MLB Player News

The Blue Jays acquired Kuhnel from the Astros on Saturday in exchange for cash considerations, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Kuhnel had been designated for assignment by the Astros and now finds himself in a new organization. The big righty holds a career 6.30 ERA at the major-league level and will head to Triple-A Buffalo where he'll give the Jays experienced relief depth.

Blackburn (3-1) registered the win Saturday against the Marlins, yielding just one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out three.

Blackburn was perfect through the first three innings and then really got to put it on cruise control after the Athletics offense spotted him a 12-0 lead. A leadoff home run by Nick Fortes in the sixth inning represented the only scoring off Blackburn. It was a nice bounce-back performance from the veteran right-hander after he allowed 13 runs over his previous three outings. Blackburn is slated to take on the Mariners in Seattle next.

Rutschman went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Reds.

Rutschman connected against left-hander Andrew Abbott in the fifth inning for his fifth homer of 2024, and it proved to be the winning run. With extra-base hits in each of his last three games, Rutschman is up to a .321/.361/.470 line through 32 games this season. He's been a bit overshadowed by Gunnar Henderson so far, but Rutschman is producing at a high level from the catcher and DH spots.

Sands struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his second save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Red Sox.

Jhoan Duran surprisingly worked the eighth and got the hold against the heart of Boston's order, leaving Sands to face the 7-8-9 hitters. With Brock Stewart (shoulder) on the shelf, Sands could be moving up in the bullpen pecking order for the Twins, but Griffin Jax and Caleb Thielbar had also both pitched Friday and were likely only available in an emergency. Sands has pitched well enough to earn a high-leverage role, posting a 2.93 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 22:2 K:BB through 15.1 innings.

Duran gave up a hit and struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning Saturday to record his first hold of the season in a 3-1 win over the Red Sox.

The right-hander got the call to face the heart of Boston's order in the eighth rather than being held back for the save chance, and he got the job done without issue. Cole Sands then worked the ninth inning for the save. Duran had only one hold last season along with his 27 saves, and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli typically favors set roles in his bullpen over playing matchups in high-leverage spots, so there's no reason yet to assume this is a sign Duran will see less ninth-inning work than expected. He's appeared in three games since making his season debut Tuesday, posting a 5:0 K:BB over three scoreless frames and collecting saves in the other two contests.

Mateo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Reds.

While not known for his power, Mateo has run into a couple in recent days for his first two homers of the 2024 season. Saturday's start was the third straight for Mateo, as he has been playing regularly at second base since Jackson Holliday was demoted to Triple-A. Speed is Mateo's greatest asset for fantasy managers; he has five steals this season and cleared 30 stolen bases in just 116 games last year.

Lopez (3-2) picked up the win Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and a walk over six innings in a 3-1 victory over the Red Sox. He struck out eight.

Boston pushed across a run in the top of the first inning, but Lopez slammed the door shut after that, generating 19 swinging strikes among his 99 pitches as he tied his season high in Ks. The quality start was the third of the season for the right-hander, and Lopez will take a 4.30 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 45:8 K:BB through 37.2 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come at home next week against the Mariners.

Lynch will be recalled from Triple-A Omaha to start Sunday's game against the Rangers, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

He'll be entering the rotation in place of the injured Alec Marsh (elbow). Lynch hasn't pitched well this season at Omaha, collecting a 5.86 ERA and 22:9 K:BB over 27.2 innings. He will be pitching on three days' rest Sunday, having thrown 48 pitches over four frames Wednesday in his last start for Omaha. Lynch won't make for a recommended streaming option.

Hamilton went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Twins.

Getting the start at second base and batting eighth, Hamilton swiped his third bag in 15 games for the Red Sox. The 26-year-old infielder is slashing just .214/.283/.310, however, and he offers little else for fantasy purposes. With Vaughn Grissom having recovered from the hamstring strain that cost him the first month-plus of the season and Ceddanne Rafaela still entrenched at shortstop, Hamilton has no clear path to consistent playing time.

Judge went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI before being ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the seventh inning of Saturday's 5-3 win over the Tigers.

Home plate umpire Ryan Blakney was generous with strike calls on pitches off the plate all day, and Judge's muttering as he walked back to the dugout after getting rung up for a second time got him tossed. Per Joe Trezza of MLB.com, it was the first ejection of Judge's career -- at any level of baseball. He still made an impact in the win, and while the 32-year-old slugger has had a slow start to the season, he's produced three multi-hit performances, two homers and six RBI in his last eight games.