MLB Player News

Blanco (1-0) garnered the win against the Angels on Thursday, allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out five batters over 5.1 innings.

It wasn't a breezy outing for the right-hander -- he threw just 59 of 94 pitches for a strike and dealt with plenty of traffic on the bases -- but he mostly got out of trouble when he needed to (including an inning-ending strikeout of Shohei Ohtani with the bases loaded in the second.) Blanco had come out of the bullpen for each of his first 16 major-league appearances but will pitch as a starter for the time being with the Astros not getting their next day off until June 12. It remains to be seen how he will adjust to the role, as it's relatively foreign to him -- over eight minor-league campaigns, only 23 of his 191 appearances came as a starter.

Jax (3-6) earned the win in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Guardians. He didn't allow a hit or walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning.

Jax struggled with an 8.18 ERA and three blown saves between April 21 to May 19. He's since thrown five scoreless innings in his last five appearances with an 8:0 K:BB ratio, so it looks like he's back to being a reliable setup man.

Pagan (hip) allowed a hit and no walks over 2.1 scoreless innings in Thursday's 7-6 victory over the Guardians.

Pagan left Sunday's loss to Toronto with a minor muscle strain in his hip area. He needed a few days off, but he's back to full speed. He's had an up-and-down season (4.57 ERA entering Thursday) and has continued to struggle in high-leverage spots. He'll continue to work in middle relief.

The Dodgers designated Burdi for assignment Thursday, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

Less than a week after being claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay, Burdi will be the Dodgers' roster casualty after the team traded for Ricky Vanasco on Thursday. The 28-year-old Burdi holds a 8.44 ERA during his major-league career and will likely have to improve upon his 4.91 ERA in Triple-A this season before he gets another shot in the bigs.

Johnson (0-2) blew the save and took the loss Thursday against the Diamondbacks. He allowed two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.

Johnson had the Diamondbacks down to their final strike before surrendering a double to Ketel Marte, followed by Corbin Carroll's walk-off base hit. It's Johnson's first blown save of the year despite his 6.85 ERA and 1.88 WHIP through 22.1 innings. While the 32-year-old righty has struggled, Daniel Bard has pitched to a 0.57 ERA. Johnson's grip on the closing job may be slipping.

Fujinami will serve as the Athletics' opener Friday against the Marlins, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Fujinami's first season in the majors has certainly been rough, as he holds a 12.00 ERA and 1.97 WHIP through 30 innings. However, he's seen an uptick in performance recently, allowing one run on one hit over 2.1 frames. Fujinami will likely stay in Friday's game for an inning or two before turning things over to Hogan Harris, who will take on most of the workload.

Thielbar (oblique) will be evaluated by the Twins on Friday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Thielbar has thrown two scoreless innings while on a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul. If all goes well during his evaluation, there's a good chance the Twins activate Thielbar off the injured list Friday. The 36-year-old reliever holds a 1.80 ERA across 10 innings and has been sidelined since May 5 with a right oblique strain.

Smith picked up the save in one-third of an inning in Thursday's 4-2 victory over Philadelphia

Smith threw just one pitch to earn the save, coaxing a flyout from Drew Ellis after Brooks Raley recorded the first two outs in the ninth. The 29-year-old Smith was the Mets' top right-handed option, with David Robertson and Adam Ottavino each having pitched the last two days. Smith had been struggling coming into Thursday's contest, allowing at least a run in each of his previous four appearances. He now sports a 3.86 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP and 23:10 K:BB through 18.2 innings this season.

Romano earned his 13th save Thursday against the Brewers after he allowed one run on one hit and one walk during the ninth inning. He had one strikeout.

The right-hander allowed the first two batters to reach base via a triple and a walk, but he limited the damage to a single run thanks to a double play. Romano has earned a save in each of his past three appearances and is now tied for fourth in MLB with 13. He hasn't been as dominant as the past couple seasons but still has a strong 3.27 ERA and 28:7 K:BB in 22 frames this year.

Davidson earned a save against the White Sox on Wednesday, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out two batters over three innings.

Davidson didn't pitch particularly well -- among the seven hits he allowed, five went for extra bases -- but Los Angeles got off to such a big early lead that the southpaw still got credit for a save. This was mostly a case of the Angels preserving their bullpen and letting Davidson ride things out with a comfortable cushion, and he'll likely be down for a few days since he tossed 54 pitches in the outing. The reliever has two saves in long relief on the campaign, but he's not someone to target for that category (or any) in fantasy.