MLB Player News

Lawrence got charged with five runs (four earned) on five hits in only one-third of an inning Friday against the Rays.

He wasn't fooling anyone, and most of the balls Tampa Bay batters put in play against Lawrence seemed to find holes. He avoided a blown save only because he entered the game to protect a four-run lead, and Lawrence was taken off the hook for a loss by a Ryan McMahon walkoff grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. The 29-year-old right-hander is still viewed as the nominal favorite to get saves for the Rockies, but performances like this won't help his tenuous job security.

Fairbanks (0-1) walked all three batters he faced in the ninth inning Friday and watched them all come around to score, getting tagged with the loss as the Rays fell 10-7 to the Rockies.

Tampa Bay rallied for five runs in the top of the ninth at Coors Field, creating a save situation for Fairbanks, but he couldn't find the plate and tossed only five of 17 pitches for strikes, uncorking a wild pitch along the way. After the right-hander loaded the bases, Jason Adam replaced him and served up a walkoff grand slam to Ryan McMahon. Fairbanks has been charged with four runs in 2.0 innings over his first three appearances with a 3:4 K:BB, and his fastball topped out at 96 mph Friday after averaging 97.8 mph last year. As yet there's been no indication his spot as the Rays' closer is in jeopardy, but his job security could be eroding.

Alzolay earned the save in Friday's 9-7 win over the Dodgers, working around two hits in a scoreless inning.

Alzolay allowed back-to-back singles to Freddie Freeman and Will Smith to open the ninth inning, but he'd rebound to set down the next three batters and grab his first save of the year. After allowing a run in his first appearance this season, Alzolay's responded with three scoreless outings, striking out four in that span. He should remain the primary closing option in Chicago after he converted 22 of 25 save chances last year while posting a career-best 2.67 ERA over 64 innings.

Lange earned the save in Friday's 5-4 win over the A's, striking out the lone batter he faced in a third of an inning.

Andrew Chafin was brought on to start the ninth, but he allowed a pair of walks before Lange was brought in to face the right-handed Zack Gelof, who he struck out on four pitches. It's the first save of the season for Lange, who was initially expected to serve as Detroit's primary ninth-inning option. However, it appears that the Tigers will opt for a modified closing committee, with Jason Foley (who pitched the eighth Friday) getting the highest-leverage usage. Lange converted 26 of 32 save chances last season, pitching to a 3.68 ERA with a 79:45 K:BB across 66 innings.

Junis has been dealing with a shoulder issue since his last start Tuesday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said the team is still waiting for imaging results to come back on Junis' shoulder, which will offer more information on whether or not the right-hander will be able to make his next start -- tentatively scheduled for Monday versus the Reds. Should Junis miss his turn through the rotation, Aaron Ashby will come up from Triple-A Nashville to take his place.

Green picked up the save in Friday's 3-0 win over the Yankees, working around two hits in a scoreless ninth inning.

The Yankees made things interesting with a couple of two-out base hits in the ninth, but Green would ultimately retire Alex Verdugo on a fly ball to the warning track to earn his first save since 2022. The 32-year-old right-hander is part of a closing committee with Yimi Garcia and Tim Mayza while Jordan Romano (elbow) is sidelined. Green pitched 12 innings with Toronto last year, going 3-0 with two holds and a 5.25 ERA.

Mushinski was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

He's clearing out to make room for waiver claim Miguel Diaz. Mushinski has allowed four runs (two earned) over 1.1 innings with the Astros this season.

Tonkin was designated for assignment by the Mets on Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 26-man and 40-man rosters for Julio Teheran. Tonkin allowed eight runs (two earned) over four innings covering three relief appearances with the Mets. There would seem to be a good chance the 34-year-old passes through waivers unclaimed.

Speas was designated for assignment by the White Sox on Friday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Robbie Grossman. Speas has a big arm, so he could draw interest via trade or waivers from a club hoping it can help him with his control issues.

Jackson (back) is currently throwing from 90 feet, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Jackson will be reevaluated Friday to see if he's ready to begin throwing off a mound. The reliever suffered a lower-back strain Opening Day and will be eligible to return next weekend, although it's not clear at this point whether he'll be ready at that time.