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Detroit placed closer Kenley Jansen on the 15-day IL on May 28 with pelvic inflammation — his second groin-related IL stint of 2026 — after he stumbled on the mound and ran awkwardly toward first base during Wednesday's game against the Angels. Jansen will see a specialist to assess severity and no official return timeline has been set. LHP Drew Sommers was recalled from Triple-A Toledo as the corresponding move.
The Dodgers suffered a brutal 24-hour double-blow: Enrique Hernandez — just back from offseason elbow surgery for his first four at-bats of the season — suffered a significant left oblique tear and is expected to transfer to the 60-day IL, likely ending his 2026. On the same day, Teoscar Hernandez exited a game vs. the Rockies with a left hamstring strain and was placed on the 10-day IL; the team expects him to miss 'a few weeks at minimum.' Outfield prospect Ryan Ward is expected to be recalled.
Jared Jones made his long-awaited return Friday night (May 29) in Pittsburgh's 6-5 walk-off win over Minnesota — 20 months after UCL internal-brace surgery. He threw nine fastballs over 100 mph, struck out six, and flashed legitimate front-of-rotation stuff despite surrendering two home runs in 4-plus innings. Bryan Reynolds hit a walk-off two-run homer off Taylor Rogers in the ninth to complete the comeback.
Phillies lefty Cristopher Sánchez eclipsed Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander's 1911 franchise record on May 27 against the Padres, extending his scoreless streak to 44⅔ innings — seventh-longest in MLB history since the Live Ball Era. He leads MLB in innings pitched (72.1), owns a 1.47 ERA and 262 ERA+, and is the overwhelming NL Cy Young frontrunner. Game 3 of the current Dodgers series (likely Sunday) will be his next start.
Who's Hot This Week
Jones cleared the 60-day IL before his Friday debut and threw nine 100+ mph fastballs, striking out six in his first game back from UCL surgery. He will be on a strict pitch-count ramp for the next several weeks, but his ceiling is top-10 SP when fully stretched out. The upside justifies a roster spot in any format — grab him while ownership is still manageable post-debut before the hype cycle fully ignites.
Worth Reading
Makes the case that Matthews is being severely under-rostered at 38% given his dominant three-start return to Minnesota's rotation. Also covers other under-the-radar SP adds and hitter pickups heading into Week 10.
Breaks down the two biggest waiver wire stories of the week — Sandlin's historic debut efficiency for the White Sox and Colt Emerson's power-speed combination in his first MLB week with Seattle. Includes ownership percentages and upside projections for both.
Pelvic inflammation (a recurrence of his earlier 2026 groin issue) forced Jansen off the mound on May 28 vs. the Angels. He will see a specialist — no official return timeline set, though 3–5 weeks minimum is likely given this is his second groin-related IL stint this season.
Significant left oblique tear confirmed per manager Dave Roberts, suffered on May 27 in just his fourth at-bat of the season following offseason elbow surgery. Expected to transfer to the 60-day IL; earliest realistic return is mid-to-late July at best — and that timeline may be optimistic.
Left hamstring strain, placed on the 10-day IL on May 28 after exiting while running to first vs. the Rockies. Dodgers said he will miss 'a few weeks at minimum.' Initial imaging was not worst-case and a mid-June return is possible.
After a disappointing 4.90 ERA in 90 MLB innings in 2025, Emerson Hancock entered 2026 having dramatically altered his delivery — dropping his arm angle by roughly 10 degrees (from ~23° to ~13°), transitioning to a full supinator release. This reshaped every pitch: his sinker added 3.5 extra inches of drop, his slider evolved into a harder cutter, and he introduced a sweeper (usage up from 3% to ~25%) specifically to attack left-handed hitters. The lower arm slot also cut his fastball spin efficiency from 86% to 67%, generating more deceptive horizontal movement.
The results through his first 11 starts of 2026: a 2.59 ERA, 2.38 FIP, and a K-BB% of 22.2% — nearly triple his 8.6% figure from 2025. He gained 12 points in Stuff+ and 9 points in Location+ for a net 16-point Pitching+ jump. Hancock allows weak contact consistently and his four-seamer and sinker FanGraphs Pitching+ scores have essentially doubled from a year ago.
Rosen's analysis argues sustainability: the mechanical changes were implemented deliberately with the Mariners' pitching lab before spring training, and his Triple-A and Cactus League metrics pointed to these improvements before Opening Day. His rotation spot is secure behind a healthy Bryce Miller–Luis Castillo 1-2 punch. The primary risk is fatigue-induced regression to his old slot — but early data suggests the lower arm angle has become his natural release point.
The May 26 Leverage Ledger covered a busy saves weekend: Cade Smith recorded Cleveland's MLB-leading 17th save, Jhoan Duran notched his 10th and career 100th, and David Bednar picked up his 12th for Pittsburgh. The Dodgers' ninth-inning picture has since grown murkier — Tanner Scott holds the de facto job after Edwin Díaz's elbow surgery. Detroit's situation blew open entirely on May 28 when Jansen hit the IL (postdates the last Ledger).
Read the full Ledger →| Closer | Team | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Finnegan | DET | 🟡 Watch | Elevated to primary save opps after Jansen's May 28 IL-15 placement. Finnegan has prior saves in 2026 and is the most likely next-man-up. Tigers have not officially named a closer — Drew Anderson is the speculative alternative. Add immediately in all formats. |
| Tanner Scott | LAD | 🟡 Watch | De facto closer since Edwin Díaz's elbow surgery (out until at least the second half). Dave Roberts stated Scott gets the majority of save chances. 1.25 ERA, 25 K in 21.2 IP in 2026. Alex Vesia also sees ninth-inning work — treat this as primary-with-committee-element, not fully locked. |
| Jack Perkins | OAK | 🔴 Committee | Four different relievers have recorded Oakland's 11 saves since Mason Miller was traded at last year's deadline. Perkins has 3 of the last 4 saves and is the A's best reliever (only one with a K% above 30%), but manager Mark Kotsay shows no commitment to a single closer. Hogan Harris and Mark Leiter also factor in. |
| Richard Lovelady | WSH | 🔴 Committee | The Nationals split ninth-inning duties between Lovelady (1.76 ERA, 4 saves) and Gus Varland. First-year manager Blake Butera has shown no inclination to name a formal closer — both are viable streaming targets but neither is a safe hold in standard formats. |
| Riley O'Brien | STL | 🟡 Watch | Has 12 of 15 save chances converted with a 2.70 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 23:2 K:BB in 2026 — the role is functionally his. Three blown saves and ongoing competition from JoJo Romero and Ryne Stanek keep this in watch territory. Roster confidently in 10-team leagues; monitor in shallower formats. |
Official MLB highlights of Kyle Schwarber's MLB-leading 22nd home run of 2026 — a 411-foot laser to dead center off Justin Wrobleski during Friday Night Baseball vs. the Dodgers. The blast broke up what was developing into a shutout and snapped a 4-0 deficit, with ESPN now raising questions about whether Schwarber can threaten the 60-home-run club.
Bryan Reynolds' walk-off two-run homer off Taylor Rogers in the ninth inning to complete Pittsburgh's 6-5 comeback over Minnesota on Friday Night Baseball — the same game in which Jared Jones made his long-awaited season debut. Reynolds' 422-foot blast to center was his sixth homer of 2026 and Pittsburgh's first walk-off win when trailing after the eighth inning.
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