MLB Player News

Atlanta optioned Daniel to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Daniel's stay with the big club lasted just one day, with the right-hander tossing a scoreless inning out of the bullpen in Sunday's 6-4 loss to Arizona following his call-up from Triple-A. He'll likely slot back into the rotation with Gwinnett.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that the Dodgers are thinking about stretching out Casparius as a starter, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Roberts' comment came after Casparius improved his record to 3-0 by nabbing a win Sunday against Pittsburgh after taking over in the second inning for starter Tyler Glasnow, who was pulled due to a shoulder injury. Roberts said that Casparius "saved our tails" in regard to the righty's preservation of the bullpen and effective pitching -- he gave Los Angeles 3.2 scoreless frames, throwing 36 of 54 pitches for strikes and fanning five batters without issuing a walk. Casparius has been very effective as a whole this season, posting a 2.91 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 23:3 K:BB over 21.2 frames, and six of his 11 appearances have lasted two or more innings. Those numbers are all the remarkable given that the 26-year-old gave up six earned runs in a 1.2-inning outing against the Cubs on April 12; in Casparius' other 10 appearances combined, he's yielded just one run over 20 frames. The Dodgers' rotation depth is wearing thin due to shoulder injuries incurred by Glasnow and Blake Snell, though Tony Gonsolin (back) is expected to be activated from the IL ahead of a start Wednesday. Still, the team is likely to deploy a bullpen game Tuesday and is coming up on a stretch of 19 games in 20 days, so there may be an opening for Casparius to join the rotation at some point. He worked primarily as a starter in the minors, including in 2024, during which he started 19 of the 21 games in which he appeared between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Birdsong threw three scoreless innings during Sunday's 3-2 win over the Rangers, allowing three hits while striking out five.

Birdsong entered the game in the sixth frame, surrendering a triple to the first batter he faced. However, he settled in and retired the next three hitters. The 23-year-old also allowed a double and a single over his three innings but racked up a season-high five strikeouts. Birdsong owns a 1.13 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and an 18:6 K:BB across 16.0 innings in seven games. The right-hander has been impressive to start the 2025 campaign and will likely continue to serve in a long-relief role.

Matz will be the Cardinals' starting pitcher for Wednesday's game in Cincinnati, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Matz will be pitching on three days' rest after he recorded two outs in a relief appearance Saturday versus the Brewers. The southpaw will be making his second start of the season after the Cardinals recently moved to a modified six-man rotation. He threw 71 pitches over five innings in his other start back on April 16 and should be able to handle a similar pitch count Wednesday.

Merryweather (0-1) gave up two runs (one earned) while retiring two batters to take the loss Sunday against the Phillies. He allowed one hit and three walks.

Merryweather's control eluded him as he took his first loss of the season in the 3-1, 10-inning defeat. Despite the hiccup, the righty has mostly pitched well for the Cubs, registering a 2.45 ERA and 10 strikeouts across 11 frames. Merryweather struggled with injuries last year as he posted a disappointing 6.60 ERA in 15 innings of work, but he looks healthier and more effective in 2025. His control remains a concern, however, as he now has a 4.9 BB/9, which could lead to some rough outings down the road.

Doval (2-1) got the win over the Rangers on Sunday after pitching a perfect ninth inning. He struck out two.

Doval made easy work of his opponents and retired the side in order on just 10 pitches. He wound up with the win after the Giants walked it off in the bottom of the inning. Doval is working on an eight-game scoreless streak and has allowed just one base hit in that span. Over his last five appearances, Doval has three saves, a hold and a win. He owns a 2.08 ERA ad 0.85 WHIP for the season but is still competing with Ryan Walker for saves despite his recent success.

Pressly (knee) pitched one scoreless inning, allowing one walk in Sunday's 3-1 extra-inning loss to the Phillies. He did not factor into the decision.

Pressly made his first appearance out of the bullpen in a week Sunday, tossing a scoreless top of the ninth to keep the score knotted up at 1-1 ahead of the bottom of the frame. The right-hander has been dealing with right knee irritation and hadn't pitched since having his knee drained Tuesday. After a slow start to his first campaign in Chicago, the right-hander has now compiled nine consecutive scoreless appearances, posting a 1.00 WHIP with four strikeouts while picking up two wins and three saves over nine innings in April.

Romano struck out one batter in a scoreless inning and earned a save during Sunday's extra-inning win against the Cubs.

Romano threw 10 of 13 pitches for strikes to quickly retire the Cubs' 4-5-6 hitters and secure the 3-1 victory. He converted his first since April 4 and now has two in four chances. Romano has allowed at least one run in five of his 12 outings this season, resulting in a 12.19 ERA through 10.1 frames. Jose Alvarado earned a win after working a scoreless ninth inning and remains the primary closer for Philly.

Martinez allowed a run on one hit and two walks in one inning during Sunday's win over Atlanta. He earned a save and did not record a strikeout.

Martinez entered a 6-3 game and was not very effective. On top of the two walks, he also hit a batter. A double play before Marcell Ozuna's RBI double helped limit the damage to just one run. Martinez entered the game with a clean 0.00 ERA through nine innings. He didn't walk a batter in his first seven appearances but has now issued four free passes over his last 3.1 innings. Martinez was recently dealing with some shoulder fatigue but is the current favorite for saves with A.J. Puk (elbow) on the IL, though Shelby Miller may also be in the mix.

Gomez allowed four hits over three scoreless innings and earned a save against the Pirates on Sunday. He struck out four batters.

Gomez made his Dodgers debut after the Yankees designated him for assignment. It was the first time he struck out more than two batters in an appearance this season, and he brought his K:BB up to 9:9 through 13 frames. Gomez shouldn't see many save opportunities with the Dodgers moving forward but could be used in more bulk-relief spots.