MLB Player News

Gage (knee) allowed one hit while striking out two across 1.2 scoreless innings during a rehab appearance for Single-A San Jose on Saturday.

Gage was placed on the 15-day injured list June 3 due to knee inflammation and received the starting nod in the first game of his rehab assignment. He was pulled after throwing 23 pitches, 16 of which were strikes. Prior to going on the IL, the left-handed reliever posted a 2.63 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 19:13 K:BB across 24 innings.

Pagan (hamstring) is scheduled to throw a live bullpen session Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Per MLB.com, Pagan had already tossed a pair of bullpen sessions, so this is the next step in his recovery, with a rehab assignment potentially on the horizon. Pagan has been on the shelf since May 6 due to a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, and the Reds' closer situation has been mostly a mess in his absence.

Mikolas is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opener PJ Poulin in Sunday's game against the Mariners, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.

Mikolas will be making his sixth straight appearance as a bulk reliever, this time working behind Poulin after lefty Richard Lovelady served as the Nationals' opener in Mikolas' previous turn through the rotation. The veteran right-hander has gone 0-2 with a 4.32 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB in 25 innings over his last five outings.

Poulin will serve as the Nationals' opener for Sunday's game against the Mariners, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.

Poulin will draw his eighth start of the season, and just like on the previous seven occasions, he's expected to cover no more than two innings. Miles Mikolas is slated to work in bulk relief behind Poulin.

Jansen pitched a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Guardians.

Jansen was reinstated Friday after landing on the injured list in late May due to right pelvic inflammation, and he looked good in his first game action since returning. The veteran reliever had blown four saves and seen his ERA climb to 4.80 before getting shut down, but it's possible he wasn't quite right mechanically. Now that he's had time to rest and recover, Jansen should slot back in as Detroit's closer, and he can still be an effective pitcher at this stage of his long career when healthy, as he demonstrated last season with a 2.59 ERA and 0.95 WHIP across 59 innings with the Angels.

Mayza (2-1) earned the win Saturday against the Brewers after allowing one hit over one-third of an inning.

Mayza entered the game in the fourth inning and needed just five pitches (four strikes) to get the win, allowing a single to Jake Bauers before retiring Garrett Mitchell. This was Mayza's second win of the season, and he's gone six straight appearances without allowing a run. The left-hander has a 3.26 ERA and 1.02 WHIP across 27 appearances and 30.1 innings this season.

Drohan (3-2) was tagged with the loss Saturday against the Phillies after allowing four runs on eight hits across five innings. He struck out seven.

Drohan's seven strikeouts were a season high for the 27-year-old southpaw, who's made four starts among 14 appearances this season while moving in and out of the rotation. Drohan has a 3.59 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 42.2 innings in 2026, and his 2.73 FIP suggests he's had a bit of bad luck. If he stays in the rotation for another turn, Drohan would be lined up to make his next start on the road against Atlanta.

Lange (0-4) was tagged with the loss Saturday against the Astros after allowing a run on one hit and a walk across 1.2 innings. He struck out one.

The right-hander replaced Matt Strahm in the top of the eighth inning and retired Jake Meyers and Brice Matthews to keep the game tied. However, Lange couldn't do it again in the ninth and allowed the game-winning run on an RBI groundout from Christian Walker. Lange enjoyed a run of nine straight appearances without allowing a run between May 20 and June 9, but he's given up three over his last two outings (2.2 innings) since moving into a higher-leverage role. He owns a 4.13 ERA and 1.44 WHIP this season across 32.2 frames.

King (1-1) earned the win Saturday against the Royals after pitching a perfect eighth inning, striking out one.

King entered the game in the bottom of the eighth inning in a 7-7 tie, but he needed just 17 pitches (10 strikes) to retire Nick Loftin, Lane Thomas and Kameron Misner. King, who's back in a setup role now that Josh Hader has come off the IL, hasn't given up a run in each of his last seven appearances. He owns a 1.05 WHIP and 5:2 K:BB across 6.2 innings over that stretch.

Smith earned the save in Saturday's win over the Tigers after allowing a hit and a walk across 1.1 innings, striking out two.

Smith hasn't blown a save since April 14 and leads the majors in that category with 23. The star closer has a 2.48 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across 32.2 innings and 31 outings this season, and he's been one of the best relievers in the majors with a 12.3 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 and 0.1 HR/9 thus far.