MLB Player News

Alexander pitched two scoreless innings of relief in Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Twins. He allowed a hit and two walks while striking out two.

Alexander has been serving some as an opener recently, though he worked as a more traditional long reliever Saturday, covering the last two innings of the game for the Tigers. Since allowing three runs in an outing May 26, the lefty has a 1.54 ERA over his past 11.2 innings, a span of five appearances. Alexander's season ERA now sits at 4.93, and he could continue whittling that down if he maintains his current form moving forward.

Snead (shoulder) allowed an earned run on a hit and a walk over two-thirds of an inning in Triple-A Las Vegas' win over Reno on Saturday.

Snead worked 12 of his 18 pitches into the strike zone during another solid step toward an eventual 2023 debut. The left-hander is still rounding into shape after suffering his injury in spring training, but with 3.2 frames across four rehab appearances now under his belt, Snead could be on the verge of activation considering he doesn't need to build up much more for his projected relief role.

Saucedo (2-1) took the loss in extra innings against the White Sox on Saturday, allowing an unearned run on two hits over two-thirds of an inning.

The southpaw appeared on his way to working his way out of the 11th inning following two quick outs, but consecutive singles by Andrew Benintendi and Zach Remillard snapped a 3-3 tie and gave the White Sox a one-run lead the Mariners wouldn't overcome. Saucedo does now have three straight appearances without allowing an earned run, but it's worth noting his usage in the high-leverage scenario was essentially the byproduct of Andres Munoz, Paul Sewald and Gabe Speier having already been deployed earlier in the game.

Chapman (2-2) allowed a run on a hit and two walks while striking out three in one inning to earn the win Saturday over the Angels.

Chapman struggled versus the heart of the Angels' order, but he limited the damage to an RBI single from Mike Trout. The Royals then rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to get the walk-off win. Chapman has given up just two runs over his last 10.2 innings with a 23:11 K:BB over that span. While the elevated walk rate is concerning, he continues to be effective in a high-leverage role for a Royals team that rarely has a lead to protect. He's pitched to a 2.96 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 44:17 K:BB through 24.1 innings this year while adding two saves, seven holds and two blown saves.

Hamilton (groin) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Sunday.

Hamilton will likely need to make a handful of rehab appearances at the Double-A level before having a chance to rejoin the New York bullpen. The right-hander has been out since the middle of May with his right groin strain. He was pitching effectively with a 1.23 ERA and 30:9 K:BB over 22 innings in his 16 appearances.

Smith gave up two hits and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his 12th save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Blue Jays.

The veteran reliever converted his eighth straight save chance, a stretch that dates back to May 8 in which he's posted a 2.40 ERA and 18:2 K:BB through 15 innings. Smith has solidified the back of the Texas bullpen this season, reaching double-digit saves for the fourth time in his career, and his rebound this season may be the product of more than a little luck -- despite a career-low 23 percent groundball rate and career-high 41 percent flyball rate, his 5.7 percent HR/FB% is less than half his 2022 mark.

Houston acquired Kuhnel from the Reds on Saturday for cash considerations and optioned him to Triple-A Sugar Land, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Kuhnel was designated for assignment by the Reds on Tuesday, and he'll now provide some organizational depth for the Houston bullpen. The right-hander made two relief appearances in 2023 while allowing three earned runs on six hits with two walks over 3.1 innings.

Sewald blew the save in Saturday's 4-3 loss against the White Sox, allowing one run on two hits and one walk while striking out one over one inning.

Sewald couldn't secure Seattle's one-run lead and blew his second save of the season. The right-hander owned a 2.54 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 40:9 K:BB through 28.1 innings and had converted 13 of 14 saves coming into Saturday, so it's safe to chalk the poor outing up as an outlier. However, Andres Munoz, who tossed a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts during the loss, may get a few more save opportunities moving forward if Sewald continues to falter.

Duran picked up the save in Saturday's 2-0 victory over the Tigers, allowing one hit while striking out one.

Duran was part of a shutout effort for the Twins' bullpen, finishing off the Tigers with his four-seam fastball in the ninth inning to earn his ninth save of the season. The right-handed reliever has allowed just one run since April 29 against the Royals and has not walked a batter in three of his last four appearances. With Saturday's scoreless inning Duran lowered his ERA to 1.33 on the season to go along with a 0.96 WHIP.

De Leon did not factor into the decision Saturday, pitching two scoreless innings against the Tigers while not allowing any hits or walks. He struck out two.

De Leon opened the game for Minnesota and was highly effective over his 2.1 innings of work, striking out two while not allowing a runner to reach base. He did basically all of his damage using his four-seamer and changeup and was part of a strong bullpen effort overall in shutting out the Tigers on the afternoon. The reliever had surrendered three runs over his last 2.1 innings coming in (over two appearances) but now holds a very solid 3.38 ERA on the season after Saturday's scoreless appearance.