MLB Player News

Munoz struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Friday's 2-1 win over the Angels.

Munoz got the job done on a tidy 12 pitches (eight strikes). After the Mariners' skid in early September, Munoz has successfully shaken off the rust by logging four scoreless innings and three saves over the last five days. That heavy workload could leave him unavailable for a save opportunity Saturday. Munoz is now 35-for-42 in save chances this season while adding a 1.57 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 75:25 K:BB over 57.1 innings as one of the steadiest relievers in the majors.

Castillo allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out five over six-plus innings in a no-decision Friday versus the Angels.

Castillo has logged consecutive quality starts after a brutal stretch from Aug. 2 to Sept. 1 during which he went winless over six starts with a 7.31 ERA across 28.1 innings. The rebound has helped the Mariners get back on track as they continue to battle for the AL West lead. Castillo is now at a 3.76 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 149:46 K:BB through 167.1 innings over 30 starts this season. The veteran right-hander is projected to make his next start at Kansas City.

Kikuchi allowed one run on four hits and a walk while striking out three over six innings in a no-decision Friday versus the Mariners.

Kikuchi did his part, throwing 63 of 98 pitches for strikes in a quality start. He had allowed 18 runs over 11.2 innings across his previous three appearances, so this was a strong bounce-back effort, though the veteran southpaw has been quite shaky throughout the second half. Overall, he has a 4.08 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 166:70 K:BB through 167.2 innings over 31 starts. Kikuchi's next outing is tentatively projected to be at Milwaukee, which is a matchup fantasy managers may want to avoid.

Steer went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Friday's 3-0 loss to the Athletics.

Steer has seen his playing time drop recently, with this being just his second start in the last five games, all against right-handed pitchers. Top prospect Sal Stewart has pushed Steer for playing time at first base rather than challenging Matt McLain at second. Steer has gone 5-for-18 (.278) over seven games in September, but it'll be tough for him to produce without a steady role in the lineup. For the season, the 27-year-old has a .237/.308/.396 slash line with 17 home runs, 64 RBI, 61 runs scored and seven steals over 134 games.

Hays went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Friday's 3-0 loss to the Athletics.

Hays extended his hitting streak to nine games, a span in which he has gone 11-for-36 (.306). The outfielder isn't known for his speed, with his steal Friday being his seventh of the year and first since he had a pair during a late-August series versus the Diamondbacks. Hays has been a steady bat in the middle of the order this year, posting a .266/.316/.463 slash line, 15 home runs, 64 RBI, 56 runs scored, 15 doubles and five triples over 95 contests.

De La Cruz went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Friday's 3-0 loss to the Athletics.

De La Cruz has swiped a bag in three straight games, and he's hit safely in five straight. Prior to this recent uptick in steals, he had logged just one theft on two attempts over a 25-game span from Aug. 11 to Sept. 8. The shortstop is up to 35 steals on the year, matching his rookie-year total but well behind the 67 he posted over 160 games in 2024. De La Cruz has added a .266/.333/.439 slash line, 19 home runs, 82 RBI and 97 runs scored across 147 contests in 2025.

Singer (13-10) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out four over six innings to take the loss Friday versus the Athletics.

Singer gave up a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first to Lawrence Butler and also surrendered the first of Carlos Cortes' two solo shots in the game. While this was a sixth straight quality start for Singer, it was the first time he'd allowed a long ball in that span. He's given up eight runs over his last 36 innings while posting a 36:9 K:BB. For the season, the right-hander has a 3.94 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 149:57 K:BB across 155.1 innings over 29 starts. Singer is projected for a road start in St. Louis next week.

Pfaadt didn't factor into the decision Friday against the Twins, allowing five runs on nine hits and one walk in 4.2 innings. He struck out two.

Pfaadt has mostly struggled lately, having now tossed fewer than five innings while surrendering at least four runs in three of his last four outings. Friday was also notably the right-hander's ninth start of the season in which he was tagged for at least eight knocks, and he's now given up more hits (187) than any other pitcher in 2025. Pfaadt will take a rough 5.31 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 131:34 K:BB across 157.2 innings into a scheduled appearance against the division-rival Giants.

Butler went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-0 win over the Reds.

Butler led off the bottom of the first inning with a homer, and that was ultimately all the offense the Athletics needed. He's hit well lately, going 18-for-53 (.340) over his last 15 games, adding three homers and seven RBI in that span. The outfielder reached the 20-homer mark for the second year in a row and has added a .238/.310/.415 slash line, 58 RBI, 77 runs scored, 29 doubles and 17 stolen bases across 140 contests.

Lopez didn't factor into the decision Friday against the Diamondbacks, allowing two unearned runs on four hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out six.

A pair of Minnesota errors prevented the two runs from being earned, which gave Lopez his third start of the season of zero earned runs. The right-hander has gone at least five innings in 12 of his 13 outings on the campaign, and he's conceded greater than two runs on just two occasions all season. Lopez will bring an excellent 2.64 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 71:18 K:BB over 71.2 innings into his next appearance, which is tentatively scheduled to come against the division-rival Guardians.