MLB Player News

Smyly tossed 1.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn a hold in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Cardinals.

Smyly picked things up after Chicago starter Jameson Taillon covered 5.2 innings, and the former was effective across his 16 pitches, earning his third hold of the season in the process. Smyly had a solid first half of the season, posting a 3.09 ERA across 35 innings of relief. While the veteran lefty has plenty of starting experience in his career, he's worked exclusively out of the bullpen so far in 2024, and he'll likely stick in that role after the All-Star break.

Lopez tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Cardinals. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two.

Despite getting released by the Mets in unceremonious fashion earlier this season, Lopez had a solid first half, as he finished with a 3.18 ERA across 34 innings. He's been even better since joining the Cubs at the end of June, posting a 1.17 ERA across 7.2 innings. Lopez may be able to seize a higher-leverage role after the All-Star break if he continues to pitch well out of the Chicago bullpen.

Faedo (4-1) walked a batter and retired one via strikeout to earn the win in Sunday's 4-3 victory over the Dodgers.

Faedo needed 12 pitches to close out the top of the ninth inning, then scooped up the win when the Tigers scored twice in the bottom of the frame. The righty finished a solid first half of the season in which he posted a 3.50 ERA and 38 strikeouts across 43.2 innings of relief. Faedo will remain a bullpen option for the Tigers after the All-Star break, and he can give the team multiple innings when needed.

Stanek left Sunday's game against the Angels after walking the first batter he faced in the eighth inning on four straight balls, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

Stanek came on in the eighth to protect a 2-0 lead after Logan Gilbert fired seven scoreless frames. All four of Stanek's pitches were well off the plate, and he left with a trainer. Andres Munoz, who was already the top Mariners reliever to roster in fantasy, should get the save chances going forward.

Walston (elbow) isn't expected to return from the 15-day injured list until sometime in August, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

After turning in a 2.84 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 11:9 K:BB in 12.2 innings through his first three big-league outings (two starts), Walston was placed on the 15-day injured list June 6. His injury was initially classified as left elbow inflammation, but the Diamondbacks have since listed him with a left elbow strain, according to MLB.com. While Walston has resumed throwing off flat ground from 60 to 100 feet, the Diamondbacks haven't yet indicated that he's been cleared for bullpen sessions, so he still looks to be several weeks away from being stretched back out for a starter's workload. All of Jordan Montgomery (knee), Eduardo Rodriguez (lat) and Merrill Kelly (shoulder) are further along in their throwing progressions and appear poised to beat Walston back from the injured list, so the 22-year-old southpaw will most likely be optioned to Triple-A Reno once he's activated.

Kimbrel (6-2) blew a save but picked up the win Sunday, allowing three runs on one hit and two walks over one inning against the Yankees. He struck out one.

Kimbrel came on in the ninth looking for his 24th save but quickly blew that opportunity by allowing a couple of walks followed by a three-run homer by Ben Rice. To his credit, Kimbrel then retired the next three batters, making him the pitcher of record when the Orioles completed their own comeback in the bottom of the inning. Despite Sunday's outing, Kimbrel has been highly effective in his first season with the Orioles, entering the All-Star break with six wins, 23 saves, a 2.80 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and 53 strikeouts in 39 appearances spanning 35.1 innings.

The Yankees designated Morris for assignment on Sunday.

An intriguing pitching prospect as a member of the Guardians organization a few years ago, Morris was never able to show enough durability to hold up a starter, and he hasn't had success as a reliever with the Yankees. The 27-year-old righty had a 4.25 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 36 innings over 24 appearances for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season.

The Yankees activated Effross (back) from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.

He had a 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in 9.1 innings over eight appearances on his four-week rehab assignment, and the Yankees aren't quite ready to add him to the big-league bullpen. Effross had back surgery in December while recovering from October 2022 Tommy John surgery.

Hudson wasn't available out of the bullpen for Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Tigers due to back stiffness, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Hudson has been dealing with the injury for the last couple of days, which likely explains why he also went unused in the 11-9 extra-inning loss to Detroit on Saturday, when manager Dave Roberts turned to less-trusted bullpen arms in Ricky Vanasco and Yohan Ramirez late in the game in high-leverage spots. The Dodgers seem to be viewing Hudson as day-to-day with the hope that he'll be ready to pitch coming out of the All-Star break.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Burdi (hip) recently had a setback in his rehab but is now ramping back up, MLB.com reports.

The nature of Burdi's setback isn't clear, but it appears to have been a relatively minor one. The righty reliever threw off a mound at the Yankees' complex Friday as he continues to work toward a rehab stint. Burdi could still be ready to return to the big-league club before the end of July, though his timeframe for activation from the 60-day IL remains hazy.