MLB Player News

King recorded his fourth save of the season Friday against the Rangers after tossing 1.2 scoreless innings, striking out one.

King recorded the final five outs of the game while tossing 11 of his 17 pitches for strikes. This was a strong bounce-back effort for King, who blew his previous save chance Wednesday against the Mariners and was coming off three straight outings in which he had allowed baserunners. King has a 3.26 ERA in 16 appearances (19.1 innings) this season while going 4-for-6 in save chances thus far in 2026. King should remain as the go-to option for saves in Houston as long as Josh Hader (biceps) remains sidelined. Hader is eligible to return from the 60-day IL on May 24, so King's tenure as the Astros' closer might not last long.

Burke didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 10-5 loss to the Cubs, allowing four earned runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out five batters across 4.1 innings.

Burke put the Sox in an early hole by allowing consecutive singles to Alex Bregman and Ian Happ to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Burke bounced back and kept the North Siders off the scoreboard for the next two frames, but he allowed a combined seven batters to reach base during the fourth and fifth, inflating the Cubs' lead to 4-1 at the time of the 26-year-old's removal. The Pale Hose tied the game at four apiece in the sixth inning, taking Burke off the hook for the loss, but that does little to help the fact that he's given up 10 earned runs in 8.2 innings over his last two starts. He'll have a chance to redeem himself next week when he takes the mound in Seattle to face a Mariners offense that ranks in the bottom third of MLB with a .232 batting average.

Rice went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during Friday's 5-2 win over the Mets.

Rice scored his first run of the game in the third inning on a Cody Bellinger single and gave the Yankees another insurance run by hitting a 395-foot homer off Craig Kimbrel in the ninth. Rice remains one of the most productive members of the Yankees' high-scoring offense with a .314/.418/.686 slash line on the season, and his 14 homers put him in a tie with Yordan Alvarez for fourth place on the American League leaderboard.

Schlittler (6-1) earned the win in Friday's 5-2 victory over the Mets, allowing one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out nine batters across 6.2 innings.

The 25-year-old had a shutout going through six innings, but Juan Soto's leadoff homer in the seventh prevented Schlittler from finishing his start unblemished. That said, Friday's outing extended what has been a dominant run for the young righty, as he's posted a 0.70 ERA and 0.81 WHIP to go with a 38:10 K:BB over 38.1 innings across his last six starts. He's tentatively scheduled to take the mound again Wednesday against Toronto at Yankee Stadium.

Ryan didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Brewers, allowing one earned run on four hits and a walk while striking out seven batters over six innings.

Ryan ran into some trouble right out of the gate, allowing a leadoff double to Jackson Chourio, who later came around to score on a single from William Contreras. Ryan was able to quickly regain his composure on the mound afterward, allowing just three batters to reach base and no more runs to score through the sixth inning. Now with three quality starts in his last four outings, the 29-year-old righty will aim to extend his hot streak next week when he faces an Astros lineup that's posted a .654 OPS since the beginning of May.

Kochanowicz (2-3) allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four over six innings to take the loss Friday versus the Dodgers.

Even with a better effort, Kochanowicz would have been doomed Friday, as the Angels failed to give him run support. Three homers by the Dodgers accounted for all six runs on his line -- the third time this year he's given up that many runs. The long ball hasn't typically been a problem for the right-hander, who had allowed just two homers over his first eight starts of the year. He's now at a 4.56 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 34:25 K:BB through 51.1 innings over nine starts. Kochanowicz is lined up to make his next start at home versus the Athletics, but with a high walk rate (4.4 BB/9) and low strikeout rate (6.0 K/9), he's a risky fantasy option in most matchups.

Arozarena went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Friday's 2-0 loss to the Padres.

Arozarena has gone 15-for-31 (.484) with four steals on five attempts over his last eight games. The outfielder's success at the plate is helping to fuel his work on the basepaths. He's successfully stolen 12 bases on 14 attempts this year, right in line with last year's 31-for-37 showing in steal attempts during the regular season. Arozarena has added four home runs, 16 RBI, 32 runs scored, 11 doubles and a triple while batting .305 with an .847 OPS. He's also sporting a .392 BABIP, which is 94 points higher than last year when he was held to a .238/.334/.426 regular-season slash line, so he's getting plenty of good luck in 2026.

Hancock (3-2) allowed one run on five hits and a walk while striking out six over six innings to take the loss Friday versus the Padres.

Hancock was unlucky in this one, as the Padres were able to piece together a run in the fourth inning, and that was the difference. This was his sixth quality start in nine outings this season, and it's the fourth time he's avoided giving up a home run. Hancock is at a 3.02 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 56:10 K:BB through 53.2 innings. For now, he appears to have secured his spot in the rotation, though he can't afford an extended rough patch while the Mariners have six healthy starters. Hancock is tentatively projected to make his next start at home versus the White Sox.

Kurtz went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a hit-by-pitch in Friday's 5-2 win over the Giants.

Kurtz went deep in the fifth inning to give the Athletics the lead for good. The first baseman's power has turned back on -- this was his third straight game with a homer after going 15 contests without one. He's up to eight long balls, 29 RBI, 28 runs scored, five stolen bases, eight doubles and a triple while batting .276 with a .923 OPS over 43 games this season. He'll continue to be a swing-and-miss risk with a 29.8 percent strikeout rate, but the power potential makes up for it.

Harris allowed a hit and struck out one without walking a batter in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 5-2 win over the Giants.

Harris picked up his second save in May and his third of the year. He's allowed just one run on eight hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings this month. The Athletics' bullpen roles have been fluid for much of the season -- Harris is now one of four relievers with at least three saves, and he's added seven holds. Jack Perkins and Mark Leiter have struggled at times this month, while Joel Kuhnel has seen less high-leverage usage recently. Harris is at a 2.45 ERA on the year, though his 1.64 WHIP and 24:17 K:BB over 22 innings would suggest there will be volatility for him at some point. He walked 33 batters in both of the previous two seasons as well. The southpaw figures to be a matchups-based option for saves as the Athletics' top left-handed reliever.