MLB Player News

Lopez struck out one and did not allow a baserunner in a scoreless eighth inning Tuesday against the Royals.

Lopez protected a two-run lead while facing the heart of the Royals' lineup. It's unclear whether he was purposefully used in the highest-leverage situation in the game, or if he has been demoted to a setup role. The latter would certainly be justified, as Lopez has a 7.63 ERA with four blown saves across 16 appearances to start the season. Kendall Graveman picked up the save.

Graveman picked up the save with a perfect ninth inning in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over Kansas City.

Graveman needed just seven pitches to pick up his first save of 2023. Reynaldo Lopez, who pitched in the eighth, has been the primary option for saves, but his ERA sits at 7.63. Both Graveman and Lopez could be pushed out of save situations soon, as Liam Hendriks is nearing a return to majors.

Pressly picked up the save in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Angels. He struck out two in a perfect inning.

Pressly struck out Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon to open the ninth. The righty is perfect in his five save opportunities, but he is used almost exclusively in save situations. Pressly ranks sixth among Houston relievers in innings this season.

Weissert was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following Tuesday's 10-5 win over the Athletics.

Weissert was with the Yankees for only one day after being called up from Triple-A on Tuesday, and he allowed two runs over an inning of relief with a walk and two strikeouts in his lone appearance. The Yankees will announce a corresponding move prior to Wednesday's series finale with Oakland.

Bautista picked up the save in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over Tampa Bay, working around three walks over 1.1 scoreless innings.

Bautista entered with a runner on first and two outs in the eighth inning, walking Brandon Lowe before striking out Taylor Walls to end the frame. The 27-year-old Bautista would issue two more free passes to lead off the ninth but coaxed a double play off the bat of Yandy Diaz to get out of trouble. Bautista improves to 8-for-11 in save opportunities with a 1.59 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 30:13 K:BB over 17 innings. While his 14.7 percent walk rate has room for improvement, Bautista has certainly made up for it with a 42.6 percent strikeout rate.

Clase earned the save Tuesday against Detroit, allowing one hit in a scoreless inning.

Clase picked up his league-leading 13th save of the year, closing out the Guardians' 2-0 shutout victory over the Tigers. The 25-year-old Clase has been dominant, allowing just one earned run over his last 14.1 innings. He's now 13-for-16 in save opportunities with a 1.86 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 11:5 K:BB in 19.1 innings this season. Despite a career-low 5.1 K/9, Clase has been effective thanks to a stellar 64.3 percent groundball rate.

Beeks will be the opener for Wednesday's game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Beeks will likely work the first inning or two for the series finale in Baltimore before giving way to Yonny Chirinos, who is expected to serve as a bulk reliever and cover the majority of the innings out of the bullpen.

The Angels designated Valdez for assignment Tuesday.

Valdez appeared in just one game with the Angels before being booted from the roster, and he allowed two runs -- one earned -- over an inning in that outing. If he goes unclaimed, Valdez could report back to Triple-A Salt Lake to provide depth in the minors.

The Angels recalled Herget from Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.

Herget is taking the place of Cesar Valdez after Valdez was designated for assignment. The right-hander struggled while allowing six runs over 8.2 inning in his previous time up with the Angels, but he'll get another chance to help in the mid-to-late innings for the Los Angeles bullpen this time around.

Munoz (shoulder) underwent a PRP shot last week, and he won't be ready to go out on a rehab assignment until the end of the month, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Munoz underwent an MRI after not feeling right after his last bullpen session, and the results revealed minor inflammation in his right shoulder. What was originally announced as a minor injury that could only require the right-hander to miss the minimum 15 days has now seen him miss over a month, and it'll be at least another three weeks before he's able to return to the Seattle bullpen. Paul Sewald will continue to see the majority of save chances for Seattle while Munoz recovers.