MLB Player News

Ross might see more high-leverage work while Jordan Romano sorts through his struggles, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Ross has permitted one run with a 3:1 K:BB over four innings this season. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that he views Ross as someone who can give the team "a little bit of bulk," but also is "kind of a leverage guy, too," based on how his stuff has looked. Ross is still behind Jose Alvarado, Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm in the bullpen pecking order, but he is inching up the hierarchy.

Struggling with his velocity and results, Romano is expected to be used in low-leverage situations in the immediate future, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Romano has been touched up for five runs with a 2:3 K:BB over his last two appearances covering a total of one inning. He averaged just 93.5 mph with his four-seamer in Sunday's outing against the Dodgers, which is down nearly three full mph from last season. Phillies manager Rob Thomson indicated that Romano has been checked out by the team's trainers and "there's no red flags" physically, but the skipper admitted that "it concerns me a little bit that the velocity's down." Jose Alvarado picked up his second save for the Phillies in Sunday's victory over the Dodgers and is the team's best bet for saves right now.

Dreyer struck out four while allowing no hits and issuing two walks over 2.1 scoreless innings of relief in Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Phillies.

Added to the Dodgers' 40-man roster over the winter after a standout season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, the 26-year-old Dreyer continued to thrive during spring training and earned his spot in the Opening Day bullpen. He's looked strong through his five appearances thus far, most of which have come in middle relief. The lefty has allowed just one earned run and has struck out eight batters while holding opponents to an .080 average over 7.2 innings.

Santana threw a scoreless eighth inning without allowing a baserunner to record a hold Sunday against the Yankees.

Santana looked to be in line to be the Pirates' closer after David Bednar was demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday. However, he entered the game in the eighth inning Sunday to face the top of the Yankees' order, including Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge. Ryan Borucki blew the save in the ninth inning, and the rest of the Pittsburgh bullpen has been shaky, leaving Santana as the likeliest option for saves moving forward. However, his usage Sunday illustrates that he could be used in highest-leverage spots rather than being saved exclusively for the ninth inning.

Vodnik allowed one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out two across 1.2 innings to earn the save Sunday against the A's.

Vodnik entered the game in the eighth inning with a three-run lead and struck out two of the first three batters he faced. He remained in the contest for the final frame and stumbled a bit by allowing a pair of singles and a walk. The Rockies provided Vodnik with an additional five runs of support in the home half of the eighth inning, giving him some breathing room and allowing him to record his first save of the season despite the stumble.

Suarez struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to record his fourth save of the year in Sunday's 8-7 win over the Cubs.

Suarez was tasked with facing the 2-3-4 batters in the Cubs' order. He sent down Seiya Suzuki and Kyle Tucker quickly before coming out on top in a 10-pitch duel with Justin Turner. Suarez has now converted all four save chances and has yet to allow a hit while posting a 6:1 K:BB.

Rodriguez allowed one hit while striking out one in two-thirds of an inning during Sunday's 5-4 win over the Mariners.

Rodriguez entered Sunday's matchup in the sixth frame with one out and two runners on base, allowing an RBI single before retiring Seattle's next two batters. Aside from the single, the 25-year-old was effective during his limited time on the mound, throwing eight of his 13 pitches for strikes while protecting a 4-2 lead. The right-handed reliever has made five appearances this season, recording a 0.00 ERA, 0.56 WHIP, 9:0 K:BB, one win and one hold across 5.1 innings.

Helsley allowed two runs on a hit and four walks in one inning during Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader against Boston. He struck out two and was charged with a blown save in the loss.

Helsley made his first appearance since April 1 and saw his first save chance since March 27. He threw just 16 of 37 pitches for strikes and failed to protect the 4-2 lead. St. Louis would go on to lose in the 10th inning. Helsley hadn't walked a batter this season through three innings, and Sunday was his first time walking multiple batters in an outing since June 24, 2024. His ERA jumped to 4.50, but he maintains a firm grasp on the Cardinals' closer role.

Diaz (hamstring) allowed one unearned run on one hit and one walk while striking out one over one inning for Triple-A Louisville on Sunday.

It was rehab day for Louisville, which featured starter Andrew Abbott (shoulder) making his second rehab start and Diaz's second rehab outing. The reliever has already healed from a left hamstring strain, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, but he might get another rehab appearance before the Reds activate him. Diaz is not guaranteed to resume his duties as Cincinnati's closer.

Doval (1-0) allowed a run on two hits and two walks in one inning Sunday while picking up a win against Seattle. He did not record a strikeout and was charged with a blown save.

Doval was tagged with a blown save in back-to-back games, but this time he earned a win after the Giants walked it off in the bottom of the ninth inning. He coughed up an RBI double to Randy Arozarena in the top of the frame to tie the contest. Ryan Walker was seemingly unavailable Sunday after pitching Friday and Saturday. Doval owns a 1.80 ERA through five innings, but he has struck out only two batters.