MLB Player News

We might have our answer for who the Reds could turn to in the ninth inning with Emilio Pagán sidelined with a hamstring injury. Leading by two runs, Johnson got the call in the ninth after Graham Ashcraft tossed a scoreless eighth. Johnson pitched a clean frame, securing the win and converting his first save to go with a 3.38 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and a 15/5 K/BB ratio across 16 innings. Johnson, Ashcraft, and Tony Santillan could figure into the daily saves mix.

Flores went 2-for-3 with his first career home run during a brief stint with the Pirates while starting backstop Henry Davis was away from the club on paternity leave.

Mattson returns to Pittsburgh’s relief mix after spending nearly a month in the minors. The 30-year-old posted a serviceable 4.12 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 15/10 K/BB ratio across 19 2/3 innings for the Pirates earlier this season. He’ll operate in middle relief situations.

Kelly heads back to the minors after allowing two runs over 2 1/3 innings on Friday in his big-league debut against the Marlins. The 22-year-old prospect figures to receive a more extensive look at some point later this summer.

No surprise with Kirk sitting out Saturday’s afternoon affair following Friday night’s series opener. The 27-year-old backstop went 3-for-3 with two RBI and reached base safely in all four of his plate appearances in his return from the injured list on Friday. He missed the previous 10 weeks recovering from thumb surgery. It’ll be rookie Brandon Valenzuela handling the catching duties in this one.

Guerrero’s stunning power outage has lingered until almost midseason as he’s recorded just three round-trippers through 68 games this season after eclipsing 30 homers in three of the last five years. The 27-year-old franchise cornerstone receives some time off to address a lower back issue after hitting .184 (7-for-38) with three RBI across 10 games since the start of June. He went 1-for-5 with a double and an RBI during Friday’s series opener. It’ll be rookie Charles McAdoo filling in at the cold corner to face Yankees rising ace Cam Schlittler on Saturday afternoon.

Domínguez returns to New York ahead of Saturday’s showdown against the Blue Jays after missing just over five weeks recovering from an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder back in early May. The 23-year-old former top prospect offers an intriguing blend of fantasy-relevant skills but hasn’t produced consistently enough to provide sustained mixed-league value. He’ll factor into New York’s corner outfield rotation, along with rookie Spencer Jones and versatile José Caballero, while both Aaron Judge (ribs) and Trent Grisham (hamstring) are on the shelf.

Grisham’s injury is merely the latest blow to New York’s outfield depth, leaving Cody Bellinger as the lone Opening Day starter left standing. It’ll be former top prospect Jasson Domínguez, who was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move, along with free-swinging rookie Spencer Jones and José Caballero splitting time in the outfield corners next to Bellinger. No word on the severity of the strain, which will determine how much time Grisham misses. He was hitting .232/.341/.406 with eight homers and six steals as the Yankees’ primary leadoff hitter against right-handed starters.

Molina returns to fortify Atlanta’s bullpen mix with starter Spencer Strider (elbow) hitting the injured list. The 24-year-old has tossed two scoreless innings at the big-league level this season.

Braves manager Walt Weiss told reporters late Friday that Strider will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury and whether he’s dealing with any structural issues. It’s an extremely concerning development given his injury history, which already includes two elbow surgeries. The 27-year-old former fantasy ace experienced a noticeable velocity dip, which lead to his removal from Friday’s start against the Mets in the fourth inning after just 68 pitches. There should be a definitive update on his status later this weekend. Top prospect JR Ritchie, who fired five shutout innings in relief following Strider’s departure, appears to be the most logical candidate to fill his rotation spot.

Vitello told reporters that Kilian will serve as their closer with Ryan Walker occupying a fireman role in the late innings following his return from a brief minor-league demotion where he made several mechanical adjustments. Kilian has converted four of five save opportunities this season. He’s at least worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper mixed leagues where every save matters.