MLB Player News

Helsley picked up the save Monday against the Diamondbacks, throwing a clean ninth inning. He struck out two.

Helsley didn't face much opposition Monday, firing eight of his 12 offerings for strikes. The hard-throwing right-hander is off to a promising start in his Orioles tenure overall, successfully converting each of his first five save chances while posting a 2.84 ERA. That said, Helsley does have a concerning 1.74 WHIP and 9:4 K:BB over 6.1 innings, so he hasn't necessarily been a lights-out closer.

The Orioles transferred Hiraldo (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.

Hiraldo was initially placed on the IL April 5 due to right shoulder inflammation, but his injury may be more significant than the Orioles initially anticipated. Prior to being shelved, the reliever allowed four earned runs on three hits and four walks while striking out two across 1.2 innings in three appearances.

Pepiot (hip) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Sunday, Marc Topkin of Tampa Bay Times reports.

Pepiot's side session came two days after he tossed two innings of live batting practice. Assuming he checked out fine following Sunday's workout, Pepiot could be cleared to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment later this week. Since Pepiot hasn't pitched in a game setting since March 17 before he was shelved prior to Opening Day due to right hip inflammation, he may need more than one rehab start before the Rays bring him back from the injured list.

Garcia (elbow) threw another side session Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports, and per MLB.com the veteran reliever is close to beginning a rehab assignment.

Garcia hasn't pitched in a big-league game since July 2 of last season, eventually undergoing surgery on his elbow in September to clean up scar tissue from a prior procedure. He's in the final stages of his recovery, and the Blue Jays remain optimistic the right-hander will be able to rejoin the bullpen by the end of April. Once he's activated and shakes off the rust, Garcia will provide another high-leverage bridge to closer Jeff Hoffman.

Dominguez earned the save Sunday against the Royals, allowing no runs on no hits and one walk while striking out two in the ninth inning.

Dominguez was the last of nine pitchers to take the mound for the White Sox, and he needed 15 pitches to snag a couple of strikeouts and finish off the game. It was the 31-year-old's third save of the season in four tries while serving as the team's undisputed top ninth-inning option. The right-hander owns a 3.18 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, seven strikeouts and four walks in 5.2 innings across six appearances.

Junis picked up the save in Sunday's 5-2 victory over the Dodgers. He allowed no hits and a walk while striking out two over a scoreless inning.

Junis was called upon to close Sunday's contest and did so successfully, allowing just a one-out walk to Will Smith en route to securing his third save of the season. It's been a stellar start to the campaign for the veteran right-hander, who has yet to allow a run through eight innings of work. The Rangers have been operating with a closer-by-committee approach, but Junis is emerging as a top ninth-inning option, converting a save in each of his past three appearances.

Fleming and the Blue Jays agreed on a minor-league deal Sunday, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Fleming elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Tuesday, but he has now returned to Toronto's organization. The southpaw tossed five scoreless innings with Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday, allowing four hits while striking out four in the team's 3-2 loss to Syracuse.

Englert earned the save in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Yankees, allowing two earned runs on three hits and one walk while striking out one over one inning of relief.

With the Rays up by three and normal high-leverage relievers Griffin Jax and Bryan Baker likely unavailable after both pitched Friday and Saturday, Englert was tasked with trying to wrap up the win. Things got dicey two batters in, as Aaron Judge cut the deficit to one with a home run. Later, the tying run reached second base and the go-ahead run was on first, but Englert was able to slam the door en route to earning the first save of his career. In five appearances this season, the 26-year-old has a 10.57 ERA and a 2.22 WHIP in 7.2 innings.

Bolton (back) will undergo additional imaging in the near future, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Bolton was forced to exit his outing Sunday against Seattle in the second inning with mid-back tightness, which is now understood to be related to his previous back issue from earlier in the week. The 27-year-old explained following the team's 6-1 loss to Seattle that the tightness occurred in the same area that he took a line drive off his back Monday in Colorado. Bolton attempted to pitch through it in an effort to give Houston some much-needed length on the mound Sunday, but the Astros now appear to be dealing with yet another injury to their pitching staff.

Soriano (4-0) earned the win Sunday against the Reds, allowing no runs on two hits and three walks in seven innings. He struck out 10.

Soriano continues to deal for the Angels, having now fired at least six innings while yielding one run or zero during his four-start win streak to open the new campaign. The right-hander has piled up 10 strikeouts in consecutive outings, and he threw a season-high 106 pitches Sunday. Soriano is in possession of a sterling 0.33 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 31:9 K:BB over 27 innings across his first four appearances, and he'll be aiming to keep the good times rolling his next time out versus the Padres.