MLB Player News

Hicks is expected to throw around 45 pitches in his start Tuesday against the Royals, and he may not even reach that mark, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

The Cardinals made the surprising decision to convert Hicks to a starting role this spring, sticking to that commitment despite suggestions from early in March that the shortened spring training may scrap those plans. Hicks does have 10 career relief outings of at least two innings, so he's no stranger to slightly extended appearances, but he's never gotten anywhere close to a true starter's workload at the big-league level. He won't get there Tuesday, either, which will make it all but impossible for him to secure a win.

Hudson and the Cardinals won't face the Pirates on Monday after the game was postponed due to inclement weather in St. Louis, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

The two teams will make up the postponed game as part of a split doubleheader June 14. The Cardinals haven't indicated how the postponement will affect their pitching schedule, but Hudson will presumably be pushed back a day along with the other four members of the rotation. In that scenario, Hudson would still line up for a two-start week, with his turns coming Tuesday against the Royals in St. Louis and Sunday against the Brewers in Milwaukee.

Finnegan (1-0) picked up the win in Sunday's victory over the Mets, striking out one in a perfect eighth inning.

The right-hander entered the game with the Nationals down 2-1 and needed only nine pitches to shut down New York, and Finnegan got rewarded for his work when Washington rallied for three runs in the bottom of the frame. Tanner Rainey worked the ninth and appears first in line for save chances, but Finnegan could see opportunities too if he keeps pitching well.

Wilson allowed three earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two across four innings in Sunday's win over the Cardinals. He did not factor into the decision.

Wilson drew his first start of the season, though he got off to a dreadful start by allowing three runs in the opening frame. However, he did settle to throw three scoreless innings from there, and he retired the last seven batters he faced. Wilson had prospect pedigree while coming up through Atlanta's system, though he has only a 6.9 K-BB% and has allowed 1.7 HR/9 across 120.2 career frames in the majors.

Rogers allowed a hit in a scoreless inning, picking up a hold in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Marlins.

Rogers has holds in both of his appearances this season, adding two strikeouts in 1.2 innings. The submariner hasn't worked as late in games as fellow closer committee members Jake McGee and Camilo Doval, but Rogers has had the most success so far. Last season, he was effective in a setup role, logging a 2.22 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 13 saves and 30 holds in 81 innings. He'll likely continue to pitch often in high-leverage roles, but the 31-year-old probably isn't the answer yet if you're chasing saves in the Giants' bullpen. Dominic Leone also entered the conversation with a perfect ninth inning to close out Sunday's win.

Leone struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Sunday's win over the Marlins.

Leone was credited with a hold in Friday's season opener despite allowing a run in one-third of an inning, but he picked up the save with a much cleaner outing in Sunday's series finale. His usage in the save situation was surprising, since Jake McGee, Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers figure to be the top candidates for ninth-inning work this year. McGee and Doval both pitched in the first two games of the season, so they were likely unavailable Sunday. Although McGee, Doval and Rogers should see the bulk of the save chances this year, it's encouraging to see that Leone has the trust of manager Gabe Kapler when needed in high-leverage situations.

Garcia (1-0) struck out two in two perfect innings to earn the win over Miami on Sunday.

Garcia had a versatile role for the Giants last year, as he picked up a career-high six wins while also logging 11 holds in 58 relief appearances. Jake McGee, Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers figure to garner more high-leverage opportunities than Garcia in 2022, but the southpaw had a 25.3 percent strikeout rate last year and could factor into the late-inning mix if injuries occur or if any of those three options struggle.

Blach allowed a hit and a walk while striking out four in four perfect innings to earn the save in Sunday's win over the Dodgers.

The southpaw made his 2022 debut Sunday and helped to keep the rest of the bullpen fresh after starter Antonio Senzatela lasted just 3.1 innings. Blach became the seventh Rockies pitcher to record a save of at least three innings and the first to do so since Chris Rusin accomplished the feat in May of 2017. Although Sunday's performance was encouraging after Blach missed most of the last two seasons due to Tommy John surgery, Daniel Bard, Alex Colome and Carlos Estevez are the favorites for save chances early in the season.

Hader struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Sunday's win over the Cubs.

Hader wasn't needed in the first two games of the season since the Brewers dropped each matchup, but he was sharp in his 2022 debut. He gave up a deep flyout to Yan Gomes with one out, but he struck out each of the other two batters he faced while throwing eight of his 14 pitches for strikes. The southpaw converted 34 of 35 save chances last year and enters the 2022 season as one of the best closing options in baseball.

Boxberger (1-0) gave up a hit and no walks while striking out one in a scoreless seventh inning to earn the win over the Cubs on Sunday.

Boxberger made a career-high 71 relief appearances during his first year with the Brewers in 2021, and he began the 2022 season on a high note by picking up a win in his first outing. Josh Hader is firmly entrenched as Milwaukee's closer, but Boxberger picked up 23 holds last year while converting four of nine save chances. He'll continue to serve as a setup man alongside Devin Williams in 2022.