MLB Player News

Diaz (hamstring) is working with coaches on his mechanics, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Apparently, the hamstring injury impacted the reliever's mechanics, which led to command and control issues. "Stability with his front leg is probably the biggest thing," Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said of Diaz. "Then, incorporating that into his delivery, where that becomes comfortable and almost second nature." It's uncertain when Diaz will be ready to rejoin the team, or if he'll automatically resume his role as the team's closer.

Lopez (illness) tossed a scoreless inning in his return to the mound Sunday against the Phillies.

Lopez was not available to pitch for the Nationals' first two games of the season due to illness, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com. He feels good now, though, needing just five pitches to dispose of the Phillies in order during his appearance Sunday.

Puk allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over a scoreless inning in Sunday's 10-6 win over the Cubs.

It wasn't a save situation for Puk, who made his season debut in the top of the ninth inning after the Diamondbacks took the lead an inning earlier, courtesy of an eight-run rally. Nothing has changed with respect to Arizona's closer situation. Manager Torey Lovullo still hasn't named one and will continue to trot out Puk and Justin Martinez for late-game, high-leverage situations.

Matz picked up a save in Sunday's 9-2 win over the Twins after striking out two while allowing one hit and no walks over four shutout innings.

Matz entered the game with a six-run lead and had no problem finishing off the game for St. Louis. He fired 39 of 51 pitches for strikes and allowed just one runner to reach scoring position. The veteran southpaw should continue seeing long-relief action and likely won't be used in many save situations.

Bednar (0-2) took the loss Sunday against the Marlins, allowing a run on one hit while not securing any outs.

Bednar capped off an opening weekend to forget in Miami, as he suffered his second walk-off loss in three appearances on the season. The Pittsburgh reliever allowed a leadoff hit to Derek Hill, who then stole second and advanced to third on an errant throw by Endy Rodriguez. Bednar subsequently allowed Hill to score on a wild splitter he threw in the dirt to Nick Fortes. The 30-year-old has now pitched to an unsightly 27.00 ERA and 5.00 WHIP while retiring just three of the nine batters he's faced over three outings. Bednar is likely skating on thin ice as the closer for the Pirates, who could turn to Colin Holderman or Dennis Santana in future save situations.

Doval earned the save in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Reds, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.

With closer Ryan Walker sidelined by back tightness, Doval stepped in and locked down the save on just 11 pitches. If Walker remains unavailable, the 27-year-old Doval's experience in the role should give him the edge to handle the team's save opportunities moving forward.

Morgan (0-1) allowed six runs on six hits and a walk while retiring only two batters to take the loss Sunday against the Diamondbacks.

Morgan, who had tossed three scoreless innings of relief across two appearances to start the season, quickly saw his ERA climb to 14.73 with the awful outing. The righty allowed only nine earned runs in 42 innings with Cleveland all of last year as he posted a 1.93 ERA and 0.98 WHIP for the Guardians. Morgan should be able to right the ship, though his ERA may take a while to recover.

Finnegan earned the save in a 5-1 win against the Phillies on Sunday, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.

Finnegan was called upon to protect a 5-0 lead with the bases loaded in the ninth inning and retired three straight batters on just five pitches. The 33-year-old finished third in baseball last season with a career-high 38 saves and remains firmly locked in as the Nationals' closer.

Walker has been unavailable the past couple days due to back tightness but could be ready to pitch Monday against the Reds, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The right-hander picked up the save Opening Day, but it was Camilo Doval that was called upon for Sunday's save chance. Walker appears to still have a firm grip on the closer role, and he should be back soon after contending with the back issue.

The Marlins recalled Arias from Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday.

The 24-year-old will fill the roster spot of Jesus Tinoco, who was placed on the injured list Sunday due to a back injury. Arias posted a 3.04 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 75:27 K:BB across 68 innings with Jacksonville last season, and it will be his big-league debut if he gets into a game with the Marlins.