MLB Player News

Castellanos picked up the save in a win over the Padres on Saturday, striking out one over a perfect two-thirds of an inning.

Castellanos took over with one out in the bottom of the 10th after Thyago Vieira managed to retire just one of the first four batters he faced to open the frame. The recently recalled 26-year-old was then able to retire the final two batters in succession to secure his first save of the campaign. Castellanos has now made two scoreless appearances since surrendering five runs in his season debut, allowing just one baserunner over that stretch. It's worth noting that the Diamondbacks didn't go to Paul Sewald on Saturday after the right-hander surrendered multiple runs in each of his previous two appearances, though they could also just be giving him some rest following his recent struggles.

Treinen earned a hold against Milwaukee on Saturday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning of work.

Treinen entered in the seventh frame and retired the side in order on 11 pitches. The right-hander has given up an earned run in just two of his 23 appearances this season, resulting in a solid 2.61 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 20.2 innings. Treinen hasn't shown much rust despite missing all of 2023 and most of 2022 due to a shoulder injury.

Almonte (shoulder) said Saturday that he hopes to make a full recovery from right labrum surgery in less than 12 months, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

On the shelf since May 11 with a right shoulder strain, Almonte had been treating the injury with rest and rehab but has ultimately decided to get season-ending surgery after he recently sought a second opinion following a setback in the recovery process. A more precise timeline for Almonte's return to game action could come once he undergoes surgery in the coming days, but he's already seemingly preparing to miss time to begin the 2025 campaign. For the time being, Almonte is seemingly targeting a return shortly before the All-Star break next season.

Phillips (2-0) was charged with a blown save and earned the win against Milwaukee on Saturday. He allowed one run on one hit while striking out one batter over one inning.

With the Dodgers up 3-2 in the top of the eighth frame, manager Dave Roberts elected to call upon Phillips to face the heart of the Brewers order. The right-hander couldn't protect the lead, giving up a one-out solo homer to Christian Yelich. Phillips did get credited for the win, however, as a result of Los Angeles tallying two runs in the bottom of the frame and Alex Vesia closing things out in the ninth. This was the second time in the past two weeks that Roberts has called upon Phillips before the ninth inning in a high-leverage situation, so it's clear that the team is comfortable using him in that way. Phillips should still get the vast majority of save chances for the Dodgers, though Vesia has five saves on the campaign and is probably the leading candidate for ninth-inning duties when Phillips is either unavailable or deployed earlier in a contest.

Vodnik picked up the save over the Royals on Saturday, allowing one hit and one walk over one inning while striking out one.

Vodnik entered the contest with a two-run lead in the ninth and got Salvador Perez to go down on strikes before allowing two of the next three men to reach. The right-handed reliever was able to escape the jam, however, and secure his first save of the campaign. Vodnik had blown each of his previous two save attempts this season coming in but has now recorded a win and a save in his last two appearances. He's also recorded at least one strikeout in seven consecutive outings.

Diaz struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his eighth save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Pirates.

Seeing his first action since serving a 10-game suspension for use of a foreign substance, Diaz hit Oneil Cruz with a pitch to begin the frame but escaped the minor jam by striking out Rowdy Tellez and getting Andrew McCutchen to ground into a double play. Diaz has had a turbulent campaign in his return from a knee injury that cost him the entire 2023 season, but he had been showing signs of turning things around prior to the suspension -- he's allowed only one run in his last six innings with a 7:0 K:BB.

Smyly allowed a walk and a solo home run over two innings of relief in Saturday's 7-0 loss to the Angels. He struck out one.

Starter Kyle Hendricks left the game after two innings due to back tightness, which forced the Cubs to use five relievers, including Smyly. The veteran lefty has been solid this year with a 3.48 ERA and 31 strikeouts across 31 innings of relief work. While he's been used exclusively out of the bullpen so far in 2024, Smyly did make 23 starts for the team last season, and he could be an option for the rotation in the short term if Hendricks has to miss any time.

Miller (5-6) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win in Saturday's 5-3 victory over the Reds. He allowed one hit and struck out three.

It was a badly needed positive effort for Miller, who came into the contest having allowed nine earned runs across 2.1 innings in his previous three appearances. The veteran righty lowered his ERA to under 6.00 in the process. Miller is in a high-leverage role for the Tigers, but he'll need more good performances to earn any trust in fantasy leagues.

Yates pitched a perfect ninth inning Saturday without a strikeout to record his 13th save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Rays.

The right-hander needed just 10 pitches to produce two flyballs and a comebacker by Ben Rortvedt that Yates knocked down before calmly throwing out the Tampa Bay backstop. Yates still has yet to blow a save chance this season, and he's been tagged with just one earned run over his last 16 appearances, posting a 0.60 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 26:7 K:BB through 15 innings over that dominant stretch.

Vesia picked up the save over the Brewers on Saturday, pitching a perfect ninth inning while striking out one.

Vesia entered the contest with a two-run lead and went 1-2-3 through the back end of Milwaukee's lineup to earn his fifth save of the campaign. It was the lefty's first save opportunity since blowing one against the Giants on June 29, and he's now recorded a strikeout in each of his last three appearances. Vesia also hasn't allowed a hit in either of his last two outings. Primary closer Evan Phillips was deployed to face the heart of the Brewers order in the eighth inning Saturday and remains in line to receive the bulk of the save chances for Los Angeles.