MLB Player News

Ginkel allowed three runs on two hits and one walk while striking out one over one inning in Saturday's 10-1 loss to the Dodgers.

Ginkel, who is part of the committee expected to get save opportunities, pitched the fifth inning. It was his second appearance of the season, and both have been when the Diamondbacks were behind. It's been a rough start for Arizona pitching. The starters have averaged four innings, and the staff has a 6.84 ERA. The pitching, along with an offense ranked 28th in OPS with one walk in three games, makes it hard for manager Torey Lovullo to establish set bullpen roles.

Junis (1-0) allowed a run on three hits and no walks while striking out two over 2.1 innings to earn the win Saturday versus the Yankees.

Alex Cobb was inefficient, throwing 47 of 76 pitches for strikes as the starter. Junis stepped up, getting the last out of the fourth inning and tossing two more frames with decent results in his first appearance this season. He was assigned a swingman role after failing to win a spot in the Giants' bullpen during spring training. While his fantasy value is limited for now, the right-hander's favorable home park could give him some appeal if injuries in the rotation allow him to get some starts. Junis had a 4.42 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 112 innings last season, his best ratios since 2018.

Jackson earned a save against the Diamondbacks on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter over three scoreless innings.

The Dodgers carried an 8-1 lead into the seventh inning, and with starter Clayton Kershaw having breezed through six frames on 76 pitches, manager Dave Roberts opted to turn the ball over to Jackson. The right-handed hurler refused to let Arizona get back into the game, giving up just one hit over his three frames. Jackson is expected to remain in a long relief role, so fantasy managers don't need to seek him out on the waiver wire despite the fact that he earned the Dodgers' first save of the season.

Hader fired a scoreless inning without allowing a hit while striking out two in Saturday's 8-4 win over the Rockies.

Hader didn't get a save chance because it was a four-run cushion, but his season debut went well. The left-hander threw 12 of 16 pitches for strikes while showing off his impressive arsenal against an overmatched Colorado lineup. Hader is a good bet to be among the save leaders again in 2023.

Doval collected his first save of the season in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Yankees, giving up one run on two hits and two walks in the ninth inning while striking out one.

It wasn't pretty, but after allowing a run with one out, Doval induced a double play from Giancarlo Stanton to escape his jam. The right-hander recorded 27 saves in 2022 while emerging as an elite high-leverage arm for the Giants and he likely has some leash in the closer role, but if Doval continues to struggle, manager Gabe Kapler has other options he can turn to in the ninth.

Sanmartin retired the only batter he faced Saturday, retiring Oneil Cruz on a ground ball to end the eighth inning.

Because the Reds were up by four runs at the time, Sanmartin was not eligible for a hold. It appears that he'll be deployed to retire key lefties late in games this year after beginning 2022 as a starter.

Diaz pitched a clean ninth inning in Saturday's win over the Pirates, striking out two of the three batters he faced.

Don't be alarmed to see Diaz pitching in a non-save situation, as he didn't pitch on Opening Day and the Reds were off on Friday, so he needed to get some work in. It's difficult to trust manager David Bell to use Diaz as a full-time closer, but it appears he's getting that usage right now.

Helsley gave up two hits and struck out two over 1.2 scoreless innings Saturday to record his first save of the season in a 4-1 win over the Blue Jays.

After blowing his first save chance of the year Thursday, Helsley was called upon to quell a Toronto rally in the top of the eighth, then stayed in the game and created a jam of his own in the ninth before escaping. The right-hander is coming off an outstanding 2022 in which he recorded 19 saves, and with Giovanny Gallegos (back) currently unavailable, Helsley doesn't have much competition for ninth-inning work even if he continues to run into trouble.

Williams picked up his first save of the year Saturday against the Cubs, striking out one and allowing two hits in a scoreless ninth inning.

It wasn't the cleanest of innings for Williams in his first outing of the year, but he got the job done. After allowing a pair of singles to start the inning (one of which deflected off him), he got Cody Bellinger to ground into a double play before striking out Miles Mastrobuoni to end the game. Williams is expected to serve as the closer full-time this season, relying on his "Airbender" changeup to deceive hitters in high-leverage moments.

Nelson (hamstring) threw a bullpen session Friday, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Nelson missed the start of the season with a strained left hamstring but appears to be working his way back to a low-leverage role. He's scheduled for another bullpen session Monday.