MLB Player News

Saalfrank was charged with a blown save in Saturday's 10-7 loss against the Rockies. He allowed two runs on two hits over two-thirds of an inning.

The southpaw entered in the eighth inning with a one-run lead, one out and two runners in scoring position, and he promptly gave up the lead by allowing a two-run single to Kyle Farmer. A few batters later, Saalfrank served up a two-run homer to Tyler Freeman. Saalfrank came into Saturday's outing with a sparkling 0.64 ERA through 14 innings on the season, but some regression was inevitable -- after Saturday's performance, he carries a 1.84 ERA to go along with a 1.16 WHIP.

The Orioles optioned Noda to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday.

Noda joined Baltimore in early August after being claimed off waivers from the White Sox and went 2-for-13 with an RBI and a stolen base in seven games with the big club. He's headed to the minors to create room on the 26-man active roster for catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo, who was called up from Norfolk.

Torkelson went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Saturday's 8-5 win over the Twins.

Torkelson has been in a nice groove lately, posting a .286/.405/.571 slash line over his last 10 games to go along with three home runs, four RBI and five runs scored. After a down year in 2024, the 25-year-old has bounced back as a key offensive performer for the Tigers this season. Torkelson is currently tied for 13th in the majors with 26 long balls this year.

Nelson did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing four runs on eight hits and no walks over 6.1 innings against Colorado. He struck out four.

Nelson was chased from the game after surrendering an RBI triple to Ryan Ritter. The right-hander has cooled off in August, posting a 5.71 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over three starts spanning 17.1 innings.

The Orioles reinstated Cowser (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Sunday.

Baltimore optioned Daniel Johnson to Triple-A Norfolk to clear room for Cowser, who missed about a week and a half while recovering from a concussion. Prior to being shelved, the 25-year-old slashed .213/.279/.401 with nine home runs and six stolen bases over 215 plate appearances on the season. Cowser should immediately settle back into an everyday role in the Baltimore outfield.

Keith went 1-for-2 with two walks, a double and a run scored in Saturday's 8-5 win over the Twins.

Keith made an impact before getting lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning when the Twins turned to a lefty out of the bullpen. The Tigers are limiting Keith's exposure to southpaws -- he has only 42 at-bats in those matchups this year along with a rough .367 OPS. It's been a different story against righties, as he has an .818 OPS in 291 at-bats against opposite-handed pitching.

Bell is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The absence ends a run of eight consecutive starts for Bell, who had a .940 OPS with two doubles and two homers during that span. Paul DeJong is picking up a start at first base Sunday for Washington.

After appearing as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, Jones went 2-for-2 with a double, a stolen base and two RBI in Saturday's 8-5 win over the Twins.

He replaced Colt Keith when Minnesota turned to lefty Kody Funderburk, and Jones quickly made an impact on the game. While he doesn't see much run against righties, the outfielder has done well against southpaws this season, posting an .835 OPS across 70 at-bats. He remains a platoon option for the Tigers with fantasy value in the right matchups.

Freeman went 1-for-2 with a home run and three RBI in Saturday's victory over the Diamondbacks.

The right-handed hitter replaced Mickey Moniak in the seventh inning and made the most of his chances, belting a two-run homer in the eighth off Andrew Saalfrank. Freeman has been hot at the plate, hitting safely in six straight contests and in 12 of 14 games this month.

The Orioles selected Basallo's contract from Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday. He'll start at designated hitter and bat sixth in his MLB debut.

Widely regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball, Basallo will make the leap to the big leagues after slashing .270/.377/.589 with 23 home runs, a 14 percent walk rate and a 23.7 percent strikeout rate over 321 plate appearances at Triple-A. Though he's mainly served as a catcher in the minors, the 21-year-old will likely see most of his playing time at either first base or designated hitter, while Adley Rutschman continues to handle the bulk of the starts behind the plate. Assuming he settles into a near-everyday role, Basallo is worth rostering in the majority of fantasy leagues for managers in need of an infusion of power.