MLB Player News

Natera recorded the save Sunday against the Rangers, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.

Natera was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the ninth and struck out each of the first two batters he faced before inducing a lineout from Justin Foscue to secure his third save. The left-hander has been dominant of late, allowing just one run across his last 15.2 innings while posting an outstanding 27:3 K:BB during that stretch. In 23 appearances since his June 5 call-up, Natera owns a 2.00 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 42:10 K:BB across 27 innings.

Bradford (0-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Angels, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out one over seven innings.

Bradford didn't need much of a workload buildup Tuesday, as he efficiently completed seven innings on just 75 pitches (49 strikes), including eight at-bats that lasted just one pitch. All three runs against him came in the third inning on three hits and a hit batter, but he settled in from there to retire 12 of the final 13 hitters he faced. It was only Bradford's second start of the season after being activated from the injured list Aug. 5 following an elbow injury that sidelined him for all of 2025. He's scheduled to face Washington at home in his next start, presenting a significant challenge against one of MLB's most productive lineups.

Bednar earned the save in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Mariners, allowing one hit while striking out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning.

Bednar opened the ninth inning by striking out Julio Rodriguez before ending the frame with a four-pitch punchout of Cal Raleigh. Bednar hasn't blown a save opportunity since May 17 and has recorded a save in eight of his last nine outings, with the exception being Friday against Atlanta, when he came away with the win instead. His 27 saves are tied for fifth-most in the majors this season, and he sports a 2.56 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 52.2 innings.

Speier was unavailable for Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Yankees due to back discomfort, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Speier returned from his three-game suspension Tuesday, but back issue prevented him from getting into the contest. It's unclear whether his injury is severe enough to warrant a trip to the injured list, but the Mariners will likely monitor his status closely over the next couple of days.

Kittredge earned the save in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Twins, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.

Kittredge was called on to close out a three-run lead and did so on just nine pitches. The 36-year-old has now secured three saves in his past six appearances, allowing just two earned runs during that stretch. On the season, he owns six saves and nine holds to go along with a 3.57 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 30:10 K across 35.1 innings.

Miles was credited with the save in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Red Sox, when he allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning.

Louis Varland was deployed for the save chance in Monday's win against Boston, so manager John Schneider turned that responsibility over to Miles for Tuesday's tilt. Miles overcame a one-out double to retire the next two batters on groundouts to secure the first major-league save of his career. Varland is still the Blue Jays' go-to closer, especially with Jeff Hoffman now with the Twins, but Miles could be deployed in more high-leverage situations moving forward.

Jansen allowed a run on a hit and two walks across an inning of relief but managed to secure the save in Tuesday's 6-4 victory over the Guardians.

Jansen entered in the top of the ninth inning staked to a 6-3 lead. It was a struggle for Detroit's closer, as he needed 29 pitches to retire three batters. The subpar outing was still enough for the veteran reliever to record his 14th save of the season, and he's been mostly good lately with a 2.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts across 10 innings in his last 10 appearances. Jansen has no real competition for the closer role at the moment, which gives him fantasy value even though he's not the same dominant force he was earlier in his career.

Waguespack (1-1) tossed two scoreless innings of relief and earned the win in Tuesday's 6-4 victory over the Guardians. He allowed two hits and a walk.

Drew Anderson, who has mostly worked in relief this season, got the start for Detroit and held his own across four innings. However, he didn't go long enough to qualify for the win, which opened the door for Waguespack, who worked the fifth and sixth. The righty earned his first win in the majors since he won five games as a rookie back in 2019. Waguespack isn't in a super fantasy-friendly role at the moment, but he's pitched well this year with 1.52 ERA and 0.89 WHIP across 23.2 innings out of Detroit's bullpen.

Junis (adductor) completed a bullpen session Tuesday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Junis was able to throw roughly 20 pitches during Tuesday's session, and he announced that he will throw another bullpen Thursday. The team is expected to reassess the right-hander's status after Thursday, as he continues to work his way back from a left adductor strain that has sidelined him since July 30. Junis is eligible to be activated from the 15-day injured list Thursday, but a return in late August now appears to be a more realistic goal.

The Yankees placed Castro on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Monday, with right elbow neuritis.

In a corresponding move Tuesday, the Yankees recalled Bradley Hanner from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Castro had made three appearances since getting recalled Aug. 3. In that stretch, he allowed no runs on one hit and a 4:2 K:BB across 3.2 innings.