MLB Player News

Bednar (3-5) picked up the win Saturday after blowing the save, walking one batter and striking out two over 1.2 scoreless innings in a 5-4 victory over the Astros.

With the Yankees protecting a 4-2 lead, Camilo Doval entered the game in the eighth inning and made a mess, although a pair of errors didn't help matters. Bednar was brought in with one run already across and the bases loaded, and he promptly walked Christian Walker to tie the game before escaping the frame with no further damage. Trent Grisham's solo shot in the bottom of the eighth then put Bednar in line for the win. New York's high-leverage situation remains fluid, to put it charitably, but Bednar's 3.00 ERA and 10:3 K:BB over six innings since joining the team seems to have him at the top of the pecking order for save chances at the moment.

Cruz (shoulder) is set to be reevaluated Monday to determine if he can begin a throwing program, per MLB.com.

Cruz landed on the injured list Aug. 3 and received an injection the following day for a right shoulder injury labeled as tendonitis. Before hitting the shelf, the right-hander had climbed the ranks in the Royals bullpen, opening the year with 13 scoreless outings before leveling off to a 3.61 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 43 appearances (42.1 innings).

Munoz picked up the save in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Rays. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two over a scoreless inning.

The flamethrower gave up a leadoff single to Junior Caminero and issued a two-out walk to Ha-Seong Kim, but he ultimately struck out Tristan Peters to seal Seattle's win Saturday. Munoz has been dominant all season, posting a 1.37 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 11.54 K/9 and 27 saves over 46 innings.

Boyle (1-2) took the loss Saturday, allowing six runs on four hits and five walks over 3.1 innings in a 7-4 loss against the Mariners. He struck out five.

The right-hander struggled with control Saturday and was hurt even more by the long ball, serving up three total homers to Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh. Boyle has made four starts and four relief appearances this season, posting a 3.82 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with a 31:16 K:BB over 30.2 innings.

Perkins (1-2) earned the win against the Orioles on Saturday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk with five strikeouts over six innings.

Perkins allowed a three-run homer in the first inning but rebounded with five scoreless frames to earn his first career win. The 25-year-old also logged his first major-league quality start, bouncing back after surrendering four runs over three innings in his rotation debut Sunday. He'll carry a 4.08 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 28:11 K:BB across 28.2 innings into a home matchup with the Angels next weekend.

Estevez collected the save in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Twins, striking out two batters in a perfect ninth inning.

Estevez was able to protect the Royals' two-run lead in the ninth and finished by striking out Austin Martin. It was Estevez's first save since July 29 against Atlanta, and his 29 saves on the year (in 35 chances) are second most in the majors behind Robert Suarez (32). Estevez has a 2.54 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 42:17 K:BB across 39.2 innings this season.

Smith recorded the save in Saturday's 3-1 win over the White Sox, striking out two batters in a perfect ninth inning.

Smith was brought out for the ninth to protect the Guardians' two-run lead. He made his save look effortless, tossing just 10 pitches (eight strikes) before finishing things out by getting Lenyn Sosa to strike out swinging. Smith has logged two saves over his last three outings and has a 2.75 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 73:18 K:BB across 52.1 innings this season.

Cantillo (3-2) earned the win against the White Sox on Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out three across 5.2 innings.

His three punchouts were his lowest since joining the Guardians rotation, but it was a strong outing from Cantillo, with his lone blemish coming in the second inning on a Michael Taylor solo homer. It was the second game in a row in which Cantillo pitched into the sixth inning, and in his seven games as a starter he has a 4.36 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 39:18 K:BB across 33 innings. He's slated to make his next start against Atlanta at home next weekend.

Morales will start Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Morales most recently logged two innings in his big-league debut Aug. 1, and prior to that, he had been logging between one and three innings per outing at Triple-A Las Vegas. With that in mind, Morales' first big-league start will likely be a short one. Morales has big-time stuff, with his fastball having touched triple digits in the past, but his control has been much better since he started pitching in shorter stints after giving up six runs in 2.1 innings in a June 21 start. After that, he had a 2.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 20:6 K:BB in 18 innings over nine appearances before getting the call to the majors. Osvaldo Bido could be an option to log multiple innings after Morales exits Sunday.

Stephenson threw a bullpen session Friday and "came through it fine," per interim manager Ray Montgomery, and the veteran reliever may next begin a minor-league rehab assignment, according to MLB.com.

Stephenson has had an injury-plagued campaign and has gotten into only two games so far for the Angels. His current injury is a stretched nerve in his right biceps and he's on the 60-day IL, so he isn't eligible to be activated until the final week of August. The positive news is that Stephenson has been able to deploy his full arsenal during recent bullpen sessions, and while he could be asked to toss more bullpens before he's deemed ready for game action, a minor-league rehab stint appears to be in the works in the near future.