MLB Player News

Lopez earned a save over Atlanta on Monday, walking two batters and striking out three over 1.2 scoreless innings.

Lopez was acquired in a trade with the White Sox last week and tossed 1.1 scoreless frames in his Angels debut Saturday. The right-hander was summoned with one out in the eighth inning Monday and got the remaining five outs for Los Angeles to pick up his fifth save of the campaign and his first since May 5, when he was still with Chicago. Lopez's opportunity to close Monday was a consequence of Carlos Estevez tossing 34 pitches the day before. Estevez is likely to get the majority of the save chances for the Angels moving forward, so fantasy managers hunting saves need not rush to the waiver wire to grab Lopez.

Pivetta dropped to 7-6 on the season after allowing three runs on five hits and striking out 10 without walking a batter over 7.1 innings in Monday's 6-2 loss to the Mariners.

Pivetta had spent much of the last month-plus in a bulk-relief role, but he looked pretty good as a starter Monday. Two of the five hits he allowed were home runs to Cal Raleigh, and Pivetta was also on the hook for the first run of the Mariners' eighth-inning rally. He allowed just seven runs (six earned) over 28.1 innings across six appearances in July. For the season, Pivetta has a 4.08 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 110:34 K:BB through 88.1 innings over 26 appearances (nine starts). It's unclear if he's free from working behind an opener, but his next outing should be at home versus the Blue Jays this weekend.

Silseth (3-1) earned the win over Atlanta on Monday, pitching five innings and allowing one run on three hits while striking out four batters. He didn't issue any walks.

Silseth got a turn in the rotation due to Griffin Canning (general soreness) being a late scratch, and the former delivered a strong five frames during which he yielded just one run on a solo shot by Matt Olson. Prior to Monday, Silseth hadn't seen any game action since he held the Yankees to one run and notched a career-high 10 strikeouts over 5.2 innings in a start July 19. Despite the consecutive excellent outings, Silseth will likely return to the bullpen moving forward, as Canning expects to take his next turn in the rotation and the Angels recently added another starter in Lucas Giolito.

Assad tossed 3.2 scoreless innings of relief in Monday's loss to the Reds. He allowed one hit and three walks, while striking out four.

Assad continued his strong recent play, as he's now recorded five straight scoreless outings, a span of 11.1 innings. That's allowed the righty to lower his season ERA to 3.24. The Cubs don't need Assad in the rotation at the moment, so he should remain a valuable long-relief option, which doesn't do him any favors in fantasy leagues.

Kimbrel worked a clean ninth inning to pick up the save in Monday's 4-2 win over the Marlins.

Kimbrel's pitched to a pristine 0.82 ERA over his last 22 innings -- he's allowed just three earned runs since the start of June. Overall, his ERA is down to 3.13 with a 0.96 WHIP and 65:18 K:BB across 46 innings this season while converting 18 of 19 save opportunities.

The Diamondbacks traded Patrick to the Athletics on Monday in exchange for Jace Peterson and cash considerations.

Patrick has spent all season in Double-A and holds a 4.71 ERA and 1.39 WHIP through 91.2 innings across 19 starts. The 24-year-old righty can strike out batters at a decent rate, but his struggles with command have impacted his ability to limit baserunners. Patrick still has a lot of work to do before he'll be able to contribute at the major-league level.

Bautista walked two batters over 1.2 scoreless innings Monday, striking out three and earning a save over the Blue Jays.

Bautista tossed a season-high 35 pitches while picking up his 29th save. He was unbelievable in July, firing 14 shutout frames with a 25:4 K:BB while allowing just three hits. His season ERA is down to 0.87 with a 101:21 K:BB across 51.2 innings. Bautista hasn't given up an earned run since his last blown save June 24.

Finnegan struck out one batter in a perfect inning and earned a save over the Brewers on Monday.

Finnegan tossed 11 of 15 pitches for strikes and had no issue finishing off the 5-3 win Monday. He's allowed just two hits during his 5.2-inning scoreless streak. While he's converted just 15 of his 22 save chances this season, Finnegan's season ERA sits at a solid 3.00 with a 43:14 K:BB through 45 innings.

The Royals traded Cuas to the Cubs on Monday in exchange for Nelson Velazquez.

Cuas hasn't been particularly reliable out of the bullpen for the Royals this season with a 4.54 ERA and 1.61 WHIP across 41.2 innings. Nonetheless, he'll add depth to a Cubs bullpen that has already dealt with a handful of injuries throughout the year.

The Athletics traded Moll to Cincinnati on Monday in exchange for Joe Boyle, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Moll has taken a notable step back this season from his 2022 campaign, putting up a 4.54 ERA and 1.41 WHIP across 37.2 innings. Moll's high strikeout rate could buy him a few high-leverage appearances with Cincinnati, but the 31-year-old lefty will likely work primarily in low-to-mid-leverage situations.