MLB Player News

King earned his second save of the season Saturday against the Red Sox after retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth inning. He did not record a strikeout.

The Astros deployed Enyel De Los Santos across the fifth and sixth frames of Saturday's game, and manager Joe Espada opted to go with King over Bryan Abreu to protect the team's 6-3 lead in the ninth. King answered the call and needed just six pitches (four strikes) to retire the side. The Astros should continue to use a committee approach to closing duties between King, Abreu and De Los Santos until Josh Hader (biceps) is cleared to return from the 60-day injured list, the earliest of which would take place in late May.

Arrighetti (4-0) earned the win against the Red Sox on Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and five walks while striking out four across five innings.

It was by no means a seamless outing for Arrighetti, who loaded the bases in both the third and fifth frames. However, he yielded just one run on a sacrifice fly from Willson Contreras in the fifth, and Arrighetti got enough run support to come away with his fourth victory of the season, which is tied for second-most in the American League. He'll bring a 1.96 ERA and 1.30 WHIP (across 23 innings) into his next start, tentatively slated for next weekend on the road against the Reds.

Walker (head) said after Saturday's 6-3 win over the Red Sox that he passed concussion tests and plans to play in Sunday's series finale, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Walker was immediately removed in the ninth inning of Sunday's game after taking a 93-mile-per-hour fastball to the head, which cracked his helmet. The good news for Walker is that he avoided serious injury and is on track to be available for Sunday's contest. He went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, an RBI single an additional run scored before his exit.

Bolton will serve as the Astros' starter for Sunday's series finale against the Red Sox, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Bolton was activated from the 15-day injured list Thursday and pitched out of the bullpen later that day against the Orioles, allowing one run on one hit and one walk in one inning. He's previously started on two occasions for Houston this season, maxing out at 4.1 innings between those outings. With that in mind and because he's pitching on two days' rest, Bolton is unlikely to work deep enough into Sunday's contest to qualify for a win, though he should offer the Astros more length than a typical opening pitcher.

Painter (1-3) took the loss against the Marlins on Saturday, allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out seven across five innings.

It was the third time in six starts that Painter recorded at least seven punchouts. However, the 23-year-old right-hander struggled with his command during Saturday's loss and faced bases-loaded situations in both the second and third innings. He limited the damage to three runs despite yielding 10 baserunners, but Painter was unable to avoid the loss after his Phillies teammates were limited to just one hit. He will bring a 5.28 ERA and 1.59 WHIP (across 29 innings) into his next start, which is tentatively slated for next week at home against the Athletics.

Lopez went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a run scored during Miami's 4-0 win over Philadelphia on Saturday.

Lopez came home to score in the third inning after Connor Norby drew a bases-loaded walk, and the former later gave the Marlins their fourth run of the game after his infield single scored Esteury Ruiz in the sixth. Lopez is up to 12 multi-hit games on the season, four of which have come over his last eight outings. The 27-year-old shortstop has accumulated 43 hits and has a .336 batting average, both of which are second best in the majors behind Shea Langeliers (45 hits) and Ildemaro Vargas (.388 BA), respectively.

Jimenez elected to enter free agency Saturday after clearing waivers.

Jimenez was DFA'd by the Blue Jays on Wednesday, as the team needed to make room on the roster for George Springer (toe), the latter of whom returned from the 10-day injured list. Jimenez will now have the opportunity to select his next landing spot, and he should garner interest from teams looking to add another right-handed bat to the roster. Jimenez has gone 9-for-31 (.290) with three walks, three RBI and two runs scored this season.

Edwards went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during the Marlins' 4-0 win over the Phillies on Saturday.

Edwards extended the Marlins' lead to 3-0 after smacking a solo homer off Andrew Painter in the fifth inning. It was Edwards' second home run of the season, with his first taking place April 3 against the Mets. He has reached base safely in eight consecutive games, and over that span he has gone 10-for-28 (.357) with two steals, six walks and four RBI.

Meyer (2-0) earned the win against Philadelphia on Saturday, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out seven across seven scoreless innings.

Meyer set the tone early by striking out three of the first four batters he faced. He allowed just two baserunners and generated 15 whiffs on 83 pitches (55 strikes). It was the first quality start of the season for Meyer and first in nearly a full calendar year. Saturday's efforts improved the right-hander's season-long numbers to a 2.68 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 40:13 K:BB across 37 innings. Meyer is tentatively lined up to face the Orioles at home next week.

Walker was removed in the ninth inning of Saturday's game against the Red Sox after being hit in the head by a pitch, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald rpeorts.

Walker was hit in the head by a 93-mph fastball from Tyler Samaniego, which resulted in the former's helmet cracking. Walker was immediately taken out of the game, and an update on his status should come after the contest. Braden Shewmake entered the game as a pinch runner following Walker's exit.