MLB Player News

Rodriguez (3-5) took the loss in Friday's 5-4 defeat to the Brewers, allowing one home run while striking out one across one inning.

Rodriguez entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning and struck out the first batter he faced. The 25-year-old retired two straight hitters in the ninth with the game tied at 4-4, but he gave up a walk-off home run to William Contreras. Rodriguez owns a 1.78 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 67:11 K:BB in 50.2 innings across 50 games this season.

Little struck out both batters he faced in the eighth inning Friday to record his 25th hold of the season in a win over the Marlins.

The southpaw leads the Blue Jays in holds, and Little is second in the American League in that category behind the Guardians' Hunter Gaddis (27). Little had a couple poor appearances in late July and early August, but he's otherwise been impressive in a breakout campaign, posting a 2.93 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 79:37 K:BB over 55.1 innings.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Cruz (oblique) will be activated off the injured list Sunday or Monday, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.

Cruz has made four minor-league rehab appearances and is just about ready to return to the big club's bullpen. Though his first two rehab outings were rough, the right-hander has bounced back by allowing one run over 2.1 innings with a 5:1 K:BB over his past two appearances. Cruz should have a prominent place in the Yankees' bullpen upon his return, though the trade-deadline acquisitions of David Bednar and Camilo Doval could push him down the pecking order to some extent.

Abreu struck out four in 1.1 scoreless innings Friday to record his second save of the season in a 10-7 win over the Orioles.

Plunking Coby Mayo (hand) with a pitch was the only blemish on a dominant relief performance by Abreu. The right-hander hasn't given up a run in August, posting a 0.70 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB over 10 innings, and with Josh Hader (shoulder) likely out for the rest of the regular season, Abreu is locked into the closer role for the Astros.

Duran (6-5) blew the save and took the loss Friday, giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits in the ninth inning as the Phillies fell 5-4 to the Nationals. He struck out three without walking a batter.

Called in to protect a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth, Duran gave up a one-out double to Dylan Crews and an RBI single to Daylen Lile to tie the game. Lile then stole third and scampered home on a J.T. Realmuto throwing error for the winning run, tagging Duran with his first blown save in seven chances since being acquired by Philadelphia. Despite the stumble, the right-hander still has a 1.35 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 8:0 K:BB over 6.2 innings for his new team, and his spot as closer is in no jeopardy.

Ashcraft (4-2) picked up the win in Friday's 9-0 rout of the Rockies, allowing one hit and one walk over five scoreless innings. He struck out six.

Making his third straight start, Ashcraft delivered the best performance of his young career as he combined with fellow rookie Bubba Chandler on the shutout. Ashcraft racked up 14 swinging strikes on only 65 pitches (47 total strikes) as he set a new personal best in Ks, and since moving into the rotation the 25-year-old righty has a 1.35 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 15:2 K:BB over 13.1 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in St. Louis.

Smith (5-5) allowed two runs on three hits and did not retire a batter, picking up a blown save and the loss Friday against the Rangers.

Smith squandered a second consecutive save opportunity and has allowed runs in three straight appearances. Prior to this stretch, he pitched well as a fill-in closer for Emmanuel Clase (personal). Smith entered Friday with a 2.13 ERA in 12.2 innings over his last 12 appearances while converting four of his six save tries since replacing Clase as the primary closer.

Thompson (shoulder) threw a simulated game Friday, MLB.com reports.

Thompson has been throwing regularly the last two weeks and has graduated to sessions that mimic a game environment, meaning he's getting up and down multiple times. The next step is expected to be a minor-league or a camp game before the right-hander is activated.

Palencia earned the save in Friday's victory over the Angels, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.

The right-hander entered with a one-run lead and slammed the door on Los Angeles to secure his 19th save of the season. Palencia had allowed at least one run in four of his previous six outings, but Friday's performance was a clean rebound effort. On the year, the 25-year-old has been a steady force at the back end of Chicago's bullpen, posting a 1.93 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 51:14 K:BB across 46.2 innings.

Morales allowed a run on two hits and struck out six without walking a batter over six innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Friday.

Morales retired the first 13 batters he faced before Eugenio Suarez hit a solo home run in the fifth inning. Through four appearances (three starts), Morales is looking major-league ready, posting a 1.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 15:8 K:BB over 15.2 innings, with Friday's outing being against his toughest opponent yet. It's not yet clear when he'll start again, but the Athletics are at home versus the Tigers and Rangers in a pair of three-game series next week.