MLB Player News

Baker picked up the save Thursday against the White Sox, allowing no hits and one walk in a scoreless ninth inning.

That's now four saves already for Baker on the young campaign, which is his career-high total. The 31-year-old right-hander is establishing a rather strong grip on Tampa Bay's closer role, posting a 3.68 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 7:2 K:BB over 7.1 innings while converting four of his five save opportunities. That said, Edwin Uceta (shoulder) might present some competition to Baker once he completes his rehab assignment.

Jung batted fourth and went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's 9-6 win over the Athletics.

Jung had a two-run home run in the seventh inning and scored the go-ahead run in the ninth. He's slowly inched up the batting order since returning from a two-game absence attributed to being banged up. In his seven games back, Jung batted ninth, then eighth, then sixth before hitting cleanup. He had four hard-hit balls Thursday and lives in the 80th percentile (50 percent) in that category early this year. Putting him higher in the order could lead to more RBI opportunities; Jung entered Thursday with the just three runs driven in over 15 games played.

Kay took a no-decision Thursday against the Rays, allowing one run on four hits and one walk in 2.2 innings. He struck out one.

Serving as a bulk reliever behind opener Jordan Leasure on Thursday, Kay did his part to keep the White Sox in the game but wasn't particularly efficient. It was the left-hander's shortest outing of the year so far, and it was disappointing to see him get pulled at just 71 pitches after he tossed 100 his last time out. It's unclear how Chicago will choose to deploy Kay going forward -- the hurler has a pair of appearances each as a starter and reliever -- but he'll bring a respectable 2.60 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB across 17.1 frames into his next scheduled outing, which lines up to come on the road versus Arizona.

Matz took a no-decision Thursday against the White Sox, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk in 5.1 innings. He struck out four.

Though Matz threw a season-low 74 pitches, he was still able to turn in a solid outing overall. The veteran southpaw is putting together an effective transition back to the rotation with the Rays in 2026 so far, having now tossed at least five frames in each of his first four starts. Matz has a quality 3.80 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 21:6 K:BB over his first 21.1 innings, and he should maintain streaming appeal in his next scheduled start at pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field versus the Reds.

Duran started at shortstop and went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base, two RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's 9-6 win over the Athletics.

Duran gave the Rangers a cushion with a two-run single in the ninth inning. His name popped up in the starting lineup for a fifth consecutive game, this time as a replacement for the resting Corey Seager. His previous starts came at third base for a banged up Josh Jung and in the outfield for the then-injured Wyatt Langford, both of whom have returned and were in the lineup Thursday. The steal was the third in the last four games for Duran, who stole 11 bags in a part-time role last season.

Ribalta earned the save Thursday against the Pirates, allowing one hit and striking out one in a scoreless 10th inning.

The right-hander worked around the automatic runner as well as a leadoff single, striking out Bryan Reynolds and then inducing a game-ending double play from Jake Mangum. Despite the admirable performance, Ribalta was the sixth pitcher to come out of the bullpen, and the Nationals didn't have many other options in the 10th. Still, the 28-year-old has quality stuff with a mid-90s fastball and a changeup that produced a 40.4 percent whiff rate in 2025, and if he continues to improve his control he could emerge as a high-leverage option. After walking 21 batters in 33.1 innings across three levels last year, Ribalta has issued only one free pass in 7.1 innings between Triple-A and the majors to begin 2026.

Beeter (1-0) earned the win but blew the save Thursday against the Pirates, allowing one run on one hit and two walks while striking out one in the ninth inning.

Given a 7-6 lead, Beeter struggled to find the plate and tossed just 19 of 32 pitches for strikes, allowing the game-tying run on a bases-loaded infield single by Brandon Lowe. It was the second blown save of the season for the 27-year-old right-hander, but Beeter was able to wiggle out of the jam with no further damage, and the Nationals bailed him out by taking the lead in the top of the 10th. Beeter will need to clean up his control issues if he's going to remain in the ninth-inning picture, as he has more walks (eight) than strikeouts (seven) in 9.1 innings so far on the season.

Seabold (1-0) allowed a solo home run across 1.1 innings but managed to secure the win Thursday against the Royals. He struck out two.

The game finished 10-9 in favor of Detroit, so Seabold wasn't the only pitcher to give up some hard-hit balls, but he did a good job of limiting the damage to just one run to secure his first 2026 win. The righty has been effective this year with a 2.08 ERA and nine strikeouts across 8.2 innings. He's mostly worked in middle relief, though Seabold could earn a higher-leverage role if he continues to pitch well out of the bullpen.

Langford started in center field and went 1-for-5 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Thursday's 9-6 win over the Athletics.

Langford played the field Thursday for the first time in three games since returning from a quad issue, and his activity on the basepaths is an encouraging sign that the injury is behind him. It was the second steal of the season for Langford, who swiped 22 bags (caught six times) in 2025.

Valera exited his start Thursday against High-A Bowling Green in the second inning with right elbow inflammation, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Valera walked and struck out a batter in a scoreless first inning before he was forced to exit the game. The 19-year-old, who is one of Boston's top prospects, is without an official timeline for his return, but it wouldn't be surprising if he misses some time given the nature of the injury.