MLB Player News

Cruz earned the save Tuesday against Cleveland, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and a walk as New York held on for a 3-2 win.

With David Bednar having worked the previous two nights, Cruz was summoned in the eighth inning with one out and two runners aboard after Jake Bird ran into trouble -- Cruz immediately extinguished the threat by retiring the next two hitters. The right-hander returned for the ninth, and after issuing a leadoff walk, settled in by striking out the next three batters to secure the win. The outing was a reflection of the season Cruz has put together, as he has now held opponents scoreless in 13 of his last 14 appearances and sports a 1.84 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 37:15 K:BB across 29.1 innings. Cruz has earned additional save chances whenever Bednar is unavailable.

Lange earned a save against the Rangers on Tuesday, walking one batter and striking out two over one scoreless inning.

Lange was called upon to close things out with Kansas City up by two runs in the ninth inning. The right-hander threw just 10 of 19 pitches for strikes, hurled a wild pitch and walked a batter, but he also struck out the final two batters he faced and got out of the frame without allowing any runs. Lange now has four of the Royals' past five saves and is clearly the team's preferred ninth-inning option. He's earned that role by registering nine consecutive scoreless outings. Since April 22, Lange has a 1.77 ERA and 17:10 K:BB over 20.1 innings spanning 20 appearances.

Varland (3-1) was credited with the win Tuesday against the Phillies after giving up one run on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in the ninth inning.

Varland was brought out for the ninth with the game tied at 1-1, but he gave up just his second run of the season on a two-out RBI double to Bryson Stott. Luckily for Varland, that was the only run he gave up in the inning, and he came away with the win after the Blue Jays scored two runs in the bottom of the frame, capped up off by a walk-off single from Brandon Valenzuela. Varland now sits at a 0.50 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 46:10 K:BB across 35.2 innings this season and has converted all 11 of his save opportunities.

Baker earned the save in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Red Sox after tossing a perfect ninth inning.

Baker was brought in to close things out for a second straight night, and he needed just 13 pitches (seven strikes) to do so Tuesday. He's converted seven straight save opportunities, and his 18 saves are tied with Mason Miller for second most in the majors behind Cade Smith (21). Given that he's come out of the bullpen in two consecutive games, it's unlikely that Baker will be deployed for Wednesday's series finale against Boston.

Rojas (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Rojas was cleared to begin playing catch last week, and he's now received the green light to start throwing off a mound as the next step in his recovery from elbow inflammation. He'll start off by throwing about 25 pitches and look to build up his workload during later mound sessions.

The Mariners placed Criswell on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right shoulder strain.

Criswell has given up three earned runs in 1.1 combined innings over his last two appearances, and he appears to have come away from his latest outing Monday with shoulder trouble. He'll take at least two weeks off to recover, and Nick Davila will come up from Triple-A Tacoma to replenish Seattle's bullpen depth.

The Mariners recalled Davila from Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday.

Davila will return to the big leagues as the roster replacement for Cooper Criswell (shoulder), who landed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday. Davila has fired 7.1 shutout innings with the Mariners this season, though he's done so while posting a 4:6 K:BB. He'll likely be limited to middle-relief duty while with Seattle.

Ragans (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Wednesday will mark the first time that Ragans has thrown off a mound since he suffered a setback in late May during his rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha. He remains without a clear return timeline, but that may change after a few sessions of mound work.

The Pirates traded Fulmer to the Mariners on Tuesday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Fulmer has spent the entire season at Triple-A Indianapolis, posting a 6.35 ERA and 1.65 WHIP alongside a 27:15 K:BB across 34 innings. The 32-year-old's performance is unlikely to improve significantly now that he'll be moving into the Pacific Coast League, but he'll still provide some organizational bullpen depth at Triple-A Tacoma.

The Twins returned Sands (forearm) from his rehab assignment Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Sands made his first rehab appearance at Triple-A St. Paul last Tuesday, but his strained right forearm didn't recover quickly enough to allow him to continue pitching. The Twins will now shut down his rehab assignment and give him more time to rest and receive treatment before restarting a throwing program. He's without a clear timeline for returning from the 15-day injured list.