MLB Player News

The Cardinals optioned Roycroft to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.

St. Louis is off Thursday and will likely wait until shortly before Friday's game against the Phillies to announce a replacement for Roycroft on the 26-man active roster. After winning a bullpen role out of spring training, Roycroft made seven relief appearances and collected two holds through the first two weeks of the season while allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits and six walks over 5.2 innings.

Halvorsen allowed six runs (three earned) on two hits and three walks while striking out one over one-third of an inning in Wednesday's loss to the Brewers.

Halvorsen entered the game to start the ninth inning with the Rockies down by eight runs, likely just to get work because he hadn't appeared in a game since Friday. It was a disastrous outing all around, as he walked the first two batters he faced, then was charged with an error that allowed two runs to score before serving up a homer to the next batter he faced. Halvorsen and Victor Vodnik each have one save this season, and they appear set to share the closer role for the time being.

Adam earned a hold against the Athletics on Wednesday, issuing one walk and striking out two batters over one scoreless inning.

Adam was called upon in eighth inning of a tight 2-1 game. The right-hander successfully protected San Diego's lead, working around a two-out walk and subsequent stolen base by fanning Brent Rooker to close out the frame. Adam has been very impressive to begin the campaign, posting an 11:4 K:BB over 7.1 scoreless innings. He leads the majors with five holds.

Pagan (0-1) took the loss Wednesday against the Giants after giving up a two-run home run in the 10th inning.

Pagan came on to pitch the 10th inning in a 6-6 game, promptly allowing a two-run home run to Mike Yastrzemski after just two pitches as the Giants walked it off. The journeyman right-hander still holds a sharp 1.69 ERA, 0.59 WHIP and 3:1 K:BB with two saves over 5.1 innings this season, and he should continue sharing ninth-inning work alongside Tony Santillan as long as Alexis Diaz (hamstring) remains on the injured list.

Santillan blew the save after giving up one run on one hit and no walks in 1.1 innings during Wednesday's 8-6 extra-inning loss to the Giants.

After recording two outs to close the seventh inning, Santillan served up a first-pitch fastball for a game-tying solo home run to Wilmer Flores. Santillan is working alongside Emilio Pagan for save opportunities in the absence of Alexis Diaz (hamstring), and the former has logged three holds while converting one of his two save chances to open the campaign. That said, Santillan does boast a 1.23 ERA and 0.68 WHIP with seven punchouts across 7.1 innings, and he should remain in the mix for ninth-inning work until Diaz rejoins the team.

Suarez earned the save in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Athletics, working around a walk in a scoreless ninth inning.

Suarez issued a leadoff walk to Tyler Soderstrom, though he'd need just two more pitches to close out the win, inducing a double play off the bat of Shea Langeliers before retiring JJ Bleday on his subsequent offering. Suarez now leads the majors with six saves -- he's yet to allow a run or a hit through his first six innings.

Treinen earned the save in Wednesday's 6-5 win over Washington after allowing one hit and one walk in a scoreless ninth inning.

It wasn't easy for the veteran right-hander, who allowed the potential tying and go-ahead runs to get into scoring position before getting James Wood to ground out to end the game. Treinen has now converted two of his three save chances to go with two holds thus far, posting a 3.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 7:3 K:BB across six innings. Although southpaw Tanner Scott pitched the seventh inning Wednesday, it's worth noting he was summoned to protect a one-run lead against the top three members of Washington's batting order, two of which were left-handed hitters. The Dodgers figure to continue taking a committee approach based on matchups for ninth-inning work going forward, though Scott is the most desirable of the team's relievers from a fantasy perspective.

Knack didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Nationals after allowing five runs on four hits and four walks in 2.1 innings. He struck out two.

Filling in for the injured Blake Snell (shoulder), Knack was working with a 4-0 lead in the first inning but gave up three runs in the bottom of the frame, highlighted by a CJ Abrams leadoff solo shot. After Luis Garcia chased Knack from the game with an RBI double in the third, Alex Call plated an inherited runner on a sacrifice fly. According to Sonja Chen of MLB.com, Knack will get another chance to start in what should be a favorable bounce-back opportunity at home against Colorado next week.

Lawrence (1-0) picked up the win in Wednesday's 2-1 extra-innings win over the Cardinals, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out two over 1.2 scoreless innings of relief.

The former Rockie has had a strong start to his first season at a lower altitude. Through his first six appearances as a Pirate, Lawrence has a 1.35 ERA and 9:4 K:BB in 6.2 innings, adding a hold to Wednesday's win. With David Bednar trying to work things out at Triple-A and Colin Holderman (knee) on the shelf, Lawrence is Pittsburgh's top high-leverage option from the right side behind current closer Dennis Santana.

The Dodgers recalled Knack from Triple-A Oklahoma City ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Nationals.

Knack earned a win while working in relief in the Dodgers' second game of the season back on March 19 in Tokyo, but he hasn't pitched for the big club since it resumed playing domestically. However, with Blake Snell (shoulder) going on the injured list Sunday and with the Dodgers electing to expand their rotation to six men this week, Knack will be called upon to make his first start of the season with Los Angeles. Though he struggled in his three postseason relief appearances last fall, Knack showed impressive poise for a rookie during the 2024 regular season, making 15 appearances (12 starts) for the Dodgers and logging a 3.65 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 69:18 K:BB over 69 innings. With a decent showing Wednesday, Knack should be able to stick around and make multiple turns through the rotation until the Dodgers get more of their starting pitchers back from injury.