MLB Player News

Hjelle made the fifth appearance of his rehab assignment Wednesday with Triple-A Sacramento, striking out two while allowing one hit over a scoreless inning.

Hjelle was placed on the 15-day injured list prior to Opening Day due to a mild right elbow strain, but he appears to be bouncing back from the injury well based on how he's fared on his rehab assignment thus far. Between stops with Sacramento and Single-A San Jose, The right-hander has permitted two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out seven over 5.1 innings. Hjelle seems to be preparing for a relief role with the Giants once he returns from the IL, though if San Francisco elects to option him to Sacramento upon his activation, he could get stretched back out to start.

The Mets optioned Hartwig to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The move clears a spot on the 26-man active roster for Michael Tonkin, whom the Mets claimed off waivers. Hartwig made one scoreless appearance during his brief time in the majors this month.

Diaz attributes his early-season velocity drop to his mechanics being a little off after he missed the entire 2023 season with a knee injury, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report.

The right-hander has averaged 96.6 mph with his four-seam fastball through his first seven appearances this season, down from the 99.1 mph he averaged in 2022 and even the 98.1 mph he averaged in April 2022. Diaz indicated Monday that he was pulling a bit to the first-base side with his delivery, something that seems like he should be able to correct fairly quickly. The velocity drop hasn't impacted his performance, as Diaz has converted all four of his save chances with an impressive 1.29 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB through seven innings.

Iglesias walked one in a scoreless 10th inning Wednesday to record his fifth save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Astros.

After Atlanta grabbed the lead in the top of the 10th, Iglesias walked Kyle Tucker on five pitches to lead off the bottom of the frame and set up a double play, and the right-hander got one from Jeremy Pena to end the game. Iglesias is still looking for his peak velocity -- he topped out at 94.6 mph with his sinker Wednesday, below last season's 95.0 mph average -- and he has just a 3:1 K:BB through his first 6.1 innings. However, the 34-year-old is 5-for-5 in converting save chances and sports a 2.84 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. His job as Atlanta's closer remains secure.

Gibaut (forearm) did not make a scheduled appearance for Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday in order to be further evaluated, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Gibaut had thrown 25 pitches in a rehab appearance Tuesday and was scheduled to pitch again the next day. The Reds had targeted April 20 as a return for the right-hander, but manager David Bell said it will likely take longer now. The team will know more after Gibaut visits a doctor, and the pitcher could have his rehab assignment paused.

Bednar allowed three earned runs on two hits and a walk while striking out two across two-thirds of an inning Wednesday against the Mets.

Bednar hadn't pitched since Friday, so the Pirates got him work, even with a five-run deficit. He allowed three of the first four batters he faced to reach base and allowed an earned run, though he managed to end his appearance with a pair of punchouts. His poor line was made worse when Josh Fleming allowed a pair of inherited runners to score. Bednar's allowed at least one earned run in four of his seven appearances and has an ERA of 13.50.

Wesneski (1-0) tossed four scoreless innings of relief to earn the win Wednesday against the Diamondbacks. He allowed just one hit and struck out two.

Wesneski was summoned from Triple-A Iowa earlier in the day, and he quickly made an impact. The righty pitched well for Iowa, posting a 2.53 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over 10.2 innings, and he has a chance to fill a long-relief role with the Cubs moving forward. Wesneski will have limited fantasy value unless he's able to enter the rotation at some point, which doesn't seem to be imminent.

Alvarado picked up the save Wednesday, allowing one hit and no walks with one strikeout over a scoreless inning against Colorado.

After keeping the Rockies off the scoreboard in the ninth inning Wednesday, Alvarado has now turned in eight straight scoreless appearances (7.2 innings) since his nightmare five-run 2024 debut. While it'll still take some time to get Alvarado's ERA down to an acceptable number, fantasy managers can take solace in knowing that Alvarado has looked like himself since turning the page on his March 29 outing.

Finnegan earned the save in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Dodgers, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.

Finnegan's now gone seven straight appearances (6.2 innings) without allowing an earned run. He's up to seven saves on the year, tying Ryan Helsley and Clay Holmes for the league lead. The 32-year-old Finnegan lowered his ERA to 3.24 with a 1.32 WHIP and 8:5 K:BB through his first 8.1 innings this season.

The Pirates optioned Hernandez to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Hernandez has allowed one earned run across 4.2 innings this season, but he will now return to the minors to free up a spot in Pittsburgh's bullpen. It's unclear who will come up from Triple-A to fill the left-hander's spot, but the team will announce a corresponding move Friday.