MLB Player News

Lavender walked one and struck out one in 1.1 scoreless innings Tuesday to record his first career hold in a win over the Guardians.

Making his big-league debut, the 26-year-old southpaw got the final out of the seventh inning with the Mets leading 5-2, and then stayed in for the eighth after his team produced an insurance run. Lavender could get a long look as a high-leverage option with New York having dealt veteran southpaws A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley at the trade deadline, with fellow rookie Jefry Yan being his main competition for the job of top left-handed setup man for closer Devin Williams.

Way (back) is scheduled to start throwing Wednesday, per MLB.com.

Way was placed on the injured list July 28 due to low-back spasms and tightness but seemingly doesn't need more than about a week of rest before resuming throwing. Assuming no setbacks arise during Wednesday's session, the right-hander appears to be on track to avoid an extended IL stint. In 23.1 innings with the big-league club, Way has posted a 3.86 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 21:10 K:BB.

The Rangers reinstated Bradford (elbow) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday versus the Giants in Arlington.

Texas placed MacKenzie Gore (personal) on the paternity list to clear a spot on the active roster for Bradford, who is slated to make his first appearance for the Rangers since Sept. 25, 2024 after a long recovery from his June 2025 internal brace surgery. The southpaw built up to four innings and 56 pitches over the course of four minor-league rehab starts, so he'll likely have a workload restriction in place in his first outing with the big club in nearly two years. Bradford had pitched effectively for the Rangers prior to undergoing elbow surgery, turning in a 3.54 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 70:13 K:BB over 76.1 innings in 2024.

The Blue Jays recalled Estrada from Triple-A Buffalo on Monday and optioned him to Triple-A on Tuesday.

In the aftermath of Monday's trade deadline, the Blue Jays were able to reopen a spot on the 26-man active roster and in the bullpen for Estrada. The 27-year-old righty ended up going unused in Monday's 3-1 win over the Astros before being sent back to the minors Tuesday to clear a spot on the roster for right-hander Jose Soriano.

Pagan gave up two hits and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday, recording his 12th save of the season in a 5-4 win over the A's.

The veteran righty has been locked in since recovering from a hamstring strain and coming off the IL at the beginning of July. Over his last 11 appearances and 10.1 innings, Pagan has produced a 1.74 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 16:2 K:BB while converting all six of his save chances and adding two wins to his ledger.

Harris (3-1) blew the save and took the loss Tuesday, giving up two runs on three walks in two-thirds of an inning as the A's fell 5-4 to the Reds. He struck out one.

Taking the mound for the eighth inning and tasked with protecting a 4-3 lead, Harris instead walked the first two batters he faced, and then allowed both runners to come home with two outs on a pair of wild pitches. It's the second time in his last three appearances that Harris has been tagged for multiple runs, while the blown save was his first since June 21. The southpaw's nine saves lead the A's in 2026, but he's also got five blown saves on his ledger, and his job security as closer should be viewed as very low.

Cano gave up a hit and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his second save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Angels.

Rico Garcia worked the seventh inning and Andrew Kittredge the eighth, leaving closing duties to Cano this time around. Tyler Wells has been the only Baltimore pitcher to collect multiple saves since the All-Star break so far, and he was shipped to Tampa Bay at the trade deadline. The Orioles will likely continue deploying a closing committee until Ryan Helsley (elbow) or Felix Bautista (shoulder) get healthy, but neither is expected back until late August or early September in a best-case scenario. Cano is at least doing his part to remain a key member of that committee -- he's been scored upon just once in 13 appearances since the beginning of July, posting a 0.77 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 7:1 K:BB during that stretch with one win, one save and two holds.

Arizona is expected to recall Abner from Triple-A Reno on Wednesday, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.

Abner is poised to rejoin the big-league club after spending the last couple of weeks with the Triple-A squad. The 24-year-old owns a 5.01 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 35:11 K:BB through 32.1 innings with Reno this season.

Smith (0-4) was tagged with the loss in relief Tuesday against the Rangers, allowing one run on two hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one.

Smith was tagged with his fourth loss of the season after allowing the game-winning hit to Ezequiel Duran in the bottom of the ninth. Despite this outcome, Smith has been pitching reasonably well since the All-Star break. In nine outings and 7.2 innings since the intermission, Smith owns a 2.35 ERA and 12.9 K/9, though his 1.57 WHIP and 5.9 BB/9 in that span are worrisome.

Tidwell didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Rangers, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk while fanning three across five innings.

Tidwell was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Monday and did a decent job in his first big-league start of the season. He had been stretching out in Triple-A, and with the Giants dealing Robbie Ray ahead of Monday's deadline, Tidwell could stay in the rotation for the final two months of the regular season. He has a 4.38 ERA in 16 appearances (15 starts) at Triple-A and a 3.18 ERA in nine appearances at the MLB level in 2026. If he stays in the rotation, his next start would be scheduled for next week at home against the Astros.