MLB Player News

The Cardinals optioned Graceffo to Triple-A Memphis following Wednesday's doubleheader with the Reds.

St. Louis appointed Graceffo as its 27th man for the twin bill, with the right-hander being added to the roster ahead of the second game of the day. With starter Steven Matz getting lifted after four scoreless innings, Graceffo was called upon on in relief to finish out the contest. The 25-year-old picked up his first career MLB win while covering the final five innings of the Cardinals' 9-1 victory, striking out five and giving up an earned run on two hits and no walks. Though he'll head back to Triple-A, Graceffo's stellar relief outing should make him the next man up if an opening in the big-league rotation emerges.

Diaz allowed five runs on four hits and one walk over one inning in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Cardinals. He also hit a batter in a 6-0 loss.

Diaz entered the top of the ninth with the Reds trailing, 1-0, and a mission of keeping the game close to force St. Louis to expend its closer in the bottom of the frame. After an inning-opening hit batsman, the reliever got two outs before matters spiraled in the form of a single and three consecutive home runs. Diaz now has a 12.00 ERA over six innings (six outings) and has been rocked in two of his last three appearances.

Ginkel walked one and struck out one over one-third of an inning in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Mets.

Ginkel, who returned from a season-opening stint on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, wasn't eased into the fray. He entered with a runner on second and two outs in the seventh inning. He walked the first batter faced before stranding both runners. Ginkel should pitch in similar high-leverage situations going forward and could earn some save opportunities pending an evaluation of closer Justin Martinez, who's experienced a significant drop in velocity since resting a shoulder issue.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that Martinez is scheduled to get imaging on his right shoulder after displaying diminished velocity during his relief appearance in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Mets, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. "We're still trying to sift through it ourselves," Lovullo said of Martinez. "We just wanted to get the feeling from him as to how he's doing. It's clear that the velo is down and the stuff is not the same. We're still evaluating."

Martinez entered the game in the bottom of the ninth with the Diamondbacks up 4-1, but he was removed after 14 pitches (just five strikes). He failed to record an out in the win, as he allowed a leadoff home run and then walked the next two batters before Ryan Thompson stepped in to put out the fire and clinch the save. According to Gilbert, Martinez first experienced some shoulder fatigue coming out of his previous appearance Sunday, but he wasn't sent in for imaging despite his two-seamer being about three ticks down from his season average. His velocity then dropped down a few more ticks Wednesday to 93.5 miles per hour, and that decline coupled with the rough performance has left the Diamondbacks more open to the idea that he'll require a stint on the injured list. The Diamondbacks will wait for Martinez to be evaluated before making any decisions on his status.

Megill notched a save against the White Sox on Wednesday, allowing one hit and issuing one walk while striking out two batters over one scoreless inning.

Megill inherited a two-run lead when he entered in the ninth frame. He allowed a one-out bunt single and issued a two-out free pass, but he also struck out two and induced a groundout to finish off the save. Megill allowed three runs in a blown save against Arizona on April 12 but has otherwise been very effective, surrendering just one earned run while registering an 11:2 K:BB over eight innings across his other 10 appearances combined.

Waddell allowed three hits and struck out four batters over 4.1 scoreless relief innings in a no-decision against Arizona on Wednesday.

Waddell was called up from Triple-A ahead of Wednesday's contest and was immediately put to use in a bullpen game for New York. The southpaw entered in the third inning and ended up taking on a near-starter's workload, tossing 60 pitches (40 of which were strikes) over 4.1 scoreless frames. This was Waddell's first MLB appearance since he tallied nine relief outings over stints with three different teams in 2021, as he spent the three subsequent years overseas.

Thompson earned a save against the Mets on Wednesday, issuing an intentional walk and striking out one batter in one scoreless inning.

Arizona brought out Justin Martinez to pitch the ninth frame with the team up three runs, but he surrendered a leadoff homer followed by two walks before getting the hook. Thompson entered and immediately hit Pete Alonso with a pitch to load the bases, but he was able to get out of the jam with just one more run -- which was charged to Martinez -- crossing the plate. With A.J. Puk (elbow) on the injured list, Thompson could get an occasional save chance in games during which Martinez is ineffective or unavailable. However, Shelby Miller and Kevin Ginkel are also candidates for those opportunities, so fantasy managers probably shouldn't rush to pluck Thompson off their waiver wires.

Bednar came away with the save in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Cubs, allowing one hit while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning without issuing a walk.

Bednar got the call to come in for the ninth inning, tasked with preserving a one-run lead. He yielded a single after getting the first two batters out, but Bednar ended things with a three-pitch punchout of Jon Berti. Since being recalled by the Pirates on April 19, Bednar has posted a 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, with eight strikeouts and two saves over six innings. He appears to have reclaimed his spot as the Pirates' main closer, though Dennis Santana (personal) could still be in the mix once he's back from the bereavement list.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that Young may need to undergo Tommy John surgery, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Young landed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to a sprained left elbow, but he now may be at risk of missing the rest of the season plus a significant portion of the 2026 campaign. The Mets will know more about how to properly handle the southpaw's injury within the next few days, but he's likely facing an extended absence even if he doesn't undergo surgery.

Halvorsen struck out two in a perfect eighth inning Wednesday to record his first hold of the season in a 2-1 win over Atlanta.

The 25-year-old righty hasn't notched a save since March 29, blowing his only other chance April 22, and the Rockies elected to use Halvorsen in a setup role Wednesday while letting Zach Agnos handle the ninth and pick up his first career save. Halvorsen did face Atlanta's 9-1-2 hitters, striking out Eddie Rosario and Austin Riley, so it was still a very high-leverage spot. Tyler Kinley, who hasn't pitched since Saturday, also figures to be in the closer mix for Colorado, but the team's 5-25 record hasn't provided many opportunities for manager Bud Black to reveal his tendencies with his current bullpen. On the season, Halvorsen has a 4.26 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 11:6 K:BB through 12.2 innings.