MLB Player News

Black struck out a batter and allowed one earned run on three hits and two walks across three innings of relief in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Dodgers.

For the second time since he was recalled from Triple-A Omaha last Friday, Black pitched in long relief behind starter Daniel Lynch, who is getting gradually stretched out as he transitions from the bullpen to the rotation. After tossing five innings Friday against the Cubs, Black wasn't needed to provide as much length Wednesday, with Lynch building up to 2.1 innings and 39 pitches. Unless he's incredibly economical with his pitch count in his next projected start Tuesday versus the Athletics, Lynch is unlikely to reach five innings, so Black could have decent odds of picking up a win in that game if he's available to pitch behind Lynch.

The Red Sox recalled Weissert from Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

He'll grab the roster spot vacated by the injured Garrett Whitlock (elbow). Weissert has posted a 3.97 ERA and 44:14 K:BB over 45.1 innings covering 48 appearances out of the Boston bullpen in 2026.

The Red Sox placed Whitlock on the 15-day injured list Thursday with right elbow inflammation, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Manager Chad Tracy revealed that Whitlock was unavailable to pitch in Wednesday's loss to the Blue Jays because of a sore elbow, and the club has opted to put the reliever on the IL. Whitlock noted Wednesday he has a "very low" level of concern the injury is serious, but the Red Sox could send him for imaging just in case.

Quantrill allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out six over five innings in a no-decision versus the Angels on Wednesday.

Quantrill did his part, but the Rangers' bullpen couldn't maintain the lead after he exited. The veteran right-hander threw 50 of 85 pitches for strikes in his return to the rotation after serving as a reliever over the weekend. For now, it appears Quantrill will fill the vacated rotation spot of Nathan Eovaldi (elbow). Quantrill has filled a versatile role this year, pitching to a 3.44 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP and 49:22 K:BB over 70.2 innings across 25 appearances (eight starts). Should he stick in the rotation, he's tentatively lined up to make his next appearance at home in a tough matchup versus the Nationals.

Joyce struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Rangers.

This was Joyce's fourth big-league appearance since returning from right shoulder surgery. He's looked good so far, allowing just one hit and one walk with four strikeouts over four scoreless innings, adding a save and a hold along the way. Joyce will probably emerge as the favorite to close for the Angels in the long run. He's got tantalizing strikeout upside to fuel his fantasy potential even on a last-place team that won't produce many save chances.

Lynch (4-4) allowed three runs on three hits and struck out three without walking a batter over 2.1 innings, taking the loss Wednesday versus the Dodgers.

Lynch's second turn through the rotation was only marginally better than the first, though he was tagged for home runs by Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani. Lynch was able to work his way up to 39 pitches (28 strikes), but he's still got some stretching out to do if the Royals continue to keep him in a starting role. Overall this year, he's at a 2.88 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 40:14 K:BB through 50 innings across 48 appearances (two starts). Lynch won't be much of a factor in fantasy until he gets to the five-inning mark consistently. His next outing is projected to be at home versus the Athletics.

Perkins (2-9) took the loss Wednesday, surrendering seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits and a walk over five innings as the A's fell 8-4 to the Rays. He struck out two.

A four-run fourth inning, highlighted by a three-run blast from Liam Hicks, put the game out of reach for the A's. Parkins has been tagged for five or more earned runs in three straight starts, and since the beginning of July he's been saddled with a horrific 9.39 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 32:15 K:BB in 30.2 innings while serving up 10 long balls. With the A's out of the playoff hunt, however, there's little incentive to replace the 26-year-old righty in the rotation, and instead he'll likely be allowed to try and work things out at the big-league level. Perkins is scheduled to make his next start on the road early next week in Kansas City.

Smith struck out three and allowed two hits over 1.1 innings to earn the save in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Tigers.

Smith allowed Kevin McGonigle to score on a wild pitch in the eighth and then had runners on first and second with one out in the ninth before Brayan Rocchio made an excellent play at short to end the game. This comes a week after Smith's fifth blown save of the year against the Mets. The All-Star notched his first multi-inning save since June 18.

Gomez walked one and gave up a solo home run in the ninth inning Wednesday but still recorded his 17th save of the season in a 7-5 win over the Orioles.

Leody Taveras launched a first-pitch fastball into the right-field seats to open the top of the ninth, but Gomez was able to escape the frame with no further damage. The homer was the first the right-hander had served up since June 29, and since joining the Twins in early May, Gomez has delivered a 2.00 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 37:18 K:BB through 36 innings while converting all 16 of his save chances.

Varland retired both batters he faced in the ninth inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Red Sox.

Varland was summoned with two runners in scoring position and one out after Michael Waldron struggled to open the ninth inning, and the closer quickly slammed the door on just five pitches. Since blowing his first save of the season Thursday, the 28-year-old Varland has picked up a win and two saves over his past three appearances. On the season, he's now converted 26 of 27 save chances while posting a 1.30 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 76:17 K across 62.1 innings.