MLB Player News

Hader struck out all three batters he faced in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-1 victory over the Diamondbacks.

Hader was dominant after being handed a two-run lead in the ninth inning, striking out all three batters he faced to close out the game on 16 pitches (11 strikes). It was his 23rd save of the season and this outing lowered his ERA to 0.70. More notably, it was the 250th save of Hader's career, making him the sixth active pitcher and 41st in MLB history to reach the milestone. This also extended his run of scoreless outings to 20, and he's posted a 24:3 K:BB across 21 innings over that stretch.

Harris walked one and struck out one in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Friday's 7-6 win over the Mariners.

Harris picked up his second save in as many days, perhaps signaling a shift in momentum back in his favor after Elvis Alvarado saw more save chances in late August. Harris is on a 6.2-inning scoreless streak with a 10:3 K:BB in that span. For the year, he's posted a 3.38 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 82:38 K:BB through 61.1 innings while adding 15 saves, 12 holds and six blown saves. Whether he's closing or setting up, Harris looks to be a lock for late-inning work.

Morris allowed five runs on five hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out none over 2.2 innings in a no-decision Friday versus the Mariners.

After a decent first inning, Morris gave up five runs over the next two frames before Brady Basso was brought in to clean up the mess. In his two starts this season, Morris has given up a total of 14 runs over 6.2 innings, though he hasn't been all that effective in a multi-inning relief role either. The Athletics are well out of the playoff race, so Morris may still get a few more opportunities down the stretch, but with a 10.90 ERA across 17.1 innings, he's unlikely to do much to help in fantasy.

Manager Kevin Cash said after Friday's win over the Rangers that Baker was removed from the game due to an illness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

"Nothing physical," Cash stressed, which is music to the ears of Baker's fantasy managers. Baker walked both batters he faced before being removed from a save situation Friday. He leads the majors in saves with 39 this season.

Chapman earned the save in Friday's 1-0 win over Baltimore, striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning.

Friday's AL East clash was a low-scoring affair, and Chapman was brought out for a second consecutive night to secure the win for Boston. The veteran southpaw needed 11 pitches (six strikes) to get through the frame, striking out Gunnar Henderson in the process for his 32nd save of the season, matching his total from the 2025 regular season. Chapman has a 1.89 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 27:8 K:BB over 19 innings since the All-Star break, securing 13 saves in the process.

Lynch (4-5) took the loss against the Blue Jays on Friday, allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk without recording a strikeout over five innings.

Lynch was tagged for four runs in the first inning but did manage to settle in and log a season-high five innings. The 29-year-old also failed to record a strikeout for the first time in six outings since entering the rotation Aug. 7, and he owns an uninspiring 11:8 K:BB over that span. He'll carry a 3.51 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 46:20 K:BB across 66.2 innings this season into a home matchup with the Diamondbacks next week.

Baker left Friday's game against the Rangers with an apparent injury, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Major League Baseball's saves leader walked both batters he faced before exiting alongside the Rays' head athletic trainer. Tyler Wells took over for Baker in the ninth inning and closed the door for his sixth save of the season and second since joining Tampa Bay at the trade deadline.

Brash has been shut down from throwing for eight weeks after an MRI revealed more inflammation in his lat, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Brash had been ramping up toward a return by throwing bullpen sessions in late August, but this setback eliminates any hope for a return this season. The flamethrowing right-hander made 20 appearances out of the Seattle bullpen in between IL stints, posting a 0.54 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 15:6 K:BB over 16.2 innings.

The Athletics optioned Perkins to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.

Perkins labored Thursday in Seattle, handing out five free passes and also hitting a batter, leading to three earned runs allowed over as many innings. The right-hander now sits with a 6.50 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 98.1 innings spanning 33 appearances (13 starts) in the majors this season. Joey Estes replaces Perkins on the active roster and will be a candidate to replace him in the rotation beginning next week.

Cleveland optioned Allen to Triple-A Columbus after the first game of Friday's doubleheader against Detroit.

Allen started the matinee Friday and got roughed up for six runs (five earned) over 2.1 innings. Cleveland opted for a fresh arm for the nightcap, calling up Daniel Espino from Columbus to replace Allen on the active roster.