MLB Player News

Smith gave up one run on two hits and struck out two in the ninth inning Wednesday, recording his 19th save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Nationals.

Back-to-back singles by Curtis Mead and CJ Abrams to lead off the final frame made things interesting, but Smith buckled down and struck out the last two hitters he faced after giving up a sacrifice fly. The right-hander hasn't blown a save since April 14, reeling off 16 straight successful conversions, and on the season he sports a 2.70 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 39:5 K:BB over 26.2 innings.

Cano was removed from Wednesday's game against the Rays due to right hamstring discomfort, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

After allowing three consecutive singles to lead off the eighth inning and falling behind 3-0 to the next hitter, Cano was visited on the mound by a trainer and removed from the game. It's unknown whether his injury will result in a trip to the injured list, though he will likely be unavailable out of the bullpen for at least a day or two while he recovers.

Jansen was removed from Wednesday's game against the Angels with a right groin injury, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Jansen stayed in the game following an initial mound visit from a trainer, but he was later pulled after walking Mike Trout on four pitches. The Tigers haven't provided any details regarding the severity of Jansen's injury, though the team may know more in the near future.

Hader (biceps) will pitch for Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday and Thursday, which should represent his final steps before he's activated from the 60-day injured list, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Hader embarked on his minor-league rehab assignment in early May, and across seven outings he has allowed one run on four hits and one walk while striking out 11 batters over seven innings. Per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com on Sunday, Hader is expected to be activated from the 60-day IL in the first week of June, so he's unlikely to be available for the Astros' weekend series against the Brewers. However, the left-hander could be activated for Houston's following series against Pittsburgh that starts Tuesday.

The Astros recalled VanWey from Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday.

VanWey will give manager Joe Espada a fresh bullpen arm. He's made two scoreless appearances for the Astros this season and holds a 7.20 ERA, but he's fashioned an impressive 27:7 K:BB across 20 frames at Sugar Land in 2026.

Whitlock has been unavailable to pitch since tweaking his left knee on a wet mound in his last appearance Sunday against the Twins, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Whitlock underwent an MRI, which came back negative. The Red Sox do not anticipate the reliever requiring a stint on the injured list, but they would like to avoid using Whitlock for a few more days to allow for additional rest. Whitlock has collected a 3.20 ERA, nine holds and a 25:6 K:BB over 19.2 innings in a setup role for Boston this season.

The Rays optioned Martin to Triple-A Durham on Wednesday.

Tampa Bay recalled Martin from Triple-A on May 15, but he went unused out of the bullpen for more than a week and a half before making a three-inning long-relief appearance in Tuesday's 6-1 loss to Baltimore after starter Griffin Jax (back) made an early exit. Since Martin was unlikely to be available for another day or two after the 52-pitch outing, the Rays opted to swap him off the 26-man active roster in favor of a fresh relief arm in right-hander Jonathan Heasley, who was called up from Durham.

The Rays selected Heasley's contract from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday.

Heasley had been serving as a swingman at Durham this season, making seven appearances (four starts) while logging a 3.90 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 27.2 innings. Though he could eventually be an option in the Tampa Bay rotation, for the time being, Heasley is expected to settle into a bullpen role. He'll give the Rays another arm who's capable of covering multiple innings after Tampa Bay placed Jesse Scholtens (wrist) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday.

The Blue Jays acquired Seabold from the Tigers on Wednesday in exchange for Juanmi Vasquez.

Seabold had been designated for assignment by Detroit and is now headed to a new organization. He was with the Blue Jays during spring training but was a late roster cut before linking up with Detroit. The 30-year-old held a 3.45 ERA and 14:5 K:BB over 15.2 innings out of the Tigers' bullpen and will give the Blue Jays some additional length in their relief corps.

Kittredge threw a clean inning Tuesday against the Rays. He struck out one.

The 36-year-old right-hander is continuing to recover from a brutal May 3 outing against the Yankees, when he was torched for seven runs while recording just one out. Kittredge has turned in nine outings with no earned runs allowed among his 12 appearances but nonetheless holds a dismal 8.38 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and 9:4 K:BB across his first 9.2 innings after beginning the year on the injured list.