MLB Player News

Finnegan earned the save Thursday against the Royals, recording the final two outs in a 4-3 victory.

With Kenley Jansen unavailable after pitching three of the previous four days, Drew Sommers got the initial call in the ninth but was pulled after allowing a walk and a single. Finnegan entered with two runners on and one out and needed just two pitches to induce a game-ending double play from Salvador Perez, earning his second save of the season and first since April 30. While the veteran right-hander owns a respectable 2.36 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP and 35:25 K:BB across 45.2 innings, he has struggled to protect leads this season, getting charged with six blown saves.

Melton did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Royals, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out five over five innings.

Melton escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and carried a shutout into the sixth before allowing a leadoff single and a two-run homer to Isaac Collins, ending his afternoon. Despite the late damage, the right-hander continued his impressive consistency, holding opponents to two runs or fewer in nine of his 10 starts this season. Melton owns a stellar 1.95 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 55:19 K:BB across 60 innings and is lined up to make his next start at home against the Orioles.

Dobnak did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Tigers, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out three over five scoreless innings.

Dobnak delivered another effective outing, throwing 50 of 76 pitches for strikes while limiting Detroit to just six hard-hit balls. He generated 10 whiffs on 34 swings despite finishing with only three strikeouts. The veteran right-hander has allowed one run over his last 15 innings and owns a 1.42 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 10:9 K:BB across four appearances since being recalled July 1. With Stephen Kolek (forearm) having been transferred to the 60-day injured list, Dobnak appears to have a clear path to remaining a part of the rotation.

The Athletics optioned Tur to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.

The 26-year-old Tur was promoted for his major-league debut last week and was absolutely pounded across two appearances with the big club. He faced 24 batters and was able to record just eight outs while allowing 14 runs on 12 hits and four walks with three strikeouts. Manager Mark Kotsay openly wondered if Tur was tipping his pitches, according to Jason Burke of Roundtable.io. Tur will try to figure things out again with Las Vegas.

Cameron is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Beck Way in Friday's game against the Tigers, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.

Way will likely cover the first inning or two before Cameron takes over for what will be his first career relief appearance in the majors. Cameron allowed at least five runs in four of his last five starts, so the Royals will hope to get better results from him by deploying him out of the bullpen behind an opener.

Way will serve as the Royals' opening pitcher Friday against the Tigers, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.

Way will make his first major-league start after posting a 3.22 ERA and 1.52 WHIP with 21 strikeouts over 22.1 innings in 18 appearances with the Royals so far this season. The right-hander will likely be limited to no more than two innings on the mound, and southpaw Noah Cameron is expected to pitch in the contest in some capacity after Way's departure.

Arias will be promoted to Triple-A Worcester, Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports.

Arias will make the jump to the Triple-A level after batting .318 with 19 home runs, 52 RBI, 50 runs scored and five stolen bases over 75 contests with Double-A Portland this season. The 20-year-old is considered Boston's top overall prospect, and he is now just one step away from making his major-league debut.

Varland earned the save Thursday against the Rays, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.

Varland was called upon for the ninth inning with a 3-1 lead and retired the top of Tampa Bay's lineup in order to secure his 21st save of the campaign. The right-hander has converted nine saves over his last 13 appearances while allowing just two runs across 14.1 innings during that span. For the season, Varland owns a dominant 1.04 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 70:13 K:BB across 52 innings.

Bieber (2-1) earned the win Thursday against the Rays, allowing one run on three hits while striking out three over a season-high seven innings.

Bieber turned in his longest outing of the season, with his lone blemish coming on a Yandy Diaz RBI single in the third inning. Outside of the third, the veteran right-hander retired 18 of the 19 batters he faced. He has now recorded a win in consecutive starts after failing to do so in his first four outings of the campaign. Through six starts since returning from the injured list, Bieber owns a 4.70 ERA with a 22:12 K:BB across 30.2 innings. He's lined up to make his next start against the Nationals.

Seymour (6-3) took the loss Thursday against the Blue Jays, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out seven over six innings.

Seymour entered after opener Casey Legumina tossed two innings of one-run ball and went on to complete the remainder of the game. While throwing 59 of 87 pitches for strikes, Seymour allowed a run in the third inning before retiring 11 of the next 13 batters, though he surrendered another run in the seventh that saddled him with the loss. It was a strong bounce-back performance after he had been tagged for 12 runs (11 earned) across 11.2 frames in his previous three outings. Seymour owns a 4.64 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 86:27 K:BB over 73.2 innings while making seven starts and 28 relief appearances this season. He's scheduled to make his next trip to the mound at home against the Rangers next week.