MLB Player News

Leclerc gave up a run on two hits while striking out two in the ninth inning Wednesday to record his 12th save of the season in a 10-9 win over the Rays.

Ji-Man Choi's solo shot with one out made for a nervous ninth, but Leclerc was able to shut the door. The right-hander's 3.60 ERA and 1.47 WHIP since the beginning of August aren't particularly exciting, but he's converted seven of eight save chances in that time with a 21:10 K:BB over 15 innings.

Jurado didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 10-9 win over the Rays, surrendering six runs on six hits and two walks over 1.2 innings. He struck out only one.

Tampa hung two runs on him in the top of the first inning, but Texas struck back for seven in the bottom of the frame -- only for Jurado to immediately help cough up the lead and get chased from the game after recording only five outs on 47 pitches (27 strikes). The right-hander will take a 5.78 ERA and 79:36 K:BB through 118.1 innings into his next start Tuesday in Houston.

Bass struck out two in two-thirds of an inning to record his fourth save in a 5-3 win over the Reds on Wednesday.

Bass was called to pitch with one out and the bases loaded with a three-run lead in the ninth inning. Bass struck out the first two batters he faced, although a wild pitch allowed a run to score on the second punchout. He forced a groundout to nail down his fourth save of the season. The 31-year-old has now gotten a save in both games of the series, while Matt Magill has not pitched since Sept. 5.

Thornton (5-9) allowed no hits and a walk while striking out seven across five scoreless innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Thornton entered the game in the third inning to work as the primary pitcher behind Wilmer Font. He was given eight runs of support across his first two innings, but he didn't need much while allowing only one baserunner across his five frames and closing his stellar outing by retiring 13 consecutive batters. While Thornton's first 28 appearances of the season came as a traditional starter, his usage to close the season remains unclear. However, he should pitch next in some capacity on Tuesday at Baltimore.

Hand underwent an MRI for an apparent arm injury and returned to Cleveland after Tuesday's game against the Angels, Anthony Alford of WTAM 11 Cleveland reports.

Hand last appeared Sunday, when he earned the save in Minnesota, and he took a late flight back from Los Angeles on Tuesday to undergo the MRI, which came back clean. Manager Terry Francona indicated the lefty wasn't properly "bouncing back" from his throws but was still encouraged by his progress. The specifics of the injury remain unclear, but Hand will be evaluated further Friday with the team returning from the road trip.

Chavez underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow Monday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Chavez finished the season with a 4.85 ERA in 78 innings. He'll be shut down for eight weeks but will then start a throwing program in time to be ready for the start of spring training.

Milner landed on the 60-day injured list with a cervical nerve injury Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The move rules Milner out for the season. He'll end the year with a 7.36 ERA in 3.2 big-league innings, the exact same figure he recorded over 7.1 innings last season. Johnny Davis' contract was selected in a corresponding move.

Harvey (biceps) said Wednesday that he hopes to return to game action this weekend in Detroit, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander has been out of action for more than a week due to an injury, which he revealed to be biceps soreness. He made it through a 15-pitch bullpen session Tuesday and said it went well, but Harvey will be worth monitoring down the stretch after all the missed time over the years. He projects as a possible closer in 2020 if his health finally cooperates.

Mengden was credited with his first save in a win over the Astros on Tuesday, allowing two earned runs on four hits and two walks over three innings while recording a strikeout.

Mengden managed the unlikely feat of nabbing a save in a game the Athletics won by 14 runs, as the fact he pitched three innings without blowing his team's sizable advantage technically qualified him for such. The veteran right-hander did surrender a two-run home run to Martin Maldonado in the ninth inning to blemish his performance to an extent, but Mengden was reasonably effective in his first appearance since being called up from Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.

Pagan (4-2) was credited with the win in an extra-innings victory over the Rangers on Tuesday, firing a perfect 10th inning during which he recorded two strikeouts.

Pagan worked up to 20 pitches during the frame, and his ability to preserve the 3-3 tie he inherited paid off in the form of a victory when the Rays were able pull ahead in the 11th inning. Pagan now has six consecutive scoreless appearances and has allowed just one hit and one walk during those outings, recording six saves along with Tuesday's win in the process.