MLB Player News

Bautista picked up the save Friday against San Francisco. He allowed one hit while striking out three over a scoreless inning.

Bautista has been lights out for the Orioles in 2023. He is second in the majors with 15 saves and sports a 1.29 ERA, as he has yet to allow multiple earned runs in any appearance. Bautista does have a 1.14 WHIP and is walking 5.46 batters per nine innings, a huge jump from last season's 3.15 mark. However he has allowed just two homers across 28 innings to help avoid big innings.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Chapman was unavailable Friday versus the Rockies because his "knee has been barking," Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Chapman was unavailable to protect a one-run lead in the eighth inning, and Carlos Hernandez (thumb) and Nick Wittgren failed to do so in his stead. It's a little concerning that the knee issue was enough to keep Chapman off the mound after the Royals just had a two-day break, but the southpaw should be considered day-to-day at this time.

Hernandez left Friday's game versus the Rockies when a callus on his thumb opened up, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Hernandez took the loss after allowing four runs in one-third of an inning. He may be down for a day or two, but it's unclear if he'll need a stint on the injured list.

Sandlin (2-3) allowed a run on two hits and a walk while striking out one in one inning of relief Friday, taking the loss versus the Twins.

Sandlin had trouble in the seventh inning, and it led to him giving up the lone run of the contest on a Jorge Polanco double. This was the first time Sandlin's has given up an earned run since April 30 -- he allowed one unearned run over 9.2 innings across his last nine appearances. While he's hit a minor rough patch by getting scored on in two of his last three outings, he still has a respectable 3.38 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 20:7 K:BB over 21.1 innings this season. Sandlin has added two holds and a blown save in 21 appearances.

Castro allowed two hits in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-2 win over Atlanta.

Castro put two of the first three batters aboard in the ninth inning, but got a flyout from Ozzie Albies and a groundout from Orlando Arcia to avoid disaster. This was Castro's 11th straight scoreless appearance, a span in which he's picked up five of his six saves this year while adding two holds and two wins. The right-hander continues to get late-inning work as a result of his strong pitching -- he's at a 2.13 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 22:8 K:BB through 25.1 innings this year, bringing stability to the back end of Arizona's bullpen. Andrew Chafin remains Castro's primary competition for save chances in what's become a two-man committee.

Graveman struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-0 win over the Tigers.

This was the White Sox's first save situation since Liam Hendriks (illness) returned to action. Manager Pedro Grifol appears set to ease Hendriks back into action, especially after he struggled in his season debut, so Graveman's still an option for saves in the near term. The clean inning extended Graveman's scoreless streak to 12.1 innings since the start of May, a span in which he's logged all five of his saves while adding a 12:5 K:BB with just two hits allowed and two holds. The right-hander is at a 2.66 ERA, 0.93 WHIP an 24:10 K:BB over 23.2 innings this season, and he should remain in the high-leverage mix even if Hendriks begins to return to form.

Duran allowed a hit and a walk over 1.2 scoreless innings Friday, striking out three and earning a save over the Guardians.

Duran's walk was an intentional one and he didn't face much resistance while closing out a 1-0 victory. He picked up his first save since May 5 and has now converted eight of his nine chances on the year. While Minnesota hasn't provided him with consistent save opportunities, Duran has gone 12.2 straight innings without allowing an earned run, lowering his season ERA to 1.17.

Strahm will work as an opener for Saturday's game against the Nationals, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Seidman notes that Strahm could work two innings before giving way to the bullpen. Dylan Covey was originally penciled in as Saturday's start against Washington, and it seems possible that he could work as a bulk reliever after Strahm exits.

Smith struck out one in a perfect inning to earn a save over Seattle on Friday.

Smith needed just seven pitches to finish off the 2-0 win with no trouble. He picked up his first save since May 24 and he's now converted six consecutive opportunities. The 33-year-old lefty has produced a 3.15 ERA and a 24:6 K:BB through 20 frames.

Hernandez left Friday's game against the Rockies with an apparent injury, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Hernandez allowed four runs while getting just one out before leaving the game, with Nick Wittgren taking over on the mound. The nature or severity of Hernandez's injury isn't yet clear.