MLB Player News

Anderson allowed one hit and struck out one over a scoreless eighth inning to earn a hold in Friday's 2-0 win over Seattle.

Anderson got the call in the eighth inning to protect a 1-0 lead ahead of closer Will Smith pitching the ninth. The 25-year-old right-hander made his second appearance since being called up and threw strikes on 10 of 14 offerings. He's struck out eight of the 12 batters he's faced so far. "The first time you meet this kid, you see he's loaded with confidence," Texas manager Bruce Bochy told Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. "He has no fear, that's why he was out there [in the eighth inning]." Anderson could be the answer for the Rangers' most glaring need: the setup and high-leverage crew in the bullpen. The bullpen has the league's eighth-worst ERA at 4.44; in high-leverage situations it balloons to 11.39, per Fangraphs.

Harris allowed two runs on five hits over five innings during Friday's 4-0 loss to the Marlins. He struck out five and didn't issue a walk.

Harris was initially listed as a starter, but he ended up operating as a bulk reliever behind Shintaro Fujinami. The former has put together back-to-back strong outings as a long reliever after being called up at the end of May, but his overall numbers are marred by a horrendous performance in his MLB debut against the Mets in mid-April. As long as Drew Rucinski (illness) Freddy Tarnok (shoulder) and Mason Miller (elbow) remain on the injured list, Harris will presumably continue to eat up innings for Oakland, but it remains to be seen if he'll get a chance as a full-time starter.

Fujinami (2-6) took the loss as the opener against the Marlins on Friday, allowing two earned runs on two hits over one inning. He struck out one.

The oft-embattled right-hander was unable to escape his one frame unscathed, qualifying for the loss after surrendering a two-run home run to Jesus Sanchez that would have been enough for the Marlins against the punchless Athletics. On the bright side, Fujinami did refrain from issuing a walk for his fourth straight appearance, but the long ball was the second he's allowed in his last 2.1 innings. The 29-year-old figures to continue being deployed in low-leverage scenarios for the foreseeable future.

Romano gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 14th save of the season in a 3-0 win over the Mets.

The right-hander sits third in the majors in saves, three behind leader Emmanuel Clase, but like the Cleveland closer, Romano hasn't been his usual dominant self this season. He's already blown three save chances, and he's been scored upon in six of his 24 appearances, leading to a 3.13 ERA and 1.22 WHIP despite a 29:7 K:BB through 23 innings.

Bautista picked up the save Friday against San Francisco. He allowed one hit while striking out three over a scoreless inning.

Bautista has been lights out for the Orioles in 2023. He is second in the majors with 15 saves and sports a 1.29 ERA, as he has yet to allow multiple earned runs in any appearance. Bautista does have a 1.14 WHIP and is walking 5.46 batters per nine innings, a huge jump from last season's 3.15 mark. However he has allowed just two homers across 28 innings to help avoid big innings.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Chapman was unavailable Friday versus the Rockies because his "knee has been barking," Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Chapman was unavailable to protect a one-run lead in the eighth inning, and Carlos Hernandez (thumb) and Nick Wittgren failed to do so in his stead. It's a little concerning that the knee issue was enough to keep Chapman off the mound after the Royals just had a two-day break, but the southpaw should be considered day-to-day at this time.

Hernandez left Friday's game versus the Rockies when a callus on his thumb opened up, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Hernandez took the loss after allowing four runs in one-third of an inning. He may be down for a day or two, but it's unclear if he'll need a stint on the injured list.

Sandlin (2-3) allowed a run on two hits and a walk while striking out one in one inning of relief Friday, taking the loss versus the Twins.

Sandlin had trouble in the seventh inning, and it led to him giving up the lone run of the contest on a Jorge Polanco double. This was the first time Sandlin's has given up an earned run since April 30 -- he allowed one unearned run over 9.2 innings across his last nine appearances. While he's hit a minor rough patch by getting scored on in two of his last three outings, he still has a respectable 3.38 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 20:7 K:BB over 21.1 innings this season. Sandlin has added two holds and a blown save in 21 appearances.

Graveman struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-0 win over the Tigers.

This was the White Sox's first save situation since Liam Hendriks (illness) returned to action. Manager Pedro Grifol appears set to ease Hendriks back into action, especially after he struggled in his season debut, so Graveman's still an option for saves in the near term. The clean inning extended Graveman's scoreless streak to 12.1 innings since the start of May, a span in which he's logged all five of his saves while adding a 12:5 K:BB with just two hits allowed and two holds. The right-hander is at a 2.66 ERA, 0.93 WHIP an 24:10 K:BB over 23.2 innings this season, and he should remain in the high-leverage mix even if Hendriks begins to return to form.

Duran allowed a hit and a walk over 1.2 scoreless innings Friday, striking out three and earning a save over the Guardians.

Duran's walk was an intentional one and he didn't face much resistance while closing out a 1-0 victory. He picked up his first save since May 5 and has now converted eight of his nine chances on the year. While Minnesota hasn't provided him with consistent save opportunities, Duran has gone 12.2 straight innings without allowing an earned run, lowering his season ERA to 1.17.