MLB Player News

Junis went 6.1 innings Saturday, allowing two runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out seven, but he wasn't a factor in the decision during the Royals' 5-2 win over the Twins.

Over his last six starts, Junis has dazzled with a 2.48 ERA, 34 strikeouts and only two walks in 36.1 innings. He has quickly become a popular deep-league fantasy play. Sustaining this run could be tough, however, with his next start coming Thursday against the scorching-hot Indians.

Maurer worked around a walk to log a scoreless inning Saturday for his second save with the Royals.

Despite allowing a two-out free pass, the right-hander retied the other three batters, wrapping up his first chance since the Royals demoted Kelvin Herrera and declared a committee closer arrangement. While he'll likely split with lefties Mike Minor (who earned the win Saturday with 1.2 scoreless innings as the only bridge after starter Jake Junis) and Scott Alexander, Maurer appears to be the majority choice and the most logical fantasy pickup, considering he posted 20 saves for San Diego earlier this season and 13 in 2016.

Andriese (5-3) allowed eight runs, six of which were earned, on seven hits and two walks while striking out two over 1.2 innings to take the loss Saturday against the Red Sox.

Andriese was battered by the Red Sox hitters, giving his team no chance to compete in this contest. He's allowed 11 earned runs over his last 6.2 innings covering two September starts, and he's trending downward as the season draws to a close. He'll make his next start Saturday against the Red Sox.

Mengden allowed three runs -- two earned -- on five hits and two walks while striking out four batters over six innings in Saturday's win over Houston in the second game of the teams' doubleheader. He didn't factor into the decision.

This was just the third start of the season for Mengden, and he's now allowed 12 runs over just 14 innings. The 24-year-old righty also posted a 4.17 ERA with Triple-A Nashville, so fantasy expectations should remain in check moving forward. However, Mengden is expected to stick in the rotation, so he could offer value in deeper settings. Mengden lines up to face the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in his next start.

Chapman struck out two in a perfect ninth inning against the Rangers on Saturday en route to his 17th save of the season.

Manager Joe Girardi had left the door open for Chapman to reclaim the closer role, and this would seem to confirm that the job is his once again. Chapman pitched his way out of the ninth in August, but he's been much better lately, allowing just one hit with a 6:0 K:BB in his last three innings. Dellin Betances, meanwhile, has been scored upon in four of his last seven appearances.

According to manager AJ Hinch, McHugh's status for Thursday's projected start is "up in the air" due to a detached fingernail that he suffered during Friday's outing, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McHugh was forced to exit Friday's game after just three innings and will throw Tuesday to determine whether he's able to make Thursday's start against the Angels. The right-hander should be considered day-to-day moving forward and shouldn't miss more than one start if he's unable to pitch Thursday.

Diaz gave up a hit and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to notch his 32nd save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Angels.

The young fireballer has been anything but consistent in his first full season as the Mariners' closer, but he's now converted 14 straight save opportunities over his last 18 appearances despite a 4.58 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 5.6 BB/9 during that stretch. Diaz's 11.2 K.9 in those 17.2 innings certainly helps, of course, but he'll need to sharpen his control considerably if he hopes to join the ranks of the league's elite closers next season.

Giles (1-3) allowed two runs without retiring a batter in Friday's 9-8 loss to the Athletics. He gave up three hits and a walk.

A wild game in Oakland ended with Giles blowing his fourth save in 33 opportunities. Giles had saved his previous seven chances and entered Friday's game having allowed just five hits and two walks over the past 12.2 innings. This should be viewed as a minor blip as Giles has been very good at closing out games this season.

Belisle struck out two in a clean ninth inning Friday for his seventh save.

Belisle has a mediocre 4.36 ERA on the season, but he has performed admirably since taking over as closer in the wake of the Brandon Kintzler deal. He is now 7-for-8 in save opportunities with a 3.27 ERA and a nifty 16:3 K:BB over 11 innings, as he has stepped up just when the surging Twins needed him.

McHugh was forced to leave Friday's game against Oakland after just three innings and 50 pitches with a right middle fingernail avulsion, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

In English, that's a detached fingernail for McHugh. The fingernail is hugely important for proper grip and spin, so McHugh may have to skip a start to let it heal. Consider him day-to-day going forward. He had allowed three runs on four hits and a walk before the injury.