MLB Player News

Chapman struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his fifth save of the season in a 3-0 win over the Guardians.

The veteran lefty hit triple digits on the radar gun with six of his 16 pitches, topping out at 101.8 mph, as he carved up the heart of Cleveland's order. Chapman has taken over the closer role for the Pirates due to David Bednar's struggles, and he may not give it back -- over 17 innings since the All-Star break, he's delivered a 2.12 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 28:4 K:BB. Saturday's save was Chapman's first since July 11, but it doesn't figure to be his last of the season.

Booser (elbow) won't be activated from the 15-day injured list Sunday when the Red Sox's active roster expands from 26 to 28 men, MLB.com reports.

Booser had a successful initial appearance on his rehab assignment, striking out three batters Thursday for Triple-A Worcester, and was in consideration to be added Sunday. However, his recovery day wasn't as a good as the Red Sox hoped. As such, the club plans to add right-hander Chase Shugart from Worcester to bolster its bullpen depth.

Ortiz (6-4) picked up the win Saturday, allowing one hit and three walks over six scoreless innings in a 3-0 victory over Cleveland. He struck out five.

The right-hander extended his scoreless streak to 15 innings as he collected his fifth quality start of the season, and his first win since July 20. Ortiz is making a strong case to be a regular member of the Pirates' rotation in 2025 -- over eight starts since the All-Star break, he's posted a 3.69 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 31:16 K:BB through 46.1 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Nationals.

Lopez (groin) tossed a scoreless inning of relief to earn a hold in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Nationals. He allowed one walk and struck out one.

Lopez, who missed eight days due to a groin injury, looked good in his return to the mound. The righty has a stellar 2.34 ERA overall this season and has been even better since making his Chicago debut in late June. Across 23.2 innings with the Cubs, Lopez has turned in a 0.76 ERA and has struck out 26 batters. Porter Hodge earned the save Saturday and is likely first in line to close games moving forward, though Lopez figures to be in the mix as well now that he's healthy.

Thompson (7-4) was the losing pitcher in Saturday's game against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out one over one inning.

Thompson entered with one out and a runner on and got the Diamondbacks out of the eighth inning unscathed, but trouble followed him in the ninth. He was removed after a pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt, then watched Justin Martinez let his two runners score. Thompson has largely been a dependable bullpen arm but is showing cracks this month. The submarining right-hander has a 6.17 ERA and a .327 batting-average against over 11.2 innings in August.

Pressly earned a save against the Royals on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter over one scoreless inning.

Primary closer Josh Hader pitched both Thursday and Friday, so he was unavailable for Saturday's contest. As a result, Houston manager Joe Espada turned to Pressly -- who racked up 90 saves as the team's closer from 2021 to 2023 -- to slam the door shut in the ninth inning against Kansas City. The right-hander allowed a two-out single but had little trouble closing things out. Pressly may get an occasional save chance when Hader is held out, but his primary role moving forward will likely be to serve as one of the Astros' top setup men.

Phillips pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 8-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

Phillips was sharp in August, allowing two runs (one earned) over 12.1 innings while posting a 20:1 K:BB across 14 appearances. He picked up three saves, four holds, one blown save and one win, as the Dodgers have stuck with a committee approach to closing duties after Phillips' rough July. Overall, he has a 3.22 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 55:12 K:BB with 18 saves in 21 chances and six holds over 44.2 innings this season.

Butto earned a save against the White Sox on Saturday, allowed one run on three hits in one inning.

The Mets held a three-run lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning and turned to Butto to close things down. The right-hander didn't cruise, giving up a run on a trio of hits and allowing the tying run to reach first base, but he was ultimately successful in converting his third save of the campaign. Butto isn't a threat to Edwin Diaz's job as closer; Diaz was simply unavailable after pitching on three straight days.

Houser agreed to a minor-league contract with the Orioles on Saturday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Houser was released by the Mets in late July, but he caught on with the Cubs on Aug. 7 on a minor-league deal, only to be cut less than a month later. Now with his third organization of the season, Houser should provide starting depth for the Orioles at Triple-A Norfolk, but his lack of a 40-man roster spot could be an obstacle in getting another big-league opportunity in 2024.

Williams walked two and hit one batter in a scoreless and hitless inning, adding two strikeouts to earn the save in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Reds.

Williams has allowed multiple baserunners in three of his last five outings, but he was able to escape a bases-loaded jam of his own making in Saturday's win. The right-hander is now 8-for-9 in save chances this year. He's pitched to a 2.31 ERA, but a 1.20 WHIP and eight walks over 11.2 innings show he's not quite all the way back from a command standpoint. Williams has also logged 20 strikeouts and doesn't appear to be at much risk of ceding closing duties back to Trevor Megill.