MLB Player News

Atlanta placed Luetge on the 15-day injured list Monday with left bicep inflammation.

So long as Luetge's injury isn't anything more than the minor inflammation and he's able to resume throwing within a few days, he should be in store for a brief stint on the shelf. He had given up at least one run in all but one of his five relief appearances on the campaign, pitching to a 8.10 ERA and 1.80 WHIP across 6.2 frames.

VerHagen (1-0) allowed an unearned run without allowing a hit or a walk in one inning Sunday versus the Pirates, earning the extra-inning win.

VerHagen gave up an RBI groundout to Canaan Smith-Njigba in the top of the 10th inning, but the Cardinals rallied for a walkoff win in the bottom of the frame. Through eight appearances, VerHagen has allowed three runs (two earned) while posting an 8:1 K:BB and three holds. With John Denton of MLB.com reporting manager Oliver Marmol said Sunday that Jordan Hicks would be shifting to a low-leverage role amid his recent struggles, VerHagen could be an option to see some late-inning work. It's unlikely his usage would lead to many saves, but he's been effective enough to snag some holds.

Strzelecki tossed a clean eighth inning and picked up his third hold of the season in Sunday's 1-0 victory over the Padres.

With the Brewers looking to protect a one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth, Strzelecki was summoned from the bullpen rather than Matt Bush, who opened the season in the setup role but has not been particularly effective. Strzelecki came through in a big way, retiring all three batters he faced and notching his seventh scoreless appearance of the season. There has not been an official changing of the guard in front of closer Devin Williams, but given how Strzelecki and Bush have fared early on, there is a chance that could occur.

Thompson (1-1) gave up one hit in a scoreless eighth inning Sunday to record the win against the Guardians. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.

The right-hander entered the game with the Nationals down 6-5, and after needing only 13 pitches (eight strikes) to retire the side, Thompson was rewarded with his first win when Washington plated two in the bottom of the frame. Thompson has been one of the better arms in the team's bullpen to begin the season, posting a 1.59 ERA and 8:1 K:BB through 11.1 innings, and he appears to be working his way into a high-leverage role.

Hand allowed one hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning Sunday against the Mariners.

Hand entered the game with runners at first and second in the bottom of the sixth inning and allowed the game-winning hit to the first batter he faced. While he had a poor outcome Sunday, Hand has pitched well to start the season as he has been charged with only one earned run across 5.2 innings while also maintaining 9:4 K:BB. His control leaves room for improvement, but he has still been one of the most reliable high-leverage relievers for Colorado early on.

Ginkel allowed one hit and struck out one over 1.1 innings in Sunday's 5-0 win over Miami.

Ginkel entered the seventh inning with a runner on second and two outs and struck out Avisail Garcia to end the threat. The right-hander appears to have solved the issue with pitch-tipping that flared up against the Dodgers two weeks ago. Since then, Ginkel has allowed one run and four hits while striking out five over five innings.

Robertson tossed a scoreless 10th to secure his fourth save of the season Sunday in a 4-3 win over the Athletics.

Robertson was able to escape some trouble in the 10th after he wound up with runners on second and third with one out from a wild pitch. He induced two groundouts to get of the jam and grab his second save in as many days. The 38-year-old has now tossed 8.1 scoreless innings and owns a 9:0 K:BB over eight appearances on the year.

Williams worked around a scoreless ninth inning Sunday to pick up his second save of the season in a 1-0 win over the Padres. He struck out three and walked two while also giving up a hit.

Williams surrendered a leadoff walk to Juan Soto before racking up back-to-back strikeouts but found himself in trouble after a single and another walk loaded up the bases. The 28-year-old was able to get the job done by striking out Trent Grisham on a fastball. Williams has now picked up two saves and two wins in five appearances this season and has yet to give up a run. He needed 33 pitches to close out Sunday's game and will likely be unavailable Monday as the Brewers open up a three-game set with the Mariners.

Finnegan picked up the save Sunday against the Guardians, allowing one hit while recording a strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.

Finnegan recorded his third save of the season Sunday, allowing just a two-out infield single to Myles Straw before punching out Steven Kwan to end the game. Finnegan has now thrown four consecutive scoreless innings, logging four strikeouts, two hits and one walk in that span. He seems to have a solid grasp on the closer job in Washington, though save opportunities may be hard to come by. The 31-year-old Finnegan lowered his ERA to 9.95 with a 1.89 WHIP through 6.1 innings.

Fulmer pitched a scoreless inning of relief with one strikeout in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Dodgers.

After blowing a save chance in the ninth inning Saturday, Fulmer worked the eighth inning Sunday for his first hold of the season, while Brad Boxberger got the ninth. The two veterans were expected to split closing duties this year, though based on recent events, perhaps Boxberger has edged slightly ahead of Fulmer. The latter should still see plenty of high-leverage work, however, and is likely to maintain some fantasy appeal.