MLB Player News

Hicks earned a save against the Guardians on Wednesday by retiring the only batter he faced.

With Toronto clinging to a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth frame, it was Tim Mayza who got the call from the bullpen to close things out. The southpaw retired two of the three batters he faced, but the right-handed Hicks was called upon to finish the job against righty Oscar Gonzalez with two outs and a runner on first. Hicks needed just two pitches to do so, getting Gonzalez to pop out to second base. In doing so, the hurler recorded his third save in the past five days. Hicks appears to be the favorite for save opportunities among Blue Jays relievers for the time being, though Jordan Romano (back) tossed another bullpen session Wednesday and will almost certainly resume closer duties upon his return.

Phillips pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

Phillips gave up two runs in an inning to earn the save Tuesday, but he was much sharper in Wednesday's outing. He needed 12 pitches (seven strikes) to finish off the shutout win with his first scoreless appearance out of three in August. Phillips is at a 2.66 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 47:10 K:BB while adding 16 saves and six holds over 44 innings this season.

Beck (3-1) allowed three runs on two hits and two walks while striking out two over three innings to take the loss Wednesday versus the Angels.

Beck was called on with one on and no outs in the sixth inning, but he allowed three straight batters to reach base. A Mike Moustakas three-run home run at the end of that stretch put the Angels ahead for good, setting Beck up to take his first major-league loss. He's been effective in a long-relief role with a 3.03 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 47:15 K:BB through 59.1 innings over 24 appearances.

Manaea allowed a run on a hit and a walk while striking out six over four-plus innings in a no-decision versus the Angels on Wednesday.

Manaea was solid, but he gave up a leadoff double to Luis Rengifo to open the sixth inning. Tristan Beck entered the game and allowed an intentional walk, a single and a three-run home run to put a run on Manaea's line. Over his last five appearances, Manaea has given up one run, four hits and two walks while striking out 14 over 11.2 innings. He's at a 5.10 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 94:29 K:BB through 77.2 innings overall, and the southpaw will likely continue to be available as a bulk reliever.

Estevez allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Giants.

Estevez has had some gnarly outings lately, but he was fairly sharp Wednesday to pick up his first save since July 23. In the five outings between saves, he surrendered 14 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits and seven walks over 5.1 innings. For the season, he's 24-for-26 in save chances with a 3.50 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 56:27 K:BB through 46.1 innings.

Gallegos picked up the save Wednesday against the Rays, striking out one over a scoreless inning.

It's Gallegos' first save since Jordan Hicks was dealt at the trade deadline. It appeared that the 31-year-old right-hander would be first in line for save opportunities until Ryan Helsley's (forearm) return, though he's been splitting the job with JoJo Romero so far. Gallegos has now gone nine straight appearances (10.1 innings) without allowing a run, striking out 11 in that span. His ERA is down 3.45 with a 1.02 WHIP and 47:9 K:BB across 47 innings this season, while he's racked up nine saves and 15 holds.

Hudson (3-0) earned the win Wednesday, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings against the Rays. He struck out two.

Hudson's now 2-0 in two starts since rejoining St. Louis' rotation while allowing six runs over 12 innings. Overall, the 28-year-old Hudson sports a 4.31 ERA with a 1.40 WHIP and 22:11 K:BB across 31.1 innings this season. He's lined up for a home matchup with thhe A's in his next outing.

Cox will serve as the Royals' opening pitcher for Thursday's game against the Red Sox, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Nearly a week after earning his first career save, Cox will make his third start of the season Thursday and his first since early July. The 26-year-old lefty had a brief trial in the rotation shortly before the All-Star break, but he was demoted to Triple-A Omaha after he was blasted for three runs on seven hits and two walks over 4.2 innings in a July 3 start versus the Twins. He's been a full-time reliever for Kansas City since being called back up, accruing a 5.14 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over seven appearances while working no more than 1.1 innings on any occasion. With that in mind, Cox is unlikely to work more than once through the Red Sox batting order Thursday, leaving Alec Marsh as the most likely candidate to cover the bulk of the innings out of the bullpen.

Lee (shoulder) is likely to be activated from the 60-day injured list by the end of this week, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Lee seems to be done with his minor-league rehab assignment after retiring all six batters he faced between two appearances with Triple-A Gwinnett. The 29-year-old left-hander had posted a sharp 3.10 ERA and 23:7 K:BB through 20.1 innings with Atlanta prior to going down with a shoulder issue in mid-May.

Green (elbow/head) is in concussion protocol after getting beaned by a catcher's throw to second base Tuesday with Triple-A Buffalo, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Green was making what might have otherwise been his final rehab appearance when Buffalo catcher Tyler Heineman drilled him in the head while trying to cut down a stolen base attempt from Triple-A Worcester shortstop Ryan Fitzgerald. Green is fully recovered from Tommy John surgery, but there is no longer an exact timetable for his Blue Jays debut. He'll likely be sidelined for at least a week before beginning a new minor-league rehab stint.