MLB Player News

Hamilton earned a save against the Rays on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning.

After New York rallied to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth inning, it turned to closer Clay Holmes to protect the advantage against the heart of Tampa's order in the bottom of the frame. He did so on just seven pitches, but rather than have Holmes go for a multi-inning save, manager Aaron Boone opted to bring in Hamilton to close things out with the score still 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth. Hamilton allowed a two-out double but got Isaac Paredes to fly out to end the contest and notch his first career save. The righty reliever has been fantastic for New York this season, posting a 1.42 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 23:7 K:BB over 19 innings. Based on those numbers and his surprise ninth-inning usage Saturday, it wouldn't be surprising if he starts to see more high-leverage work, though Holmes and Michael King remain the prime candidates for saves in the Yankees' bullpen.

Davidson tossed two-thirds of an inning against Texas on Saturday, allowing seven runs on seven hits and one walk.

The game wasn't completely out of reach for the Angels when Davidson entered in the ninth inning, as they were down 3-0 at the time. By the end of the frame, the team had deployed position player Brett Phillips to the mound after Davidson allowed seven straight batters to reach base with two outs. Five of those came around to score while the the southpaw was in the contest, and two more crossed the plate after he departed, resulting in an unsightly seven runs charged to his final tally. Davidson entered Saturday with a 2.25 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over seven appearances -- those numbers are now 5.94 and 1.62, respectively.

Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Smith will remain pitching in high-leverage situations following Friday's blown save, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

In Smith's first appearance after he was anointed as the team's closer -- taking over for Jose Leclerc -- the left-hander was rocked by the Angels in Friday's 5-4 extra-inning loss. However, Smith retains the confidence of the manager, who's seen the bullpen during a 13-game stretch either blow a lead or turn a tied game into a deficit in the seventh inning or later six times. There aren't many dependable arms for Bochy to choose from to close out games, so Smith should be safe.

Jansen allowed one hit and struck out one batter in a scoreless inning against the Phillies on Saturday to earn a save.

Jansen appears to be past a back injury that sidelined him late last week and into the beginning of this week, as he pitched for the second straight day Saturday. The veteran closer was sharp against Philadelphia, throwing 11 of 14 pitches for a strike and allowing just an infield single. Jansen has been dominant in his first season with Boston, allowing only one earned run and posting a 16:4 K:BB over 10.2 innings while converting eight of nine save chances. He's now at 399 saves for his career -- with his next one, he'll become the seventh pitcher in MLB history to reach 400.

Montero (0-1) allowed four earned runs on three hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning to take the loss Saturday against the Mariners.

Montero was tasked with protecting a three-run lead in the eighth inning, and he retired the first two batters he faced. However, he allowed the next four batters he faced to reach base -- two of which were on infield singles -- to suffer the ugly line and his first loss of the campaign. Montero has otherwise been solid, as he had turned in scoreless appearances in 10 of his 14 previous opportunities.

Jackson picked up the save Saturday against the Royals. He gave up one hit and one walk while striking out two over one scoreless inning.

Jackson grabbed his first save of the season, taking advantage of Trevor May's (personal) presence on the 15-day injured list and Jeurys Familia recently being designated for assignment. May's rehab assignment was recently paused, making it unclear when he might rejoin the A's. Jackson appears to be Oakland's preferred option at closer for now, but he'll likely remain an unsavory fantasy option considering Saturday's win was just the team's eighth of the year.

Fleming will serve as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Javy Guerra in Sunday's contest versus the Yankees, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Fleming will be making his return to the mound following a foot contusion he suffered in his last outing Tuesday against the Pirates, which forced him to exit the contest. The left-hander threw a bullpen session Friday and is expected to be able to handle the bulk of the innings out of the bullpen for Tampa Bay on Sunday. Fleming has appeared in six games this season, including one start, producing a 3.18 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with 14 strikeouts over 22.2 innings.

Guerra will operate as the Rays' opening pitcher for Sunday's matchup with the Yankees, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

After being acquired via trade from the Brewers on April 29, Guerra served as the team's opener Tuesday versus the Pirates, walking two batters while pitching two-thirds scoreless to begin the contest. He'll now look to make it two straight scoreless outings since returning to Tampa Bay prior to handing the ball off to Josh Fleming as the Rays go for the series win Sunday. Guerra owns an 8.00 ERA and 2.33 WHIP with five strikeouts over nine innings in nine appearances this season with the Brewers and Rays, though his numbers are inflated by the five runs he allowed to the Pirates over 1.2 innings on April 23.

The Mariners recalled Then from Double-A Arkansas on Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The 23-year-old righty struck out 11 and notched three saves in seven appearances (nine innings) at Double-A prior to getting the call. Then is known for his bat-missing slider, but he will likely work in low-leverage situations during his first career stint in the big leagues.

Murfee was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with elbow inflammation, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Per Divish, the Mariners don't think Murfee's injury is serious and hoped he could avoid an IL stint, but the team decided to take a long-term view with regard to his health. Juan Then was called up from Double-A Arkansas to take Murfee's place in the bullpen.