MLB Player News

O'Brien earned the save Thursday against the Athletics, striking out two over a scoreless and hitless ninth inning.

O'Brien was called upon in the ninth inning and worked around plunking leadoff batter Nick Kurtz to lock down his 13th save of the season, tying him for the MLB lead. The right-hander has responded well after a rough stretch in which he blew three saves over eight appearances, bouncing back with hitless saves in his past two outings. O'Brien continues to dominate overall, sporting a 2.57 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and an outstanding 25:2 K:BB across 21 innings.

Scott earned a save against the Giants on Thursday, striking out two batters in a perfect ninth inning.

Scott had a relatively low-stress assignment, as the Dodgers held a three-run lead when he entered in the ninth inning. The left-hander needed just nine pitches (seven strikes) to set down the side in order. Scott struggled as the Dodgers' closer last season, which led to Los Angeles bringing in Edwin Diaz (elbow) via free agency. Diaz has since landed on the 60-day IL, and Scott has shined since retaking the closer role. Over 10 outings in Diaz's absence, Scott has gone 4-for-4 on save opportunities while giving up just two runs and posting a 10:2 K:BB across 9.2 innings.

Palencia tossed a scoreless inning of relief to secure the save in Thursday's 2-0 win over Atlanta. He allowed one hit and struck out two.

Palencia allowed his first two runs of the season his last time out Sunday, but he bounced back by recording his third save of the year. Outside of that one hiccup, the flamethrowing righty has been excellent with a 2.25 ERA and nine strikeouts across eight innings of work. Now that he's recovered from an early season lat strain, Palencia appears to once again be locked in as Chicago's closer.

Waguespack signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers on Sunday.

Waguespack was briefly a free agent after being released by the Brewers on May 5, but he quickly returned to the organization. The 32-year-old will likely return to Triple-A Nashville after a stop in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Waguespack has produced a 2.40 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 22 strikeouts over 15 innings in 10 appearances with Nashville this season.

Miller (back) is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list Saturday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Miller has made two appearances with Triple-A Sacramento during his minor-league rehab assignment, combining to pitch two scoreless innings while striking out three batters. The southpaw will make his return to the major-league roster after the minimum 15 days on the injured list, and he should immediately be back in the mix for save chances with San Francisco.

Naughton will undergo surgery next month to repair the damaged UCL in his left elbow, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Naughton has been sidelined at Triple-A Memphis since early April due to elbow trouble, and he's now officially opted to undergo surgery for the third time in the last two years. A timeline for his return will emerge after his procedure, though there's a strong chance that he will end up missing most, if not all, of the remaining 2026 schedule.

Mlodzinski (3-3) earned the win Thursday over the Rockies, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out two.

After Mason Montgomery and Evan Sisk combined to blank Colorado through two innings, Mlodzinski entered in the third with the Pirates already ahead 3-0. The 27-year-old Mlodzinski has had an up-and-down year overall, but he's now allowed just two runs in each of his past two outings. The right-hander's ERA sits at 4.40 with a 1.44 WHIP and 43:16 K:BB across 45 innings this season.

The Rockies placed Herget on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a right shoulder impingement, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Herget just returned from the bereavement list Tuesday and is now out for at least the next couple weeks. Tanner Gordon will absorb Herget's spot on the Rockies' active roster.

Mlodzinski is slated to pitch in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Mason Montgomery in Thursday's game against the Rockies in Pittsburgh, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Mlodzinski will work behind an opener for the second time this season, with the right-hander having previously followed Montgomery in an April 15 game against the Nationals. The arrangement didn't end up suppressing Mlodzinski's workload; in fact, the 27-year-old covered six innings in that game against Washington, matching his longest appearance of the season. Montgomery is likely to work just an inning or two before handing the ball over to Mlodzinski, who takes a 4.50 ERA and 1.45 WHIP into Thursday's contest.

The Marlins optioned Ekness to Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday.

Ekness held his own in his first stint in the big leagues, allowing one run with a 5:5 K:BB in 5.1 innings. The hard-throwing righty could eventually settle into a high-leverage relief role for Miami, but he'll head back to Jacksonville for now to accommodate the arrival of Braxton Garrett.