MLB Player News

Varland retired just two batters and was charged with nine earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out one in Monday's 18-1 loss to the Cardinals.

The rookie right-hander maintained a tidy 2.25 ERA through his first seven big-league relief appearances, but a 0.0 K-BB% and a 5.93 FIP suggested that Varland's run prevention was due for a correction. Regression hit Varland in a major way Monday, as he allowed nine of the 11 batters he faced to reach base and surrendered a pair of home runs while placing only 18 of his 33 pitches for strikes. Though this sort of outing would normally put an unestablished player like Varland at risk of a demotion to the minors, his status as a Rule 5 pick means he'll have to remain on the Brewers' active roster all season when healthy.

The Nationals optioned Abbott to Triple-A Rochester on Monday.

Abbott will return to the minors after he served as the Nationals' 27th man for Sunday's doubleheader with the Mets. He appeared out of the bullpen in the Nationals' 8-2 loss in the second game, striking out a batter over two scoreless innings while allowing one hit and one walk.

The Mets optioned Muckenhirn to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday.

Muckenhirn was up with the Mets for just one day, as he served as the team's 27th man for Sunday's doubleheader with the Nationals. The left-hander appeared out of the bullpen in the Mets' 8-2 win in Game 2, working two innings while giving up one run on four hits and one walk.

Triple-A Gwinnett activated Hernandez (elbow) from its 7-day injured list May 9 and assigned him to Double-A Mississippi.

Hernandez opened the season on the shelf while he finished up his recovery from February 2022 Tommy John surgery, but he was cleared to begin a rehab assignment with High-A Rome in mid-April. Though Hernandez allowed six runs (five earned) while striking out six and walking five over 5.1 innings across his six relief appearances with Rome, Atlanta saw enough from him to conclude he was ready to join the Mississippi bullpen. He turned in a scoreless inning in his first appearance for Mississippi last Wednesday.

Luetge (biceps) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Mississippi on Tuesday.

Luetge has been sidelined for the last month with left biceps inflammation but has been cleared to test things out in game action. He figures to need at least a couple rehab appearances before rejoining Atlanta's bullpen.

Alexander (3-0) was awarded the win Monday over the Phillies. He pitched 1.1 perfect innings without striking out a batter.

Jakob Junis allowed a run while completing the fifth inning after Alex Wood came up an out short of qualifying for the win. However, the official scorer deemed Alexander worthy of getting the decision. The southpaw has settled down a bit with one runs allowed over 4.2 innings across his last five outings. He has a 5.52 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 8:3 K:BB with three holds and two blown saves through 14.2 innings this season, though a pair of three-run meltdowns in late April have skewed his numbers.

Doval picked up the save Monday against the Phillies. He didn't allow a run and walked one batter in 1.1 innings.

Doval entered with two on and two outs in the eighth and promptly struck out Alec Bohm. Doval hadn't pitched in two days, allowing the Giants to get 25 pitches out of him Monday. The righty has locked up nine of his 10 save chances and has punched out 25 batters in 17.2 innings.

Chafin threw a perfect inning to earn a save over Oakland on Monday.

Chafin needed just 10 pitches to close out the 5-2 win Monday. It was his first save chance since May 6, when he coughed up three runs without recording an out. He lowered his ERA to 3.94 with a 24:5 K:BB through 16 innings. Chafin and Miguel Castro, who worked the eighth inning Monday, appear to be the top arms in Arizona's bullpen at the moment.

Johnson allowed one run on two hits and a walk in one inning of work against the Reds on Monday. He earned a save but did not record a strikeout.

Johnson entered a 9-7 game in the ninth inning and flirted with danger. He gave up a two-out RBI single to Nick Senzel before closing out the one-run game with a pair of runners on base. Johnson has now converted all seven of his save opportunities despite a 5.51 ERA through 16.1 innings.

Fulmer (0-3) allowed two runs on two hits while retiring two batters to take the loss Monday against the Astros. He walked one and struck out one.

Fulmer came on in the seventh inning and struggled, serving up a two-run home to Alex Bregman before getting the hook. The veteran has allowed five earned runs across 1.1 innings in his last two appearances, and he's stuck with an ugly 7.50 ERA overall. Fulmer was better last year with a 3.39 ERA while splitting time between Detroit and Minnesota, so he could still rebound in 2023. However, he's worked his way out of closer mix for the time being and has little value in most fantasy formats.