MLB Player News

Hader struck out one in a clean ninth inning to earn the save Thursday against the Phillies.

Hader dispatched the Phillies with ease Thursday, landing six of his eight pitches for strikes. It was an encouraging bounce-back performance by the southpaw, who was scored upon in his last appearance Tuesday in Philadelphia for the first time since July 20. He has a shiny 0.87 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 54:11 K:BB over 41.1 innings, going a perfect 25-for-25 in save chances.

Ullola will serve as the Astros' opening pitcher during Friday's game against the Rays, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Ullola has allowed three earned runs in seven frames in the big leagues, and he's now been granted the opportunity to make his first career MLB start. The 24-year-old righty spent most of his minor-league career as a starter but transitioned to relief this season and hasn't worked more than two innings in an appearance since mid-May, so his outing Friday will likely be a brief one.

Iglesias earned the save Thursday against the Rays, allowing a run on one hit and one walk in the ninth inning. He struck out one.

It didn't appear as though Atlanta would have a save situation until its three-run eighth inning, so Iglesias had to get warmed up quickly for the ninth. The right-hander was scored upon Thursday for the first time since Aug. 16, ending a seven-outing scoreless stretch. He has a 2.83 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 56:17 K:BB over 54 innings, collecting 32 saves in 35 opportunities, as he maintains a strong grip on the closer role.

Walters underwent a right elbow UCL repair with an internal brace Wednesday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Walters had right lat surgery last June, and he is now slated for another extended rehab that will rule him out until the 2028 season. The right-hander was limited to only 14 appearances in 2025 and another 14 in 2026 due to injuries.

Bender (lower leg) has ceased baseball activities and will get another opinion on the lingering soreness in his shin, MLB.com reports.

That likely ends any chance the right-hander might have had of pitching again in 2026. Bender last took the mound for the Marlins in late June but was putting together another strong campaign before being shut down due to a stress reaction in his right shin, recording one win, two saves and nine holds in 35 appearances with a 2.62 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 41:12 K:BB over 34.1 innings.

McArthur (elbow) allowed three runs on three hits and no walks with one strikeout across two-thirds of an inning in a rehab appearance with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Wednesday.

In his first game action since 2024 due to recurring right elbow injuries, McArthur got the first two outs of the seventh inning before surrendering a solo homer, then allowed the next two batters to reach and was lifted at 17 pitches (10 strikes). It's unclear how long the right-hander will spend on a rehab assignment after such a long layoff, but he still has time to rejoin the big-league bullpen before the regular season concludes.

Medina picked up a hold by throwing a perfect inning with two strikeouts in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Blue Jays.

Medina worked a scoreless seventh inning, retiring the side in order to pick up his 12th hold of the season. Since Aug. 1, the right-hander has posted a 3-0 record with a 1.62 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 25:9 K:BB and six holds over 16.2 innings. Overall, Medina has made 52 appearances with a 3.39 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 84:35 K:BB across 66.1 innings in 2026.

Pearson allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Pearson wasn't all that sharp, but he was still able to protect the three-run lead. He's riding an 11.1-inning scoreless streak, a span in which he has earned two saves and four holds while working as part of the Royals' closing committee. On the year, Pearson has a 2.03 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 35:19 K:BB through 40 innings between the Royals and the Astros. He has added four saves and five holds.

Lynch (5-5) allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three over five innings to earn the win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

This was Lynch's first win since moving into the rotation after the trade deadline. He has seen mixed results as a starter, allowing 19 runs (18 earned) over 25.2 innings across his seven starts so far, though he has gone five frames in each of his last two outings. For the season, he's at a 3.52 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 49:22 K:BB across 71.2 innings. He's projected to make his next start at Houston.

Lopez (4-4) took the loss against the Rays on Wednesday, giving up six runs on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts in 4.2 innings.

Lopez had a solid workload of 80 pitches as he made his first big-league start since late July after recovering from a bout of left knee inflammation. In just his 12th start of the season, the right-hander tied a season high with three walks while giving up his most runs in an appearance this year. Lopez now has a 4.13 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 71:32 K:BB in 76.1 innings on the campaign. The 32-year-old is penciled in to make his next start against the Cubs next week on the road.