MLB Player News

Abreu (1-2) earned the win Sunday over the Red Sox, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out one over two innings.

After Abreu worked around a one-out single in the ninth inning, the Astros tallied a pair of runs in the top of the 10th. Abreu came back out in the bottom half, and he coaxed a game-ending double play off the bat of Ceddanne Rafaela to close out his first win this year. It's certainly a step in the right direction for Abreu. The right-hander was expected to serve as Houston's closer in the absence of Josh Hader (biceps), though he got off to a brutal start this season, allowing at least one run in eight of his first 11 appearances. Abreu's ERA now sits at 10.32 with a 2.47 WHIP and 17:16 K:BB across 11.1 innings.

Okert will operate as the Astros' opening pitcher in Monday's series opener against the Dodgers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Okert will make his first start of the 2026 campaign, helping bridge the gap in Houston's rotation ahead of Peter Lambert's expected start Tuesday. The right-hander has appeared in 17 contests so far this season, posting a 4.20 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 10 strikeouts over 15 innings. The Astros haven't specified whether a pitcher will work in bulk relief behind Okert, but Ryan Weiss is the freshest arm in the bullpen who's capable of covering multiple innings.

Smith will be sidelined at least a couple weeks after the White Sox announced Sunday that he suffered a right rotator cuff strain, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Smith presumably sustained the injury during his previous start for Triple-A Charlotte last week, during which he fired two scoreless frames. The right-hander opened the campaign in the White Sox's rotation but was demoted in early April after surrendering 10 earned runs with a 11:9 K:BB through his first three starts.

The Tigers designated Holman for assignment Sunday.

Holman will be moved off an organization's 40-man roster for the fourth time in just under three months, as the Athletics, Diamondbacks and Dodgers had all previously designated him for assignment. Since Holman hasn't been previously outrighted, he'll have to accept an assignment to Triple-A Toledo if he clears waivers. The right-hander had made three appearances (one start) for Toledo since being claimed by the Tigers on April 11, logging a 6.75 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and 3:2 K:BB over four innings.

Topa picked up the save in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Blue Jays despite allowing two runs on four hits in the ninth inning.

It didn't come easy for Topa on Sunday after the right-hander entered with a three-run lead. He gave up four hits in the frame, including a two-run homer to Kazuma Okamoto, though he ultimately coaxed a double play off the bat of Lenyn Sosa to strand the tying and go-ahead runs on base. It's Topa's second save this season and his first since April 7. His ERA sits at 4.70 with a 1.63 WHIP and 9:6 K:BB across 15.1 innings.

The Angels selected Saucedo's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.

Saucedo joined the Halos on a minor-league deal in February and will get a look in the big leagues after giving up seven earned runs with a 15:11 K:BB over 14.2 innings with Salt Lake. The left-hander made 10 appearances for the Angels last season and had a 7.43 ERA across 13.1 frames.

Crochet (shoulder) was able to play catch Sunday for the first time since landing on the injured list Wednesday, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

The Red Sox plan to proceed cautiously with Crochet while he works his way through left shoulder inflammation, but the club is optimistic that it caught the injury before it became a greater concern. For his part, Crochet believes that he'll be ready to return from the IL when first eligible May 12, but the two-time All-Star still has a few more checkpoints to hit in his recovery before rejoining the rotation.

Erceg earned the save in Saturday's 3-2 extra-inning win over the Mariners, striking out two in a perfect 10th inning.

Erceg was called in after the Royals took the lead in the top of the 10th inning and slammed the door on 17 pitches. It marked back-to-back clean appearances for the 31-year-old, who has now gone six straight outings without allowing an earned run. On the year, he's 9-for-11 in save chances with a 3.77 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 13:10 K:BB across 14.1 innings.

Munoz blew the save in Saturday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Royals, allowing one unearned run on two hits and no walks with one strikeout in the ninth inning.

Munoz was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the ninth but gave up a run on a one-out single that was uncharacteristically misplayed by Julio Rodriguez. It continued what has been a somewhat rocky start for the top-tier closer, though the appearance actually lowered Munoz's season ERA from 6.00 to 5.54. Overall, he's 6-for-8 in save chances while also posting a 1.38 WHIP and 21:6 K:BB across 13 innings in the early going.

Dominguez earned the save in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Padres, striking out one and retiring both batters he faced in the ninth inning.

Dominguez entered with a four-run lead and the bases loaded after Grant Taylor struggled to open the ninth inning, and the former slammed the door on just six pitches. Since blowing a save April 16, the 31-year-old has converted five straight opportunities while keeping opponents off the board in seven of eight outings during that span. For the year, he's 8-for-10 in save chances with a 3.95 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 17:9 K:BB across 13.2 innings.