MLB Player News

Bednar struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his 14th save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Blue Jays.

The Yankees closer got Andres Gimenez and Nathan Lukes to flail away at splitters, while he fanned George Springer on a 97.5 mph fastball. Bednar held a 5.14 ERA on May 18, but since then he's reeled off seven straight scoreless appearances, allowing just two hits in 7.2 innings with an 11:3 K:BB over that span to lower his ERA to a more palatable 3.77.

Brown (3-2) allowed one run on seven hits and three walks while striking out three over five innings to earn the win over the Giants on Saturday.

Brown pitched fairly well, and the Giants weren't able to capitalize often on their consistent traffic on the bases. The right-hander threw 54 of 86 pitches for strikes in this outing. He's allowed one run or fewer in six of his seven starts this season, adding a 37:11 K:BB across 36.1 innings in those games. Overall, he has a 1.74 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 61:19 K:BB through 62 innings over 19 appearances. Brown's next outing is projected to be at home versus the Blue Jays. He's provided some much-needed stability to an injury-ravaged rotation and looks to have done enough to stay in the unit once Matthew Boyd (knee/shoulder) is ready to return.

Alvarado struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Rockies.

Alvarado has earned a save in each of his last two outings, putting himself firmly in the mix in the Athletics' closing committee. He's pitched 5.1 scoreless innings since returning to the big-league roster June 5. He's at a 5.40 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 20:7 K:BB through 15 innings while adding two saves and four holds. Alvarado has momentum in an unsettled bullpen, so he's worth a look for fantasy managers chasing saves.

Jax (1-5) allowed one unearned run on five hits and struck out five without walking a batter over five innings, taking the loss Saturday versus the Angels.

The Angels were able to run up the score against the Rays' bullpen, leaving Jax with an unfortunate loss despite a strong showing. He threw 44 of 63 pitches for strikes and completed five frames for the second start in a row. For the season, Jax has a 3.68 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 41:18 K:BB over 44 innings across 20 appearances (nine starts). The right-hander is still being built up carefully after opening the campaign in the bullpen, which makes it difficult for him to pitch long enough to qualify for wins. His next outing is projected to be at home versus the Nationals.

Manaea (1-2) took the loss against Atlanta on Saturday, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out six batters over six innings.

Manaea was deployed in a traditional starting role for the first time this season after working behind an opener his last two times out and as a long reliever prior to that. The southpaw gave up one run in each of the second and fourth frames, but that was the extent of the damage Atlanta managed against him. Manaea was tagged with the loss, however, since New York mustered just one run against five Atlanta hurlers. Still, this was a promising outing for Manaea, who completed six frames for the first time since the 2024 campaign. Given this performance, it seems likely he'll continue to be rolled out as a starter, though he's lined up for a tough matchup on the road against the Phillies his next time out.

Iglesias notched a save against the Mets on Saturday, allowing a hit and issuing one walk while striking out one batter over one scoreless inning.

It wasn't exactly an easy outing for Iglesias, who entered in the ninth inning with Atlanta up by two runs. The veteran closer allowed a leadoff double to Juan Soto and then put the tying run on base when he walked Marcus Semien with one out, but Iglesias was able to escape unscathed by getting Francisco Alvarez to ground into a double play. That allowed Iglesias to remain perfect in save chances with a 14-for-14 mark on the season. He's gone 9-for-9 while racking up a 16:4 K:BB over 14.2 frames since returning from a stint on the injured list in early May.

Santillan notched a save against the Diamondbacks on Saturday with no strikeouts in a perfect inning of work.

Santillan faced a stiff test when he entered in the ninth inning, as he was summoned to protect a one-run lead against the heart of Arizona's lineup. The right-hander passed with flying colors, retiring the side in order on three groundouts while throwing 10 of 14 pitches for strikes. It was Santillan's first save since May 19, and he's the only pitcher on the team to have multiple saves (three) this season aside from the injured Emilio Pagan (hamstring). Pagan figures to retake the closer role once healthy, but until then Santillan seems to be at the head of Cincinnati's closer committee.

The White Sox signed Guerra to a minor-league contract Saturday.

Guerra spent the previous two seasons in Japan but signed with Atlanta over the winter. He failed to make the team out of spring training and was roughed up for a 5.68 ERA, 1.78 WHIP and 17:20 K:BB across 25.1 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett before he was cut by Atlanta earlier this week.

Chapman secured the save Saturday against the Rangers, allowing no runs on one hit and no walks in the ninth inning. He struck out two.

Chapman continues to put together a spectacular campaign as Boston's closer. The 37-year-old southpaw last gave up an earned run during his April 4 outing against the Padres, riding a streak of 17 consecutive scoreless appearances. For the year, Chapman has a 0.44 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 28:9 K:BB while going a perfect 14-for-14 in save situations.

Soto secured the save Saturday against the Marlins, allowing no runs on one hit and no walks in the ninth inning. He struck out one.

After giving up five runs over his previous two outings, Soto bounced back nicely Saturday. Dennis Santana opened the year as Pittsburgh's closer but has since dropped into a setup role, leaving Soto as the Pirates' favorite for saves going forward. Through 30.1 innings, Soto has a strong 3.26 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 35:12 K:BB while converting 10 of his 13 save chances.