MLB Player News

Pressly secured the save during Wednesday's 4-3 win over the White Sox after pitching a perfect ninth inning while striking out a batter in the process.

Pressly opened up his outing with a strikeout of Hanser Alberto and then got the next two batters to ground out. He remains a perfect 7-for-7 in save opportunities and already has four in May after he totaled just three in all of April. The 34-year-old now sits at a 3.63 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 16:2 K:BB over 17.1 innings.

Martinez (elbow) was charged with the loss in Triple-A Las Vegas' defeat at the hands of Albuquerque on Friday, allowing three earned runs on four hits across 1.2 innings. He struck out two and hit a batter.

Martinez pitched to plenty of contact for the second time in as many rehab appearances, although Friday's performance was by far the poorer of the two. Given the right-hander's struggles thus far in the minors, it's possible he's afforded a few more rehab appearances to straighten matters out before activation is considered.

The Rangers plan to select Bradford's contract from Triple-A Round Rock to have him start Monday versus Atlanta at Globe Life Field, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Dane Dunning and Nathan Eovaldi will both be pushed back a day in the Rangers' pitching schedule as the team looks to give both starters an extra day of rest after a long road trip, according to Grant. Bradford, 25, will be making his MLB debut when he gets the ball against Atlanta on Monday. A sixth-round pick in 2019, Bradford has been outstanding in the Pacific Coast League with a 0.91 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 37:13 K:BB over 39.2 innings across seven starts. The left-hander will have a tough test against the Atlanta offense, but his success in 2023 makes him a name to monitor going forward, even if Monday's outing proves to be just a spot start.

Lange worked around two walks to pitch a scoreless inning and earn the save in Sunday's win over the Mariners. He struck out two.

Lange is now 7-for-8 in save opportunities this season and has his ERA down to a sparkling 1.06. The righty has done it by missing plenty of bats, as he now has 23 strikeouts across 17 innings. Lange had 82 strikeouts in 63.1 innings last year, so it doesn't look like a fluke. With Gregory Soto now in Philadelphia, Lange is locked in as the team's most trusted end-game option, and he has the stuff to put up good numbers the rest of the way.

The Red Sox designated Brasier for assignment following Sunday's 9-1 loss to the Cardinals, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Brasier is likely being removed from the 26-man active roster and 40-man roster in order to make room for Joely Rodriguez (oblique), who is expected to return from the 15-day injured list Monday. After giving up three earned runs over 2.1 innings in Sunday's loss, Brasier now sports a 7.29 ERA and 1.57 WHIP across 21 frames on the season. If Brasier isn't traded or claimed off waivers, he'll remain in the Boston organization, though he would have the right to refuse an assignment to Triple-A Worcester.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Rodriguez (oblique) has a good chance of being activated from the 15-day injured list before Monday's game against Seattle, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Rodriguez has been on the shelf all season after suffering an oblique strain in spring training. The left-hander pitched well in his rehab assignment with a 1.69 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over five innings between Double-A Portland Triple-A Worcester. Once active, Rodriguez should be a mid-to-late-inning option for Boston.

Fairbanks (forearm) is expected to be activated from the injured list Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Fairbanks gave up a hit with two strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning in a rehab outing Friday for Triple-A Durham. It looks like he'll immediately move back to the top of the Tampa Bay bullpen.

Hernandez (0-1) allowed a run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning, taking the walkoff loss Saturday versus the Brewers.

Hernandez got into trouble after Owen Miller's one-out double in the ninth inning put runners on second and third. Joey Wiemer then delivered a sacrifice fly for the walkoff win. Considering Hernandez had allowed just one run over his previous 10 innings, it's understandable that he'd get a look late in a tie game. He's had a couple of messy outings, but he's at a reasonable 4.74 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 22:8 K:BB over 19 innings this season. He's added three holds and a blown save in 17 appearances.

Morgan (2-0) allowed two unearned runs on one hit and struck out one in one inning to earn the win Saturday over the Angels.

Morgan surrendered a two-out, two-run home run to Zach Neto after Matt Thaiss reached on an error in the eighth inning. The Guardians then rallied ahead in their half of the frame to help Morgan pick up his second win in 14 appearances. He's allowed four runs (two earned) over his last 4.1 innings, but he's still been fairly consistent in a versatile role. The right-hander has a 1.06 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 18:4 K:BB, one save and two holds through 17 innings.

Stephan allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 8-6 win over the Angels.

The Guardians were down 6-2 after the top of the eighth inning, so it wasn't looking like they'd need a closer Saturday. A six-run rally in the bottom of the eighth changed that, and then Stephan took the mound. He retired Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani with little trouble but put runners on second and third before Brandon Drury grounded out to end the game. That's a little more drama than usual for Stephan, who has been scored on in just four of his 18 appearances this season. He has a 1.62 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 18:6 K:BB with two saves, five holds and two blown saves through 16.2 innings.