MLB Player News

Vespi (1-0) retired the only batter he faced to earn the extra-inning win over the Mariners on Sunday.

Vespi kept the game tied at 3-3 after Mike Baumann allowed a tying home run to Dominic Canzone. The Orioles gained the lead in the top of the 10th inning, and Shintaro Fujinami logged a save to earn Vespi his first win of the season. Over 10.2 innings across seven appearances this year, Vespi has a 2.53 ERA, 1.03 WHIP And 7:2 K:BB. He'll likely continue to feature as a low-leverage left-hander for as long as he's in the major-league bullpen.

Fujinami struck out one without putting a runner on base in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 5-3 extra-inning win over the Mariners.

Fujinami uncorked a wild pitch in the outing, but it was his lone mistake. The right-hander has showed some talent since he was traded from Oakland, but he's also allowed seven runs (six earned) with a 12:8 K:BB over 10.1 innings across his 10 appearances in that span. Overall, he's posted a 7.99 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 63:38 K:BB with a save, four holds and a 5-8 record over 59.2 innings across 44 outings (seven starts) this year. Until he can display better command, Fujinami is likely to see only sporadic late-inning assignments in a bullpen as strong as Baltimore's.

Sewald walked one and struck out one in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Padres.

After picking up just two appearances -- and blowing a save chance in one of them -- Sewald pitched on consecutive days to earn a pair of saves this weekend. The right-hander is 23-for-27 in save chances between Arizona and Seattle this year, though the Diamondbacks' poor play of late has limited his opportunities to close out games with his new team. He's at a 3.33 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 65:16 K:BB through 46 innings overall.

Walker will serve as the Giants' opening pitcher for Monday's game against the Rays, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Walker has been effective since the All-Star break, posting a 1.47 ERA and 0.76 WHIP in 18.1 innings over 12 appearances since mid-July. He's made eight starts this season but hasn't pitched more than three innings in any of his appearances, and he'll have another opportunity to serve as an opener Monday.

The Dodgers placed Kelly on the 15-day injured list Sunday with right forearm inflammation.

Sunday marks the third time Kelly has landed on the injured list this season, with his previous trip coming as a result of right elbow inflammation in July. The 35-year-old righty has thrown 3.2 scoreless frames since being traded to the Dodgers and will be eligible to return from the IL on Aug. 25.

Salazar cleared waivers Sunday and was sent outright to Triple-A Louisville.

Salazar was optioned to Triple-A in early July and lost his spot on the 40-man roster after putting up an 8.24 ERA and 2.40 WHIP through 19.2 innings. Barring a dramatic turnaround in Louisville, Salazar may not return to the majors this season.

Kranick (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Bradenton on Sunday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Kranick has been working his way back from a Tommy John procedure that he underwent in June 2022, and he is now set to begin the final stage of his rehab process. Kranick will likely require multiple starts in the minors before returning to Pittsburgh, but he could be back by early September if all goes well during his assignment. The 26-year-old righty holds a 5.56 ERA and 1.65 WHIP through 43.2 innings across his big-league career.

Munoz (2-5) took the extra-inning loss against the Orioles on Saturday, allowing an unearned run on one hit over one inning. He struck out one.

Munoz got the call following nine masterful innings from starter George Kirby, but matters got challenging immediately when inning-opening runner Cedric Mullins swiped third and Ryan Mountcastle subsequently singled him home to lead off the 10th frame. Munoz retired Baltimore in order after that point, but the Mariners went down 1-2-3 on swinging strikes in the home half of the inning against the dominant Felix Bautista. The end result was Munoz's fourth straight losing decision dating back to July 8, but his first stumble in a month of August during which he's already compiled four saves while pitching to a 1.80 ERA and 9:2 K:BB across five innings over five appearances.

Erceg (2-3) took the loss against the Nationals on Saturday, allowing a walk-off solo home run to the only batter he faced.

Although Trevor May was available after last having pitched Wednesday, manager Mark Kotsay decided to entrust Erceg with preserving a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the ninth. That decision quickly became regrettable, as Keibert Ruiz took the first pitch he saw from Erceg to lead off the inning and sent it 391 feet into the right-field stands for a game-winning home run. It was the second straight night the Nationals had gotten to Erceg, as he'd yielded a pair of earned runs over two-thirds of an inning Friday. It's been a rough August for the right-hander overall, as he's now given up nine runs (eight earned) over four innings across six appearances while posting a 3:4 K:BB.

Bolton will serve as the 27th man for Sunday's doubleheader against the Reds, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Bolton had a May 29 appearance against the Giants in which he gave up eight earned runs while recording just one out, so that has really bloated his numbers (9.90 ERA, 2.80 WHIP) on the season. He will likely head back to Triple-A Indianapolis after the twin bill.