MLB Player News

Rodriguez earned a save against Pittsburgh on Wednesday, allowing two hits and striking out two batters over two scoreless innings.

Rodriguez entered in the eighth inning and quickly got into trouble by allowing back-to-back singles to start the frame, but he recovered by retiring the next three batters without letting any runs cross the plate. With primary closer Mason Miller unavailable after having pitched each of the previous two days, Rodriguez returned for the ninth inning and had a much smoother go, retiring the side in order on 12 pitches. The save was Rodriguez's second of the season, both of which have come over his past five appearances. With those two saves and four holds over his past 12 outings -- and a minuscule 0.63 ERA along with a 19:1 K:BB across 14.1 frames during that span -- it's clear that Rodriguez has become a trusted high-leverage arm in the Padres' bullpen. However, Miller is immensely secure in his closer role, so any future save opportunities Rodriguez receives will likely be dependent on Miller being unavailable.

Miller was available to pitch out of the bullpen but did not appear in Wednesday's loss to the Phillies, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.

Wednesday's starter, Bryan Woo, was making the start after missing his previous turn with shoulder soreness, so the Mariners wanted to have Miller available as protection on his bullpen day, if needed. However, according to Jude, while no one has approached Miller about a permanent move to the bullpen, it's something that's being considered. Seattle is currently operating with a six-man rotation following the promotion of Kade Anderson, but shifting Miller to relief and reverting to a five-man setup is possible. After posting a 2.18 ERA and 65:9 K:BB over 57.2 innings in the first half, Miller has logged a 7.18 ERA and 27:16 K:BB across 36.1 second-half frames. His next turn comes up Sunday in Toronto, but Seattle has yet to announce its probable pitchers for this weekend.

Hernandez hasn't played in a game for Single-A San Jose since Aug. 20 due to a hip injury, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

San Jose hasn't placed Hernandez on its 7-day injured list, but that could be a possibility if he's unable to move past the hip issue within the next few days. The shortstop prospect has already played extensively between the rookie-level Arizona Complex League and the California League this season, so the Giants could be motivated to proceed cautiously with him. Since getting elevated to Single-A shortly after the All-Star break, Hernandez is hitting just .231/.276/.319 with a 29.6 percent strikeout rate over 98 plate appearances, but the fact that the Giants deemed him capable of playing at a full-season affiliate as a 17-year-old is more notable than his lack of production.

Susana (lat) struck out four and allowed one hit and one walk across 2.2 innings Wednesday in his return to action for Double-A Harrisburg after being reinstated from the 60-day injured list.

Susana had been on the shelf all season while recovering from right lat surgery, but he finally received the green light to join the Harrisburg rotation after turning in a 5.68 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB in 6.1 innings over three rehab starts with High-A Wilmington. The 22-year-old righty will likely have his workloads monitored carefully in his starts for the rest of the season, but he'll likely head into spring training with fewer restrictions in place. One of the Nationals' top pitching prospects, Susana should have a strong chance at making starts for the big club in 2027.

Stone (shoulder) struck out five and allowed one hit and no walks over four shutout innings during his rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Though Stone hasn't pitched in the big leagues since Aug. 31, 2024 after undergoing right shoulder surgery in October of that year and then hitting a snag in his recovery earlier this spring, he hasn't exhibited any signs of rust since kicking off his rehab assignment earlier this month. Through four starts at Oklahoma City, Stone has submitted a 1.54 ERA, 0.43 WHIP and 18:1 K:BB in 11.2 innings. The magnificent run at Triple-A in addition to Roki Sasaki's (finger) impending move to the 15-day injured list could clear the way for Stone to claim a starting spot in the six-man rotation or work in bulk relief behind Shohei Ohtani (knee) upon returning from the 60-day IL. Stone, who built up to 58 pitches Wednesday, may need at make at least one more appearance in the minors before the Dodgers consider activating him.

The White Sox optioned Nishida to Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday.

Nishida was on the active roster for a couple days but did not appear in a game. He's clearing off the roster to make space for Andrew Benintendi (bereavement), who will be reinstated prior to Friday's contest in Minnesota.

The White Sox optioned Cannon to Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday.

Cannon registered a three-inning save in Wednesday's win over the Rangers. He threw 66 pitches over his three innings, however, so he was not going to be available to pitch for at least a couple days. Tyler Davis is grabbing Cannon's spot on the roster.

The White Sox recalled Davis from Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday.

Davis has made 24 appearances out of the Chicago bullpen this season, logging a 4.10 ERA and 22:15 K:BB over 26.1 frames. The righty will provide a fresh arm in middle relief.

Wetherholt is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Orioles.

Wetherholt started each of the last nine tilts for the Cardinals, but he will get a rare breather during Thursday's afternoon contest. Jose Fermin and Ramon Urias will be the team's double-play combo in the series finale.

Graceffo will draw the start Thursday against the Orioles in what's expected to be a bullpen game for the Cardinals, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Graceffo is a former starting pitcher, but he's been a full-time reliever in 2026 and hasn't thrown more than 28 pitches in any of his last eight appearances. Once Graceffo exits the game after likely pitching the first inning or two, the Cardinals will lean on a collection of relievers as they aim to avoid a series sweep.