MLB Player News

Bazzana went 3-for-6 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored for Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

Bazzana is breaking out from a slow start and has hit safely in six straight games, going 11-for-24 with six doubles, two steals and four runs scored. The Guardians bypassed the 2024 first-overall pick for a promotion earlier this month when they needed a replacement for the injured Gabriel Arias (hamstring), who is expected to be sidelined until mid-May at the earliest. Instead, the organization promoted Juan Brito, who is currently mired in a 1-for-18 slump. Brito's slump along with Cleveland's second basemen batting .188 (24th in MLB) could open the door for Bazzana to make his MLB debut sooner rather than later (as was expected).

Smith secured the save Thursday against the Orioles, allowing no runs on two hits and no walks in the ninth inning.

The Guardians were leading 4-0 in the ninth inning, but a pair of Baltimore knocks to spoil Parker Messick's no-hit bid wound up creating a save situation for Smith to clean up and collect his fourth save. The right-hander allowed two inherited runners to score but was able to deliver a fourth straight outing without giving up any earned runs. Smith appears to be finding a groove as Cleveland's closer, though his ERA is still high at 4.50 after surrendering five runs in his first six appearances of the campaign.

Baz (0-2) took the loss Thursday against the Guardians, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out six.

While Baz put together his longest outing of 2026 and fanned a season-high six, it was still a shaky performance overall. The right-hander has now walked multiple batters in three consecutive starts, and he's given up at least six hits three times through four appearances. Baz will be trying to steady the ship the next time he takes the hill in Kansas City, where he'll carry a lackluster 4.91 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 19:8 K:BB across his first 22 frames.

Brito went 0-for-3 with a walk in Thursday's 4-2 win over Baltimore.

Brito swung a hot stick upon his call-up from Triple-A Columbus, going 5-for-12 with a pair of doubles in his first three games in the wake of Gabriel Arias' hamstring injury, which will keep him sidelined until mid-May at the earliest. Brito has moved in the other direction lately, going 1-for-18 with two walks and eight strikeouts over his last six contests.

Messick (3-0) earned the win Thursday against the Orioles, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks in eight-plus innings. He struck out nine.

Messick pitched better than his already strong final line indicates. The left-hander carried a no-hit bid into the ninth inning, but a single by Leody Taveras broke it up to lead off the frame. Messick then gave up another single before being pulled, and both runners came around to score. The left-hander was magnificent nonetheless -- he racked up 18 whiffs en route to matching a career high in punchouts during the longest outing of his career. Wednesday's appearance added to his brilliant start to the season, which has seen Messick produce a 1.05 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 25:7 K:BB across 25.2 frames.

Dominguez (1-2) took the loss and a blown save Thursday against the Rays, allowing three runs on two hits and one walk in one-third of an inning. He struck out one.

The White Sox were nursing a 3-2 advantage in the ninth inning, and Dominguez was unable to preserve the lead and blew his second save of the year. The right-hander had a hard time putting the Rays away, managing a lone out despite throwing 32 pitches, with the performance ending a stretch of four straight outings without giving up an earned run. Chicago may not have much competition for save chances in its bullpen, but Dominguez is off to a rough start to 2026 while logging a 7.50 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 8:5 K:BB through his first six frames.

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.