MLB Player News

He didn’t allow a hit, didn’t issue a walk, and didn’t strike anyone out. Not the most exciting save, but certainly an effective one, and he’s now up to 47 saves on the year. With six games left in the St. Louis season, he’s got an outside shot at finishing with 50 on the year.

The Red Sox scored in the top of the ninth to take a 4-3 lead tonight, but a rain delay then shut things down for an hour and a half. When play resumed in a mostly empty stadium, the Twins got a single from DeShawn Keisey Jr., back-to-back hit by pitches and then Lee’s hit to left with one out. The two runs batted in were Lee’s first of the second half. He was out of the starting lineup tonight for the first time in five games, but he entered the game for Koby Clemens against a left-hander in the seventh.

Duran came into a 3-3 game to begin the ninth and gave up a run on a walk to Abraham Toro, two steals from pinch-runner David Hamilton and then an RBI single to Roman Anthony. There still weren’t any outs at that point, but after Alex Bregman flied out, Anthony was caught stealing. Jarren Duran then walked and stole second, but Trevor Story flew out to end the inning. The Twins went on to score twice in the bottom of the ninth, so their closer got the win rather than the loss.

The Red Sox had Hicks warming up for the ninth before a 90-minute rain delay and still brought him in afterwards, which obviously makes for an unusual sequence of events for a reliever. Hicks did end up throwing 15 of his 23 pitches for strikes, but he yanked two of the balls, resulting in the HBPs, and a pair of singles doomed him. For now, he’s still probably the No. 2 option in the pen, assuming Aroldis Chapman comes back healthy later this week.

Keirsey is hitting just .108 on the season with a .332 OPS, but he touched up Richard Fitts for a two-run shot in the third inning. It was Keirsey’s second home run of the season. The 28-year-old might see a bit more playing time after the trade deadline if the Twins move Harrison Bader, but he would not be a recommended fantasy option.

It was the second game in a row in which Bregman hit a go-ahead home run in the fifth inning or later when he crushed a 418-foot shot off of Simeon Woods-Richardson. He has 14 home runs and 44 RBI on the season and has settled in nicely as the two-hitter behind Roman Anthony.

The 21-year-old rookie put together an incredibly impressive eight-pitch at-bat in the top of the ninth inning, fouling off multiple two-strike pitches against Twins closer Jhoan Duran before lacing a line drive single to center to give the Red Sox the lead. Anthony has been exactly as advertised since getting called up, and his spot as the leadoff hitter for Boston for the remainder of the season will give him a boost in fantasy leagues.

A trade still doesn’t seem especially likely. Even if the Guardians are out of it this year, a Kwan trade would be a major blow to their chances of contending in 2026 and 2027, something that should give them serious pause. Moving on from their second-best player as they threaten to waste what will probably be José Ramírez’s final years as an elite player just doesn’t seem like a good idea.

Adams’ opposite-field shot to right checked in at just 348 feet, but it was good enough to get out of Daikin Park. According to Statcast, it would have been a homer in just six of the other 29 ballparks. Adams also singled in the contest. He’s batting just .189/.217/.346 on the season, but he’s come in at .208/.288/.415 this month while getting extra playing time in place of the injured Keibert Ruiz.

Lord is pretty clearly demonstrating that he should have been in the Nationals’ rotation all along. Still, better late than never. He’s not a strong mixed-league bet on a bad team that’s probably going to get a little worse at the deadline, but he should remain pretty solid going forward, and it’d be a major upset if he’s not a pair of the 2026 rotation. He’ll next face the Brewers on Sunday.

It’s just Finnegan’s second save in seven weeks, as he picked up his 18th way back on June 6. One wonders if this might have been his last save for the Nationals, as he seems like a prime trade candidate. Still, since he probably isn’t going to command a big return with his 4.38 ERA and 20% strikeout rate, maybe there’s the chance that he’ll stay put at the deadline once again.