MLB Player News
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Mark Leiter RP | ATH
Athletics' Mark Leiter: Registers fourth save
Leiter earned a save against the Angels on Thursday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in a scoreless 10th inning.
The game went into an extra frame, and after the A's managed a run in the top of the 10th, Leiter was called upon to close things out. He got into trouble when Jo Adell hit a leadoff single to put runners at first and third with no outs, but Leiter got out of the jam with a strikeout and double-play grounder. The save was Leiter's fourth of the campaign, tying his career-best mark. He's now tied with Joel Kuhnel and Hogan Harris for the most saves on the squad, while Jack Perkins is right in the mix with three saves. Harris is probably the most desirable Athletics reliever for fantasy managers to roster since he had notched the team's past three saves coming into Thursday, but this committee hasn't been very stable in the early stages of the season.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Pirates' Marcell Ozuna: Two RBI in return to lineup
Ozuna went 2-for-4 with two RBI on Thursday against the Cardinals.
Ozuna had been out of the lineup for two of the last three games, and he was bumped down to sixth in the order in his return Thursday. He responded by delivering a two-RBI single in the sixth inning, giving the Pirates a three-run lead. Ozuna has gone just 7-for-35 across his last 10 starts, though he has managed five RBI and four runs scored in that span.
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Brandon Lowe 2B | PIT
Pirates' Brandon Lowe: Pops 13th homer
Lowe went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk Thursday against the Cardinals.
Lowe gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead in the first inning with what was originally scored as an inside-the-park home run, but it was later ruled a traditional homer. He has now gone yard 13 times in his first 44 games as a Pirate. Lowe also has at least one hit in five of his last six starts, and he's gone 8-for-26 with three homers, four RBI and four runs scored in that span.
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Luis Severino SP | ATH
Athletics' Luis Severino: Fans 10 in no-decision
Severino allowed two runs on three hits and no walks while striking out 10 batters over seven innings in a no-decision against the Angels on Thursday.
Severino was often dominant in the outing, racking up 18 whiffs en route to a season-high strikeout total. The veteran righty completed seven innings for the second time this season and recorded his third quality start. The only runs the Angels mustered against Severino on Thursday came on a two-run homer by Nolan Schanuel in the first inning, and the 32-year-old righty retired the final eight batters he faced. Severino has now allowed two or fewer runs in five of his past six starts, which has helped him lower his season ERA to 4.23. He's lined up to make his next start at home versus Seattle.
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Jose Soriano SP | LAA
Angels' Jose Soriano: Rebounds with quality start
Soriano completed 6.2 innings in a no-decision against the Athletics on Thursday, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out seven batters.
Soriano came into Thursday in the midst of his first rough patch of the season, as he'd given up 12 runs over 17 innings across his previous three starts. The right-hander bounced back nicely, keeping the A's off the scoreboard for five frames before yielding a run in each of the sixth and seventh innings. Soriano registered his sixth quality start through 11 outings and reached seven punchouts for the sixth time. He's in the midst of a career-best campaign, posting a 2.44 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 74:27 K:BB through 66.1 innings. Opposing batters are hitting just .187 against him, which places him in a tie for sixth in that category among qualified starters.
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Zach Agnos RP | COL
Rockies' Zach Agnos: Works five scoreless in no-decision
Agnos allowed one hit and issued one walk while striking out four batters over five scoreless innings in a no-decision against Arizona on Thursday.
Coming into the contest, the expectation was that the Rockies were opting for a bullpen game, with Agnos working as the opener. While that did play out to a degree, Agnos gave Colorado close to a traditional starter's depth, as he was able to finish a career-high five innings. Agnos' 71 pitches weren't quite reflective of a typical starter's workload, but they got him deep enough to qualify for the win, though Colorado's offense was unable to muster enough support to give him that victory. Nonetheless, this was a promising outing for Agnos in his first career start. The right-hander had previously completed four frames in long relief twice this season, so he seems to have his arm built up enough to continue working as a starter.
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Eduardo Rodriguez SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Eduardo Rodriguez: Hurls seven scoreless frames
Rodriguez allowed four hits and walked one batter while striking out four over seven scoreless innings in a no-decision against Colorado on Thursday.
Rodriguez took his first loss of the season against Colorado in his previous start, but he shut down the Rockies' offense in the rematch. The veteran southpaw retired the first nine batters he faced and allowed just one Colorado runner to reach third base. As usual, Rodriguez didn't miss many bats -- he tallied just seven whiffs and four punchouts -- but he nonetheless managed his fifth quality start through 10 outings. It's been a resurgent season for Rodriguez, who posted an ERA above 5.00 in each of his previous two campaigns. So far this season, he's pitched to a stellar 2.24 ERA despite a modest 43:23 K:BB through 60.1 innings.
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Jose Caballero SS | NYY
Yankees' Jose Caballero: Expected to be activated Friday
Caballero (finger) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list Friday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Caballero is on track to return to action just one day after what would've been a minimum-length stay on the injured list with a right middle finger fracture. The 29-year-old didn't require a minor-league rehab assignment, and he'll likely slot in as New York's everyday shortstop once again moving forward, making Anthony Volpe's role uncertain in the near future. Outfielder Spencer Jones and relief pitcher Yovanny Cruz were optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Thursday's 2-0 loss to the Blue Jays, making room for Caballero and starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (elbow) to be reinstated from the injured list Friday.
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Spencer Jones DH | NYY
Yankees' Spencer Jones: Returns to Triple-A
Jones was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following Thursday's 2-0 loss to Toronto, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Jones will head back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after going 4-for-24 with no extra-base hits, two RBI and a stolen base over 10 contests with the Yankees since making his major-league debut May 8. The outfielder's departure creates a spot on the major-league roster for Jose Caballero (finger), who is expected to return from the 10-day injured list Friday.
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Yovanny Cruz RP | NYY
Yankees' Yovanny Cruz: Headed back to Triple-A
Cruz was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Thursday's 2-0 loss to the Blue Jays.
Cruz will return to Triple-A after appearing in two contests after having his contract selected by the Yankees on Monday. The right-hander combined to throw 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit while striking out three batters in his two appearances. The move creates room on the major-league roster for the return of Gerrit Cole (elbow) from the injured list for his 2026 debut.