MLB Player News

The Phillies recalled Backhus from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Backhus will get the call back to Philadelphia as a replacement in the bullpen for righty Zach Pop (calf), who was placed on the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. Before being sent back to Lehigh Valley last week, Backhus had yielded three earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four batters in three innings across his four appearances with the big club.

Mlodzinski is expected to cover the bulk of the innings in relief behind opening pitcher Mason Montgomery in Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

Despite pitching to a 2.51 ERA over his first three starts, Mlodzinski is still in search of his first win after working fewer than five innings his first two times out and taking a no-decision in his most recent outing. With Montgomery handling the first frame or two of Wednesday's contest, Mlodzinski should have improved odds of coming away with a win while serving as the Bucs' primary pitcher out of the bullpen.

Kilian allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one in a scoreless inning during Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Reds.

Kilian earned a bullpen job during spring training and has continued to impress early in the season. The 28-year-old right-hander tossed a scoreless sixth inning Tuesday and now owns a 1.29 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 10:4 BB:K across seven innings in eight appearances this season.

Lee struck out two in a perfect sixth inning Tuesday during a win over the Marlins.

The 31-year-old has had a strong start to the season as one of the top southpaws in the Atlanta bullpen. Over eight appearances and 7.2 innings, Lee has delivered a 1.17 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 7:0 K:BB, but he has just one hold with zero wins or saves.

Suarez (2-0) picked up the win in Tuesday's victory over the Marlins, giving up a run on three hits in the eighth inning. He struck out one.

The veteran reliever got tagged for his first earned run of the season in his seventh appearance, but Suarez got credit for the win when Atlanta rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth to erase a 5-3 deficit. Suarez sports a 1.29 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 8:1 K:BB through seven innings with two holds in addition to his two wins, and he'll be first in line for save chances should Raisel Iglesias be unavailable.

Padres manager Craig Stammen said Tuesday that Pivetta underwent an MRI on his elbow, but the Padres are still awaiting the results before a timeline for the right-hander's return is established, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Pivetta exited his most recent start Sunday against the Rockies due to an injury the Padres initially labeled as right elbow stiffness. Upon placing Pivetta on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, the team classified his injury as inflammation, but the severity of the issue won't be known until the MRI results are in. Matt Waldron (lower body) is expected to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list later this week to take over Pivetta's spot in the rotation.

Pagan struck out a batter in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his fifth save of the season in a 2-1 win over the Giants, but he appeared to injure his hamstring on his final pitch, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "His hammy grabbed a little bit. So we need to check him out. He's getting looked at right now," Reds manager Terry Francona said after the game.

The 34-year-old right-hander had appeared to right the ship after a bumpy start to the season, but the injury could set him back. Pagan blew his first save chance of 2026 and got tagged for five runs and two home runs in his first three appearances, but since then he's converted five straight saves and reeled off six straight scoreless outings, albeit with a 5:5 K:BB in his last six innings. If Pagan winds up missing time, Tony Santillan would likely be the next man up for Cincinnati in the ninth inning.

Estrada (elbow) resumed playing light catch earlier this week, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Estrada's velocity had been down through his first seven appearances of the season, but it wasn't until the right-hander felt tightness in his elbow while playing catch that the Padres decided to place him on the injured list last Friday. The Padres are labeling Estrada's injury as tendinitis, and the fact that he's already been cleared to start throwing again offers hope that he'll be in line for an abbreviated stay on the shelf. Despite the early drop in velocity, Estrada was able to strike out more than a batter per inning and netted four holds prior to landing on the shelf.

Clevinger is on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Indianapolis with an undisclosed injury, Jose Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

Clevinger has been pitching in relief at Indianapolis, allowing five runs with a 9:5 K:BB across 8.2 innings. It's unclear how long he might be sidelined, but the 35-year-old will not be an option for the Pirates for at least the next week.

Sewald struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his sixth save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Orioles.

The veteran reliever needed 11 pitches (seven strikes) to convert his sixth straight save chance to begin the season. Sewald has a 2.45 ERA, 0.55 WHIP and 10:0 K:BB through 7.1 innings, and while he's been a little lucky with a .143 BABIP in the early going, his 13.5 percent swinging strike rate is also his best mark since 2023.