MLB Player News

Junk (0-1) took the loss Monday against the Reds, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out three over 7.1 innings.

Junk turned in a strong outing despite being tagged with the loss, keeping Cincinnati hitless into the fourth inning before allowing back-to-back hits that produced the game's first run. The right-hander settled in from there, working three more scoreless frames before Tyler Stephenson led off the eighth with a solo homer that accounted for the final damage. Monday's outing marked the longest of the 30-year-old's career across 38 appearances. While Junk admitted in a postgame interview that he didn't feel he had his best stuff, his ability to compete and navigate deep into the game was an encouraging sign moving forward into his next start, scheduled against Detroit.

Zerpa picked up the save Monday against Boston, giving up one run on two hits and no walks in the ninth inning.

With closer Trevor Megill and top setup man Abner Uribe both likely unavailable after working each of the past two days, it was Zerpa who drew the save opportunity and came away with his first career save. Things weren't easy though, as Willson Contreras homered and Wilyer Abreu singled to bring the potential tying run to the plate, but Zerpa got Trevor Story to ground out to end the game. The left-hander should see occasional high-leverage work, but Megill and Uribe are still the primary ninth-inning options in most situations.

Mejia earned a save against the Astros on Monday, walking one batter and striking out one over 1.2 hitless and scoreless innings.

Houston had already scored twice in the top of the eighth inning when Mejia entered with runners at second and third and only one out. The right-hander impressively put out the fire, getting a flyout and groundout around an intentional walk to prevent any additional runs from scoring. Mejia remained in the game for the ninth and worked a 1-2-3 inning to secure his first save of the campaign. Victor Vodnik, who successfully converted a save Sunday, had worked on consecutive days and was unavailable for the ninth inning Monday. Still, given Mejia's impressive escape act in the eighth, it wouldn't be surprising if he gets additional chances to close in a relatively unsettled Rockies bullpen.

Pallante didn't factor into the decision Monday against the Nationals, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks in five innings. He struck out two.

After throwing five scoreless innings against the Mets in his season debut, Pallante ran into some tougher sledding Monday. While he did hold the Nationals to just three knocks, the right-hander walked at least four batters for the ninth time in his career. The 27-year-old right-hander boasts a 1.80 ERA through 10 innings so far, but his 5:7 K:BB is a far greater concern heading into his next scheduled outing versus the Red Sox.

Kerkering (hamstring) has rejoined the team and is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's game against the Giants, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Kerkering joined the club in San Francisco earlier in the day Monday, but he'll need to wait one more day before being brought off the 15-day IL. He recently pitched on back-to-back days for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and made his final rehab appearance Saturday, where he struck out two and gave up one hit in a scoreless frame against Triple-A Durham.

Foley (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Foley continues to recover from right shoulder surgery that he underwent in May of 2025. He opened the 2026 season on the 60-day IL, and while he's not expected to be ready for major-league action until at least midseason, it's encouraging to see that he has progressed enough in his rehab to toss a bullpen session.

The Cubs recalled Assad from Triple-A Iowa on Monday and will have him start Tuesday's game at Tampa Bay, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

With Matthew Boyd (biceps) and Cade Horton (forearm) landing on the injured list within the past two days, the Cubs will turn to Assad to fill one of the two openings in the rotation. After falling short in his bid for a spot on the Cubs' Opening Day roster, Assad has made two starts for Iowa this season, giving up seven earned runs on 14 hits and six walks while striking out seven over seven innings. The right-hander has a much stronger track record over parts of four seasons in the majors, accruing a 3.43 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 9.6 K-BB% over 331 innings.

The Marlins placed Fairbanks on the paternity leave list Monday.

The transaction was anticipated, as Fairbanks was used as an opener in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Yankees so that he could leave the team sooner in order to be with his growing family. Fairbanks will likely rejoin the active roster for Thursday's game against the Reds. Anthony Bender picked up a save Sunday and could get more chances this week while Fairbanks is away. Calvin Faucher and Andrew Nardi are also candidates to see save chances.

Miller picked up a blown save in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Mets, allowing two earned runs on three hits while striking out two over two-thirds of an inning.

After Keaton Winn gave up two hits and recorded one out in the eighth inning, Miller entered the game and allowed a go-ahead two-run double to give the Mets a 3-2 lead. He then surrendered an RBI single and another RBI double before striking out the final two batters of the inning. The left-hander has allowed two runs in back-to-back outings and now owns a 12.00 ERA, 2.67 WHIP and 4:2 K:BB across three innings in four outings this season.

The Diamondbacks outrighted Ross to Triple-A Reno on Sunday.

Ross will stick around in the Arizona organization after going unclaimed off waivers once the Diamondbacks designated him for assignment Friday. The right-hander was able to secure his spot on the Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster but struggled over his three appearances out of the bullpen to begin the season, allowing eight earned runs on seven hits and four walks over 3.2 innings.