MLB Player News

Chapman earned a save against the Astros on Saturday, retiring both batters he faced (including one by strikeout) in the ninth inning.

Boston entered the ninth inning with a 7-3 lead and gave the ball to Jorge Alcala, who allowed two batters to reach base and got only one out. Chapman was then summoned in a save situation and struck out Cam Smith before retiring Mauricio Dubon on a groundout to end the game. The veteran closer continued what has been a dominant campaign -- he's allowed just six earned runs over 43.2 frames while posting a 64:13 K:BB. Chapman's ability to avoid walks has been a big part of his success, as his 2.7 BB/9 is on pace to be the lowest of his career. The left-hander's save Saturday was his 20th of the campaign, marking the 10th time he's reached that mark in his career but the first such instance since 2021.

Buehler allowed three runs on nine hits and three walks over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against Houston on Saturday. He didn't notch any strikeouts.

Given the constant traffic allowed by Buehler, he fared relatively well in allowing just three runs. The right-hander didn't toss any clean innings and had multiple batters reach base against him in all but one of the frames in which he pitched, but only one of the Astros' nine knocks against him -- a first-inning, two-run homer by Christian Walker -- went for extra bases. Buehler was helped by two double plays, but he didn't strike out any batters and got just six whiffs among his 84 pitches (54 strikes). He showed a bit of promise in July when he posted a 3.57 ERA over four starts, but his 12:9 K:BB across 22.2 innings during that month was far from promising, and he still sits at an ugly 5.74 ERA on the season after Saturday's outing.

Vargas was scratched from Saturday's game against the Angels due to a left oblique strain.

Vargas was originally slated to start at first base but was scratched just before the beginning of Saturday's contest. The White Sox later announced that Vargas is dealing with a left oblique strain and is being further evaluated. Given the nature of the injury, it wouldn't be surprising if Vargas has to miss more than just Saturday's contest, though it's not yet clear how severe the issue is. Lenyn Sosa shifted from the keystone over to first base Saturday after Vargas was pulled and may make more starts there if the latter needs to miss additional time.

Arozarena went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-4 extra-innings loss to the Rangers.

Arozarena scored the tying run on a Julio Rodriguez double in the sixth before launching a two-run homer to tie it again in the 10th. He's hit safely in eight of his past 10 games, collecting four homers, six RBI, seven runs and four steals in that span. For the year, the 30-year-old is slashing .249/.350/.472 with 22 home runs, 55 RBI, 63 runs and 20 steals across 477 plate appearances, and he appears to have taken over the leadoff role against right-handed pitching following the Mariners' recent trades.

Higashioka went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, three total RBI and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-4 extra-innings win over the Mariners.

Higashioka opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the third inning and broke a 2-2 tie in the 10th with an RBI single. In 17 games since July 4, the veteran backstop has posted a remarkable 1.142 OPS with nine extra-base hits, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored. For the year, he's slashing .269/.316/.431 with seven home runs, 30 RBI, 22 runs scored and three steals across 212 plate appearances.

Bliss (biceps) took grounders on the field ahead of Saturday's game against the Rangers, per MLB.com.

Bliss is recovering from a left biceps tear, which has kept him sidelined for nearly four months. At this point, the Mariners are hoping that the 25-year-old second baseman will be able to at least return by the end of the season, so he's increasingly unlikely to have any fantasy relevance in 2025. The lefty-hitting Cole Young should continue to serve as Seattle's primary option at the keystone in Bliss' stead.

Julks is batting seventh and starting in left field against the Angels on Saturday.

Julks wasn't originally slated to start, but he was added to the starting nine just before the beginning of the game while Miguel Vargas was scratched. Saturday will mark Julks' MLB season debut after he had his contract selected from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.

Vargas is no longer in the starting lineup against the Angels on Saturday.

Vargas was originally slated to start at first base and bat cleanup, but he was removed from the lineup just before the start of the contest. It's not immediately clear what prompted his removal. Corey Julks is entering the starting nine in Vargas' place and is playing left field, while Lenyn Sosa is shifting from the keystone to first base, among other defensive changes.

Castillo did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 6-4 extra-innings loss to the Rangers, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts over 4.1 innings.

Castillo allowed both of his runs in the third inning and failed to complete five frames for just the second time in 23 starts, throwing only 51 of 87 pitches for strikes. Still, the veteran has now surrendered three earned runs or fewer in seven straight outings, a stretch that includes four wins and four quality starts. He'll take a 3.22 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 115:37 K:BB across 131.1 innings into a home matchup with the Rays next weekend.

Speier threw a clean eighth inning with no strikeouts in Saturday's 6-4 extra-innings loss to Texas.

Speier ran his streak of scoreless outings up to eight, and he's yielded just one earned run overall in his last 15 appearances. The 30-year-old left-hander remains a crucial part of Seattle's high-leverage picture, working to a pristine 0.69 ERA, 0.62 WHIP and 15:3 K:BB over his last 13 innings.