MLB Player News

Smith pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up the save Tuesday over the Cardinals. He struck out one in his appearance.

Smith has now tossed four straight scoreless outings while not allowing a hit and picking up two saves and a win in the process. He's now converted 11-of-12 save chances on the year and sports a 2.86 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 26:7 K:BB over 22 innings.

Lambert (ankle) was sent to Triple-A Charlotte on a rehab assignment Wednesday.

Lambert has been on the 15-day injured list since May 29 and will now likely make multiple appearances with Charlotte before potentially returning to the big leagues. The right-hander is eligible to return June 13.

The Athletics announced Wednesday that Jackson (elbow) could begin a throwing program next week, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Jackson has spent the past two and a half weeks resting after he landed on the 15-day injured list May 19 with a right flexor tendon strain. Because he had been serving largely as a one-inning reliever prior to being shut down, Jackson won't required an extensive ramp-up period, though he still looks unlikely to make it back from the IL until at least late June even if he experiences no further setbacks once he starts throwing again.

Holton allowed two hits while striking out two over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Phillies.

Horton has been solid of late for the Tigers, pitching to a 1.76 ERA over his last eight appearances (15.1 innings). The rookie left-hander lowered his ERA to 2.32 with a 0.94 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB through 31 innings this season while earning more high-leverage work in Detroit.

Criswell is expected to serve as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Shawn Armstrong in Wednesday's game against the Twins, Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Armstrong is unlikely to work more than once through the order before turning the game over to the bullpen, with Criswell being the primary candidate to cover multiple innings behind him. Criswell has yet to make a start for the Rays this season but has covered at least 2.1 innings in each of his five appearances with the big club, pitching to a 6.11 ERA and 1.64 WHIP.

Armstrong will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Twins, Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After being on the shelf all season with a neck issue, Armstrong was activated from the 60-day injured list last weekend and tossed two scoreless frames out of the bullpen in his 2023 MLB debut Sunday in Boston. The Rays may allow Armstrong to work into the third inning while he serves as an opener Wednesday, but right-hander Cooper Criswell is the top candidate to operate as a bulk reliever behind Armstrong and is thus the likelier of the two pitchers to qualify for a win.

Pagan allowed a hit while striking out two over two scoreless innings Tuesday against the Rays.

Pagan has now put together 8.2 consecutive scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out eight in that span. His ERA is down to 3.76 with a 1.14 WHIP and 25:8 K:BB through 26.1 innings this season. The 32-year-old Pagan was moved out of a high-leverage role after a shaky start to the season, but he looks to be working his way back up the Twins' bullpen hierarchy.

Snead (shoulder) allowed three earned runs on two hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning for the Athletics' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate Tuesday.

Snead had a rough time kicking off his rehab assignment despite the caliber of competition, drawing the start but facing only four batters before getting the hook. The left-hander's outing Tuesday will likely be one of many across multiple minor-league affiliates before he's back on the big-league roster.

Ferguson (3-1) took a blown save and a loss Tuesday against the Reds, allowing three runs on one hit and three walks while getting through just a third of an inning.

Ferguson was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth after Brusdar Graterol and Evan Phillips worked the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. Ferguson quickly got himself into some major trouble, allowing a single, walking three and hitting a batter before being replaced by Shelby Miller with the game tied up. Miller tossed two pitches and the Reds walked it off with a hit from Matt McLain. Ferguson has now given up six runs over his last three innings pitched. Prior to May 27, he had given up just two runs all year over 18.1 innings. He is still the team's top left-handed pitching option but may have lost his chance at a ninth-inning role for the near future.

Iglesias struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his eighth save of the season in a 6-4 win over the Mets.

The right-hander has gone 10 straight appearances without allowing an earned run, but Iglesias' 8:5 K:BB through 9.1 innings over that stretch highlights his lack of dominance since making his belated season debut in early May. His 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP are solid, but he's lost two mph on his four-seam fastball over the last couple years, seeing it decline from 96.3 mph in 2021 to 94.3 mph in 2023.