MLB Player News

Bednar earned the save Tuesday against the Rangers, allowing one run on one hit while striking out two over 1.2 innings.

Bednar entered in a high-leverage spot in the eighth inning with one out, the bases loaded and a four-run lead, but he quickly escaped by retiring the next two hitters. The ninth inning was less clean, as he allowed a triple to Ezequiel Duran followed by an RBI groundout, though he still had enough cushion to finish off his 10th save of the season. Bednar has now allowed a run in two of his last three appearances, pushing his season line to a 3.52 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and an 18:5 K:BB across 15.1 innings.

DeGrom (2-2) took the loss Tuesday against the Yankees, allowing six runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out seven over 6.1 innings.

DeGrom was hit hard early, surrendering three runs over the first two innings, including a two-run homer off the bat of Ryan McMahon. He later gave up another long ball to Jazz Chisholm in the sixth as New York continued to square him up. The six runs and two homers allowed were both season highs for the veteran right-hander, though he also recorded an out in the seventh inning for the first time this year. Prior to Tuesday, deGrom had allowed just four runs across his previous five starts. Fantasy managers can still take comfort in the strikeout production, as he recorded seven punchouts for the fourth time in seven starts this season. DeGrom now owns a 3.11 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 47:8 K:BB across 37.2 innings and is tentatively scheduled to face the Cubs this weekend.

Lee went 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 11-3 win over the Nationals.

Lee continued a strong stretch at the plate, ripping a two-RBI double in his first at-bat before adding another run-scoring double in the ninth inning. The infielder has been one of Minnesota's hottest hitters lately, batting .362 over his last 12 games. On the season, Lee is slashing .270/.323/.435 with five homers, four doubles, 21 RBI, 16 runs scored and two stolen bases across 124 plate appearances.

Buxton went 1-for-6 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 11-3 win over the Nationals.

Buxton was quiet early, starting the day 0-for-4 before breaking through in the eighth inning with a three-run homer off Andre Granillo that effectively put the game away. The blast was his 11th of the season, with all 11 coming over his last 19 games during an incredible power surge. Over that span, Buxton is batting 25-for-85 (.294) with 16 RBI and 16 runs scored across 91 plate appearances.

Bradley (4-1) earned the win Tuesday against the Nationals, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out eight over six innings.

Bradley had to battle early, needing 51 pitches just to get through the first two innings, but he settled in nicely afterward and dominated for long stretches. He retired 11 straight batters before Daylen Lile broke the run with a two-out double in the fifth inning. Bradley continues to provide reliable production, now allowing two or fewer runs in seven of his eight starts this season. The right-hander owns a 2.87 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 52:17 K:BB across 47 innings and is slated to face Cleveland in his next outing.

Okamoto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Rays.

Okamoto wasted no time getting Toronto on the board, crushing a Drew Rasmussen four-seam fastball in the first inning for a 409-foot solo shot. Opposing pitchers continue to challenge the rookie with heaters, and he continues to make them pay, as he now owns a .654 slugging percentage against fastballs. The homer was his 10th of the season and his fifth in as many games, with the slugger going 8-for-21 with eight RBI during that stretch. Okamoto is now slashing .244/.327/.489 across 147 plate appearances.

Sulser earned the save Tuesday against the Blue Jays, retiring the side in order in the ninth inning.

Sulser entered with a one-run lead and efficiently handled Toronto's lineup, needing just 12 pitches to secure his second save of the season. After a rough start in which the right-hander allowed six earned runs over his first six appearances, he has completely turned things around, tossing 9.2 consecutive scoreless innings since. Sulser now owns a 2.75 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and a 15:8 K:BB across 19.2 innings. Bryan Baker leads the Rays with nine saves on the campaign and remains the team's primary closer, but he was presumably unavailable Tuesday after pitching each of the previous two days.

Rasmussen did not factor into the decision Tuesday against the Blue Jays, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out five over six innings.

Rasmussen ran into trouble early, surrendering a solo homer to Kazuma Okamoto in the first inning before allowing another run in the second via a trio of singles. The right-hander settled in from there and continued his workhorse-esque trend, now going at least five innings in six of his seven starts this season. One concern has been the long ball, as Rasmussen has already allowed six homers across those seven outings. Even so, he still owns a strong 2.95 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 37:6 K:BB on the year. The 30-year-old is next scheduled to face a Boston lineup that has struggled to consistently score runs lately.

Naylor went 2-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Atlanta.

Naylor's bat has come around lately, and that's given him more opportunities to run. He's hit safely in 12 of his last 15 contests, a span that includes all six of his steals this season. The first baseman is batting .233 with a .645 OPS, four home runs, 17 RBI, eight runs scored and three doubles over 34 games. Naylor's a contact hitter, so he should be able to continue rebounding closer to his career norms as he gets some distance from his slow start to the year.

Crawford went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Atlanta.

Crawford opened the scoring Tuesday with his third-inning homer, but that was all the run production Seattle would muster. The shortstop is heating up at the plate -- he's hit safely in his last seven games, going 8-for-27 (.296) with three homers and five RBI in that span. That's a stretch that has started to lift him out of his slow start, though he's still hitting .210 with a .723 OPS, four long balls, 11 RBI, 17 runs scored and a stolen base over 29 contests this season.