MLB Player News

Santana walked one in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his first save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Rays.

Getting Pittsburgh's first save opportunity since a struggling David Bednar was demoted to Triple-A, Santana tossed 16 of 24 pitches for strikes to get the job done against the heart of Tampa Bay's order. Colin Holderman, the other likely candidate to get a shot at closing duties, entered the game in the eighth inning and allowed a run, so the Bucs' bullpen hierarchy seems set for now. Santana has a 2.70 ERA and 3:3 K:BB through his first 3.1 innings on the year, and while he's had control issues at times in the past, the 28-year-old right-hander did post a career-best 7.3 percent walk rate in 2024.

Tarnok (ankle) struck out two batters and gave up one unearned run on one hit and no walks over three innings Sunday for Triple-A Jacksonville in its 2-1 extra-inning win over Nashville.

Tarnok attended big-league camp with the Marlins as a non-roster invitee, but he saw his longshot bid for the Opening Day roster come to an end after spraining his left ankle early in camp. The right-hander had sufficient time to heal up from the injury and kept ramped up ahead of the minor-league season, allowing him to claim a spot in the Jacksonville rotation.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that Montas (lat) has begun a throwing program, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Montas was cleared to play catch from 60 feet as he begins a throwing progression. He was shut down after being diagnosed with a high-grade right lat strain in mid-February, and it's going to be a lengthy build-up process for the hurler.

The Dodgers transferred Hurt (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who was acquired via trade Wednesday. Hurt's move to the 60-day IL won't affect his timeline for his return, as he's working his way back from Tommy John surgery and won't be available until late this season even in a best-case scenario.

Hall (lat) is tentatively scheduled to throw a bullpen session April 15, MLB.com reports.

Hall has been throwing on flat ground at the Brewers' spring training complex in Arizona and will be ready for mound work in mid-April if he continues to progress. He's slated for bullpen sessions April 15 and 18 before advancing to throwing live batting practice April 23. Hall is on the 60-day injured list as he comes back from a left lat strain and isn't eligible for activation until late May.

Alexander is likely to start Friday against the Reds, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The Brewers are holding off announcing a probable pitcher for the game, likely because Alexander may be needed in relief before then. However, Alexander threw a bullpen session Wednesday, which points to him taking the ball Friday if he's not needed in relief Wednesday against the Royals or Thursday against the Reds. Alexander has made two relief appearances this season, most recently throwing 2.1 innings and 47 pitches Sunday, so the lefty is unlikely to be able to handle a full starter's workload Friday.

Salazar has appeared in three of the Nationals' first five games this season, allowing one run on six hits and a walk in three innings. He has yet to strike out a batter.

The 26-year-old righty is filling a low-leverage role in the Washington bullpen, but that's resulted in frequent usage with the team off to a 1-4 start and having been out-scored 28-14 in the four losses. Salazar split last season between the Dodgers and Nats, posting a 2.87 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 27:14 K:BB in 29.1 innings with three holds in 26 appearances.

Reds manager Terry Francona said Wednesday that Diaz (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A Dayton on Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily News reports.

The reliever is set to make appearances for Dayton on Friday and Sunday, which could set him up to be activated from the 15-day injured list when first eligible April 8, assuming all goes well. Diaz is coming back from a left hamstring strain which threw off his mechanics, but he and the Reds were pleased with how a live batting practice session went Tuesday, clearing the way for rehab games. Francona has indicated that he would like to use Diaz as his closer, although it might not happen right away upon the righty's return.

Pressly gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his second save of the season in a 7-4 win over the A's.

The veteran right-hander has appeared in four of the Cubs' first eight games and hasn't exactly been dominant, posting a 6.75 ERA and 1:4 K:BB in four innings, but he's 2-for-2 in converting save chances. Pressly should remain Chicago's closer as long as he's getting the job done, but if his struggles continue and begin to turn into blown saves, Porter Hodge -- who picked up his third hold Tuesday and has yet to give up a run in four innings with a 5:3 K:BB -- is ready to step in.

Martinez threw a scoreless and hitless eighth inning while striking out three to earn a hold in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Yankees.

It was a dominant display by the right-handed Martinez, who came on the face the heart of New York's order, which included two righty hitters among three scheduled batters . He fanned Aaron Judge with a splitter and then punched out Jazz Chisholm and Anthony Volpe on 101-mph fastballs. The left-handed A.J. Puk followed, conveniently with three lefties due up, to convert Arizona's first save opportunity of the season. While that sequence may suggest Puk is the closer, manager Torey Lovullo still hasn't named one, and his late-game deployment was all about matchups, particularly having Martinez pitch to Judge. Martinez has allowed two hits and struck out five over 2.2 scoreless innings (three appearances) so far this season.