MLB Player News

Hader struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Friday's 6-3 win over the Padres.

Hader was tasked with protecting a three-run advantage and faced little resistance in locking down Houston's victory. The left-hander retired all three batters he faced while recording one strikeout, needing just eight pitches to finish the job. Hader is now a perfect 16-for-16 in save opportunities this season and owns a sparkling 1.08 ERA with an 0.80 WHIP and 36 strikeouts in just 25 frames across 27 appearances. The veteran not only remains firmly entrenched as Houston's closer, but he also ranks among the most reliable fantasy options at the position.

Abreu (4-3) walked one and struck out two over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the win in Friday's 6-3 victory over the Padres.

Abreu entered with two outs in the seventh and Houston holding a 5-3 advantage, and he recorded four outs without allowing a hit. The right-hander worked around a walk and struck out two before handing things over to Josh Hader for the ninth. Despite a 4.29 ERA, Abreu remains one of Houston's primary high-leverage options ahead of Hader, and he's been on a roll of late. This was his 11th straight scoreless outing, a stretch in which he's posted a 0.64 WHIP and a 15:4 K:BB across 11 innings.

Rogers recorded his fourth save of the season in Friday's 5-4 win over the Phillies, giving up two runs (one earned) on one hit and three walks in the ninth inning. He didn't strike out a batter.

With Louis Varland unavailable after working the prior two days, Rogers got the call in the ninth to protect a 5-2 lead and very nearly blew it. The submarining right-hander loaded the bases with nobody out on two walks and a catcher's interference call, but after an RBI grounder from Trea Turner and an infield single by Bryce Harper, Rogers was able to escape the jam on a couple strong defensive plays -- including one of his own, when he covered first base to get the final out. It's just the second time in 15 appearances since June 27 that Rogers has been tagged for any runs at all, and on the season he sports a 1.73 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 27:17 K:BB through 52 innings with one win and 23 holds in addition to his saves.

Alexander (3-2) allowed one hit while striking out one over two-thirds of a scoreless inning to earn the win Friday against Baltimore.

Alexander took over for Nathan Eovaldi with one out in the sixth and prevented the Orioles from adding to their 1-0 advantage, retiring two of the three hitters he faced. Texas then moved ahead on Joc Pederson's two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning, putting Alexander in position for his third win of the campaign. The left-hander owns a 3.20 ERA and continues to operate as a versatile piece of the Rangers' pitching staff, though his role doesn't provide much appeal in standard mixed leagues. He has a 3-2 record and 11 holds while converting four of six chances in 2026.

Latz allowed two hits and a walk while striking out three over two scoreless innings to earn the save in Friday's 2-1 win over Baltimore.

Latz was asked to protect a one-run advantage for the final two frames and ultimately converted his 22nd save of the season, though the ninth inning provided some drama. Baltimore put the potential tying run in scoring position before Christian Franklin singled to right, but Brandon Nimmo threw Leody Taveras out at the plate. Latz clinched the save by striking out Christian Encarnacion-Strand to end the game. Latz has been reliable all season long for Texas, posting a 1.87 ERA and converting 22 of his 25 save chances.

Lovelady (triceps) threw a light bullpen session Friday, MLB.com reports.

Lovelady won't be eligible to return from the 60-day injured list until Aug. 28, but he could have a shot at returning on or around that date now that he's reached the point in his rehab that he's been able to get back on a mound. Before hitting the shelf June 29 due to a left triceps strain, Lovelady had notched four saves and nine holds while pitching to a 3.91 ERA and 1.87 WHIP in 27 appearances for Washington.

Thielbar allowed two runs on three hits while retiring just one batter in relief during Friday's 6-4 win over the Royals.

After seven strong innings from new Chicago starter Kevin Gausman in which he allowed just two runs, Thielbar quickly ran into some trouble in the eighth. The lefty got the hook before Trent Thornton finished out the frame to earn a hold. Thielbar has been struggling recently with a 17.18 ERA across his last five appearances, which has pushed his overall ERA up to 5.30. With Thornton, Jacob Webb and Ryan Zeferjahn all seemingly ahead of him in the bullpen pecking order, and Daniel Palencia (elbow) expected back soon, Thielbar doesn't have much fantasy appeal at the moment.

Smith walked one and struck out none in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Friday's 5-2 win over the Tigers.

This was the Giants' first save chance since the trade deadline, so it's notable Smith got the call to close and answered it with a decent performance. The right-hander took a loss in two of his first three appearances in August, and he's allowed two runs with a 2:3 K:BB over 3.1 innings this month. On the year, he's posted a 2.95 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 24:11 K:BB across 21.1 innings while adding two saves and six holds. Smith is the only reliever currently on the Giants' roster with multiple saves, so he may be the slight favorite to lead a closing committee for now. That said, the 49-67 Giants are not a team to target for saves in general.

Diaz (1-1) allowed two runs on one hit and one walk while logging one strikeout over one-third of an inning to take the loss and a blown save Friday versus the Diamondbacks.

Diaz walked Max Kepler and then served up a walk-off blast to Ryan Waldschmidt two batters later. Across three innings since he returned from an elbow injury, Diaz has allowed four runs with a 4:2 K:BB, converting one of his two save chances. His closer job isn't in doubt yet, but the seat is likely getting hot, especially given the quality performances of many other members of the Dodgers' bullpen. Diaz is carrying an 11.00 ERA while converting five of seven save chances over his nine innings this season.

Iglesias took a blown save in Friday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Yankees, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two across two-thirds of an inning.

Neither team could score through the first seven innings of Friday's game, but Iglesias was brought in for the ninth to protect a two-run lead after solo home runs from Austin Riley and Matt Olson. Iglesias struck out two of the first three batters he faced, but he proceeded to allow the next three Yankees on base, including an RBI double from Austin Wells and an RBI single by Ben Rice, tying the game at 2-2. It was the third blown save chance of the season for Iglesias in 27 attempts, and he's given up two earned runs in both of his last two outings. He has a 3.02 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 41.2 innings on the year.