MLB Player News

The Athletics acquired Bielak from the Astros on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bielak had been designated for assignment and will wind up staying in the American League West. He's out of minor-league options, so the Athletics will need to add him to their active roster. Bielak holds a 5.71 ERA and 1.76 WHIP over 17.1 relief innings this season. While he's pitched exclusively out of the bullpen in 2024, the 28-year-old has plenty of past starting experience, so he could be an option for an Oakland rotation that needs arms.

The Athletics designated Lucas for assignment Thursday.

Lucas was pushed off the Athletics' 40-man roster after Oakland acquired right-hander Brandon Bielak via trade from Houston on Thursday. The former was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas earlier this week but had made three appearances for the big club this season, giving up six earned runs on eight hits and three walks over 3.2 innings.

Fairbanks struck out two and didn't allow a baserunner in a scoreless eighth inning to pick up a hold in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Red Sox.

Fairbanks entered the game in the eighth inning to face the heart of the Red Sox order and needed only seven pitches to get through the frame. While effective, his usage was concerning given that he had pitched nearly exclusively as a traditional closer early in the season. It's unclear whether manager Kevin Cash might continue to mix and match the back end of his bullpen, but Fairbanks could lose save opportunities moving forward.

Cronin gave up a hit and struck out one in 1.2 scoreless innings Wednesday, recording his first hold of the season in a win over the Tigers.

The 26-year-old right-hander entered the game in the sixth inning with the Marlins ahead 2-0 and blanked Detroit over 22 pitches (14 strikes) before passing the baton to Andrew Nardi in a combined shutout. Cronin isn't seeing consistent high-leverage usage, but he's been one of the few bright spots in Miami's bullpen this season, posting a 1.33 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 22:10 K:BB through 20.1 innings in a long-relief role.

Johnson (elbow) said he felt good after throwing live batting practice Wednesday, and he's on track to come off the injured list ahead of Friday's game against the Padres, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The right-hander has been on the shelf since late April due to right elbow inflammation. Johnson has been an effective part of Atlanta's setup crew this season, recording two wins, a save and three holds in 13 appearances with a 3.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB through 12 innings.

Doval earned the save over the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing one hit and one walk over one inning while striking out two.

Doval entered the game with a three-run lead in the ninth and quickly retired the first two batters on strikes before walking Mookie Betts and surrendering a single to Shohei Ohtani. However, the right-hander was able to get Freddie Freeman to ground out for the final out and notch his seventh save in as many chances. Doval has also recorded two strikeouts in three straight appearances.

Martinez is expected to operate as a bulk reliever behind opener Brent Suter in Thursday's game against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Martinez has made four starts this season, but because he'll be available on only three days' rest after recorded four outs of the bullpen in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Giants, the Reds will deploy him in bulk relief Thursday in what would have been Nick Lodolo's (groin) turn in the rotation. With Lodolo on 15-day injured list and set to miss at least two weeks, Martinez could move into a more traditional starting role when that spot in the rotation comes up again next week.

Suter will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Thursday's game against the Dodgers, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

With Nick Lodolo (groin) landing on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, the Reds had a hole in the rotation for Thursday's series opener in Los Angeles. Suter has prior starting experience in the majors and previously worked three-plus innings on two occasions this season, but after making one-inning relief appearances Monday and Tuesday, Suter is unlikely to work more than one or two frames Thursday before exiting the contest. Nick Martinez will be available on three days' rest and is expected to work in bulk relief once Suter exits the contest, making Martinez the more attractive target for streaming purposes.

Blach is scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Giants in San Francisco,

He'll be awarded a second consecutive turn through the rotation after he limited the Rangers to one run on seven hits and no walks over five innings en route to grabbing his first win of the season in his previous start Sunday. With Kyle Freeland's (elbow) return from the 15-day injured list not considered imminent, Blach should have a fair amount of security in the rotation.

Martinez picked up the save in a win over the Athletics on Wednesday, allowing two walks over two innings while striking out one.

Martinez entered the contest with a three-run lead in the top of the eighth and struck out the first batter on seven pitches before issuing a walk to JJ Bleday. The right-hander would quickly work his way through it, however, thanks to a double play ball in the following at-bat, before returning for the ninth. Despite also issuing a walk in the final frame, Martinez was able to wrap up the game with another scoreless inning to notch his first save of the season. It was a nice bounceback effort for the reliever, who had allowed three runs in his previous appearance on May 12 against the Tigers. Closer Josh Hader covered two innings Tuesday while Ryan Pressly, Bryan Abreu and Rafael Montero pitched two straight days, which opened up the save chance for Martinez.