MLB Player News

Finnegan gave up two hits and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his ninth save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Orioles.

The right-hander didn't re-sign with the Nationals until late February, but his late start to camp hasn't impacted his results once the regular season began. Through 10 appearances, Finnegan has a 1.69 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 13:6 K:BB while converting all nine of his save chances, putting him second in the majors behind Robert Suarez's 10.

Martinez (shoulder) returned to the mound in Wednesday's extra-inning loss to the Rays, striking out one during a clean ninth inning.

While it wasn't a save situation in a 5-5 game, fantasy managers should still be pleased to see the hard-throwing right-hander look sharp in his return to action. It was Martinez's first appearance since last Thursday due to right shoulder fatigue, and he should be ready to solely reclaim the closer's role for the time being in the absence of A.J. Puk (elbow). Through his first eight innings of the season, Martinez has converted both of his save opportunities while allowing just three hits, one walk and no runs en route to producing a pristine 11:1 K:BB.

Santana surrendered one hit and no walks while striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning to collect a save in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Angels.

Santana struck out Jo Adell on four pitches before allowing a double to Jorge Soler, but a groundout from Zach Neto followed by a Mike Trout flyout allowed the 29-year-old to pick up his third save of the year while preserving the shutout. Santana now owns a 1.59 ERA and 0.89 WHIP through 11.1 innings on the year and should continue to see regular save opportunities even though David Bednar is back with the Buccos.

Doval picked up the save in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Brewers after recording two outs in the ninth inning, striking out one.

Ryan Walker was able to log just one out before being pulled from a non-save situation, allowing two runs on three hits to make it a 4-2 game. That created a save situation for Doval, who fired each of his five pitches for strikes to tally his fourth save of the year. Both Walker and Doval have received six save chances apiece to begin the campaign, so this hierarchy atop San Francisco's bullpen has been more of a committee than expected so far. Doval has a 2.45 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 8:4 K:BB while converting four of his six save chances over 11 innings.

Hodge struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning to collect his first save of the season in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Dodgers.

With Ryan Pressly unavailable due to knee problems, manager Craig Counsell turned to Hodge to preserve a one-run lead in the ninth inning for his first save of the year. The 24-year-old responded by retiring all three batters he faced on 14 pitches, striking out Shohei Ohtani in the process. Since allowing six earned runs in two-thirds of an inning against Arizona on Friday, Hodge has fired three shutout frames, lowering his ERA from 7.45 to 5.11.

Casparius didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 7-6 loss to the Cubs after allowing one hit and zero walks while striking out four batters across 2.2 shutout innings.

Casparius looked sharp in his first career major-league start, as a second-inning double from Michael Busch was all the Cubs' offense could muster against him. Casparius turned the game over to the bullpen once Chicago's lineup turned over midway through the third frame, at which point the Cubs' bats began to wake up. The amount of injuries plaguing Los Angeles' pitching staff makes it possible that the 26-year-old righty will get a chance to make another start next week, though there's no guarantee he would pitch deep enough into the game to qualify for a win.

Bednar struck out two without allowing a baserunner in a scoreless seventh inning to earn a hold Wednesday against the Angels.

This marked Bednar's third appearance since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, and he's now allowed just two baserunners across three innings of work while maintaining a 5:0 K:BB. He's worked in the seventh inning with Pittsburgh ahead in each of his last two outings, but he's likely to see save chances at some point if he continues to show strong form.

Pressly had his right knee drained Tuesday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Pressly hasn't appeared in a game since Sunday, and manager Craig Counsell confirmed after Wednesday's win over the Dodgers that the 36-year-old reliever has been dealing with a knee injury over the past few days. The Cubs are optimistic that he'll be available out of the bullpen when they return to action Friday for a three-game series against Philadelphia. While the right-hander was unavailable, Porter Hodge picked up his first save of the season Wednesday.

Ginkel (shoulder) threw 24 pitches in an extended spring training game Monday, MLB.com reports.

Ginkel will report to Triple-A Reno later this week to begin a rehab assignment. He was shut down shortly before Opening Day due to right shoulder inflammation, but because he's projected to serve as a one- or two-inning reliever, Ginkel won't require much build-up time in the minors. He could be activated from the 15-day injured list at some point next week.

Graveman (back) threw a 25-pitch live batting practice session Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Graveman has been conducting his rehab at the Diamondbacks' spring training facility and is expected to pitch in a simulated game there as part of the next step of his rehab. Graveman will likely then head out on a minor-league rehab assignment before potentially returning from the injured list in early May.