MLB Player News

Diaz picked up the save Thursday, fanning two in a perfect ninth inning.

The Mariners' poor offensive showing in the first few games left Diaz largely out of work, but after a ninth-inning rally put Seattle ahead heading into the bottom half of the inning, it was finally the 23-year-old's time to close the game out. He looked sharp in the outing, firing 12 of his 17 offerings for strikes and not giving Houston a sniff of hope for a comeback. Diaz appears to be picking up right where he left off last season, and should continue to be a staple in the Mariners' ninth this season.

Giles (0-1) entered Thursday's game in a non-save situation and gave up two runs to take the loss.

If a bright spot can be taken from the outing, it's that Giles recorded all three of his outs via the strikeout. However, his lack of control in the inning (one walk, one hit batsman) set the stage for failure, and the Mariners capitalized on the opportunity. Giles has had some command issues in the past, so this outing isn't all that surprising. His high strikeout rates should continue to offset the walks moving forward as he continues to close games for Houston.

McHugh (arm) called for the trainer and exited Thursday's rehab start after just one inning, The Fresno Bee's Bryant-Jon Anteola reports.

He gave up three runs on three hits and a walk while throwing 27 pitches in the first inning, but after going out to the mound to begin the second, he exited with the trainer before throwing a pitch. McHugh will need at least one more rehab start after failing to build up his pitch count Thursday, and if he has indeed aggravated the injury he may be out of the big-league rotation indefinitely.

McHugh (arm) will need to make at least one more rehab start before joining the Astros after lasting just one inning in Thursday's outing for Triple-A Fresno, the Houston Chronicle's Jake Kaplan reports.

He allowed three runs on three hits and a walk and threw just 27 pitches, so he will need at least another start to build up his pitch count to the point that he would be able to slot into the Astros' rotation. This means Mike Fiers is likely safe for at least one more turn in the big-league rotation. If McHugh only needs one more rehab start, he would rejoin the Astros on April 18 against the Angels.

Kahnle has been summoned from Triple-A Charlotte to replace the injured Jake Petricka, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list Thursday with a strained latissimus muscle, Scott Merkin of the White Sox's official site reports.

White Sox manager Rick Renteria was vague about Petricka's timeline, telling Merkin that he'd "be out for a bit," which suggests longer than the 10-day minimum. Kahnle made 29 appearances for the White Sox in 2016, striking out 25 over 27.1 innings. He posted a respectable 2.63 ERA despite allowing 41 baserunners (21 hits, 20 walks), largely due to an impeccable 84.6 percent strand rate.

Boxberger is dealing with a strain in his right flexor muscle and remains without a timetable for his return, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Contrary to what was reported earlier, Boxberger is actually being held back because of a right flexor strain and not the lat strain that had bothered him earlier in camp. He resumed a throwing program Wednesday, though he remains without a firm timetable for return. Given that the 28-year-old will need time to build up his arm, it seems likely he'll be out until at least sometime in May.

Covey will make his first start April 14 or 15 in Minnesota, Scott Merkin of the White Sox's official site reports.

Covey had been in line to start this weekend, but two rainouts this week negated the need for a fifth starter during the first rotation of the season. It now looks like Covey won't be a necessity until Friday or Saturday of next week. In the meantime, he'll stay fresh by pitching in a simulated game or be sent to Arizona for an extended spring training game this weekend.

Armstrong needed to retire just a single batter, which he accomplished via strikeout, to pick up the win Wednesday in Texas.

The quick outing gave the 26-year-old his first career MLB win. Armstrong won a bullpen job with a strong effort this spring, and although Wednesday was a nice feat, he'll likely contribute most of his innings in low-leverage situations this year.

Axford's MRI on Thursday revealed there was no damage beyond a shoulder strain, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Axford's MRI results yielded good news Thursday, though he'll refrain from throwing a baseball for the next week while he continues to recover. Santiago Casilla appears to be the early favorite to lead the A's in saves this season, with Ryan Madson, Sean Doolittle and Ryan Dull also in the mix.

Diaz fired two scoreless innings in Wednesday's 5-3 extra-inning loss to the Astros, giving up a hit and a walk while also recording two strikeouts.

The Mariners closer came on for the ninth and 10th innings, successfully preserving a 2-2 tie. The outing was Diaz's first of the season, as the Mariners had trailed in the late innings in the first two games of the series. The 23-year-old will be counted on to build on his impressive 18-save 2016 major-league debut, but with Seattle's offense generating a total of four runs in the first three games of the season, he's yet to have the opportunity.