when he was a member of the Marlins. Sulser has moved into a high-leverage role in an injury-shortened Rays bullpen, picking up holds in his last two appearances coming into Tuesday, but his 3.24 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 13:8 K:BB through 16.2 innings on the season don't inspire a lot of confidence.

Martinez (2-1) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing three hits and a walk over seven-plus scoreless innings in a 1-0 victory over the Guardians. He struck out four.

The right-hander's bid for a complete game ended after 78 pitches (54 strikes) when he walked Travis Bazzana to lead off the eighth inning, but three Tampa Bay relievers teamed up to complete the combined shutout. Martinez has four quality starts in six trips to the mound to begin the season, and he has yet to give up more than two runs in any outing. He'll take a 1.70 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 24:9 K:BB through 37 innings into his next start, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against the Blue Jays.

Tolle's fastball averaged 95 mph in Tuesday's loss to the Blue Jays, a drop from 97.1 during last Thursday's outing, Zack Worden of MLB.com reports.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy downplayed the drop in velocity, noting that Tolle had extended time between outings when the left-hander started against the Yankees last Thursday. "Keep in mind that he had 10 days off [before throwing against the Yankees], and he went to 93 pitches," Tracy said. "So we knew that, and it was still 95 [mph], mostly. So, it wasn't like he was soft-tossing." With Sonny Gray (hamstring) beginning to throw off a mound Monday, Tolle's time in the rotation could come to a close soon. He should be able to fit in at least one more start, and maybe more if struggling starter Brayan Bello doesn't right his ship when he pitches the series finale Wednesday.

Sandoval (biceps) underwent additional testing after being pulled from a rehab assignment, and the imaging revealed nothing alarming, MLB.com reports.

Sandoval, who was initially on rehab because of an elbow injury, developed a biceps issue in his second rehab outing and was shut down. It's encouraging that nothing of concern was found in the test results, but the Red Sox have not announced when Sandoval will begin throwing again.

Bazzana went 0-for-2 with two walks in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Rays.

Bazzana was called up from Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday and made his MLB debut. Tampa Bay pitchers didn't give him much Tuesday, but the rookie was one of two Guardians to reach base twice. The first overall draft pick in 2024, Bazzana will be given a lot of rope in his introduction to the majors.

Wells went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Rangers.

Wells launched a solo homer off Jalen Beeks in the seventh inning for his third long ball of the season and second in his last three games. After a rough start in which the catcher hit just .164 with two RBI over his first 21 contests, he has begun to find his rhythm, reaching base seven times over his last 12 plate appearances. Wells is now batting .200 on the year, but he has drawn 16 walks to just 15 strikeouts across 87 plate appearances.

Judge went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Rangers.

Judge provided key insurance late, launching a solo homer in the ninth inning off Cole Winn to extend New York's lead. The blast was his 12th of the season, tying him with rookie phenom Munetaka Murakami for the MLB lead, and marked his third straight game with a home run. Judge continues another season of domination at the plate, slashing .262/.392/.645 with 20 RBI and 25 runs scored across 130 plate appearances.

DeGrom (2-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Yankees, allowing one run on three hits while striking out five over six innings.

DeGrom surrendered an RBI double to Cody Bellinger in the first inning before settling in and dominating the Yankees' lineup. The right-hander went on to retire 16 of the next 18 batters he faced before his exit, but he ultimately took the loss due to Cam Schlittler's performance on the other side, as Schlittler held Texas scoreless over six innings. DeGrom continues to pitch at an elite level, allowing just four runs across his last five starts while posting a 33:7 K:BB over that span. The 37-year-old now owns a 2.01 ERA and 0.96 WHIP across 31.1 innings this season, and as long as he stays healthy -- something fantasy managers are closely watching after years of uncertainty -- deGrom remains one of the most dominant arms in the league. He's slated for a rematch with New York in his next scheduled start.

Schlittler (4-1) earned the win Tuesday against the Rangers, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out eight over six scoreless innings.

Following an excellent outing his last time out, when he tossed eight innings and allowed one run, Schlittler continued his dominant start to the season, tossing six scoreless innings while matching his season high with eight strikeouts. The right-hander effectively shut down Texas' lineup, recording his third consecutive quality start. This was the also the fourth time in seven starts that he hasn't allowed an earned run. Schlittler owns a stellar 1.51 ERA with 49 strikeouts across 41.2 innings, ranking among the league's best marks. He will look to continue his spectacular start in his next scheduled outing, slated against Baltimore early next week.

Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with three doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 7-1 win over the Twins.

After starting the night 0-for-2, Rodriguez caught fire, ripping three straight doubles, including a two-run knock in the ninth inning. The outburst continues a strong stretch at the plate, as he has now recorded a hit in 10 of his last 12 games, with five multi-hit efforts in that span. While the power numbers are still building, Rodriguez is finding his rhythm and is now slashing .256/.333/.355 with two homers, six doubles and 12 RBI across 121 plate appearances.