MLB Player News

Matz isn't expected to make his second start of the season until next week's series in Cincinnati, when the Cardinals will shift back to a six-man rotation, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Matz had made his first five appearances of the season out of the bullpen before manager Oliver Marmol elected to expand the rotation to six men last week during a busy portion of the schedule. The southpaw was sharp in his first start April 16, claiming a win while limiting the Astros to one run on two hits and no walks over five innings. Despite Matz's strong outing, the Cardinals moved him back to the bullpen to begin the current week, with an off day Thursday allowing the team to temporarily condense the rotation to five men. Matz was called upon in relief in the Cardinals' 10-4 victory over Atlanta on Tuesday, when he recorded his second win of the season while tossing 2.2 scoreless innings. St. Louis will likely stay away from Matz for this weekend's series versus Milwaukee before reinserting him into the rotation early next week.

Mayza (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for roughly six weeks, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

A strained left shoulder sent Mayza to the injured list Saturday, and he appears to be in store for a multi-month absence. He'll be re-evaluated at the end of his six-week rest period, at which point he may be cleared to begin a throwing program.

Pagan worked a perfect ninth inning with no strikeouts Wednesday to record his fifth save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Marlins.

The veteran right-hander needed only nine pitches (eight strikes) to dispatch the heart of Miami's order on three fly balls to right field. Pagan continues to get the job done as Cincinnati's closer, posting a 2.38 ERA, 0.44 WHIP and 9:1 K:BB through 11.1 innings while converting five of six save chances.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after Wednesday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Phillies that Diaz left the game with a left hip cramp, Tim Healey of Newsday reports. "We'll see what we got," Mendoza said, in reference to Diaz's injury.

After retiring the side in the top of the ninth inning to preserve a 2-2 tie, Diaz came back out for the top of the 10th. He struck out Kyle Schwarber and then surrendered an RBI single to Nick Castellanos before summoning training staff to the mound. The Mets quickly removed Diaz from the contest, but Mendoza seemed to downplay the injury when speaking to the media shortly after the game concluded. That said, Diaz could be sent in for precautionary tests to determine if he's dealing with anything more serious than cramping, so fantasy managers will want to keep a close eye on his status heading into the four-game series in Washington that begins Friday.

Diaz was removed from Wednesday's appearance against the Phillies in the 10th inning due to a possible hip injury, SNY.tv reports.

Diaz was working a second inning and stepped off the rubber before calling for a trainer. He appeared to be pointing to his left hip and then walked off the field without any assistance. Diaz was charged with one unearned run in 1.1 frames before departing. The Mets should offer an update on the closer's condition soon.

Casparius will serve as the opening pitcher for the Dodgers in a bullpen game Wednesday against the Cubs, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Casparius' longest appearance this season came one week ago, when he threw three innings and 47 pitches against the Rockies. He last pitched Sunday, covering 1.2 frames versus the Rangers. The right-hander will be followed by a parade of Dodgers relievers.

The Cubs selected Pomeranz's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

The Cubs acquired Pomeranz via trade from the Mariners on Monday with the intention of adding him to the big-league roster, and the move is now official. He posted a 4.66 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 14:6 K:BB across 9.2 innings at the Triple-A level this season. If and when Pomeranz makes an appearance for the Cubs, it will be his first at the major-league level since 2021.

The Cubs optioned Hollowell to Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Hollowell struck out two in two perfect innings in his lone appearance with the big club. The Cubs will replace him in the bullpen with left-hander Drew Pomeranz, whom the team acquired from the Mariners earlier in the week.

Trivino allowed five earned runs on three hits -- including two home runs -- and a walk over two-thirds of an inning in Tuesday's 11-3 loss to Milwaukee. He also hit one batter.

The veteran reliever entered the game for Jordan Hicks in the sixth, inheriting two runners with no outs. Trivino retired the first batter he faced, but things unraveled from there, as he surrendered a grand slam and a two-run home run before being pulled. The right-hander now owns a 6.97 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and a 10:5 K:BB across 10.1 innings in nine appearances this season.

Bender gave up a hit in a scoreless eighth inning to record his second hold of the season in Tuesday's win over the Reds.

The right-hander continues to be a reliable -- if not exactly dominant -- high-leverage arm in the Marlins' bullpen. Bender has a 1.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 7:5 K:BB through 10 innings with one win and one save in addition to his holds, but he hasn't been called upon to protect a ninth-inning lead since April 1. Calvin Faucher and Jesus Tinoco appear to be the preferred closing options for manager Clayton McCullough at the moment.