MLB Player News

Gusto (2-1) picked up the win in Friday's 6-4 victory over the Padres, giving up two runs on nine hits over five innings. He struck out two without walking a batter.

A two-homer game from rookie Cam Smith gave Gusto all the offense he needed, as the 26-year-old right-hander pounded the strike zone by tossing 51 of his 68 pitches for strikes before exiting. He's held his own in the big-league rotation, and through six appearances (two starts) on the season he's posted a 3.18 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 17:3 K:BB through 17 innings, but with Lance McCullers (forearm) potentially returning before the end of the month, Gusto could be headed back to the bullpen soon enough. If he gets one more turn, it would line up to come at home next week against the Blue Jays.

Clase recorded his third save of the season in Friday's 10-7 win over the Pirates, walking one and striking out one in one-third of an inning.

The Guardians took a 10-2 lead in the top of the seventh inning, but after Tim Herrin, Jakob Junis and Paul Sewald were all tagged for runs, Clase was forced onto the mound in the ninth to get the final out. The right-hander has had a shaky start to the season, posting a 6.48 ERA, 2.04 WHIP and 9:2 K:BB through 8.1 innings while blowing one of his first four save chances, but Clase's 34.4 percent whiff rate is actually a career high and his .467 BABIP is due for major regression.

Jax (0-2) took the loss in Friday's 6-4 loss to Atlanta. He allowed four runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one over one-third of an inning.

Jax began the eighth inning with a three-run lead but couldn't hit his spots and wasn't helped by a shaky defense. It's his second poor outing in a row that has cost the Twins a lead. He has an ugly 11.25 ERA and 2.13 WHIP so far this season. He does have a strong 12:3 K:BB in eight innings with an unsustainable .480 BABIP, so there's plenty of reasons to believe he'll turn his season around. Still, he may see usage in lower-leverage spots the next few games to get him back on track.

Stewart (hamstring) will be activated from the 15-day IL on Sunday, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Stewart left a spring training appearance March 15 with a left hamstring strain and began the season on the injured list. He then had a setback in early April that delayed his return. He's made two minor league rehab appearances and says he's back to full strength. He should immediately have a prominent setup role when he returns.

Megill recorded the final two outs to earn the save in Friday's 5-3 win over the Athletics.

Bryan Hudson began the ninth inning but allowed three of the first four batters to reach base. Megill allowed an inherited runner to score on a sacrifice fly before inducing a groundout from Shea Langeliers to end the threat. This was Megill's second save in three chances this season, though his last opportunity ended in disaster when he blew a save versus the Diamondbacks last Saturday. Megill is now at a 4.26 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 8:4 K:BB over 6.1 innings this season. He has a loose grip on the closer job for the Brewers, in large part due to an ongoing issue with his knee.

Fernandez (0-2) took the loss after giving up a home run in the ninth inning Friday against the Mets.

Before Fernandez was able to record an out, Francisco Lindor took him deep to walk it off for the Mets. Ryan Helsley last pitched in Wednesday's win over the Astros, so he likely would have been called upon had it been a save situation as opposed to a tie game. Fernandez remains miles from fantasy relevance in the majority of formats to begin the season, holding a 9.00 ERA, 2.14 WHIP and 4:4 K:BB over seven innings.

Scott allowed two hits in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-0 win over the Rangers.

Scott made things a little interesting by putting two runners on base with one out, but he induced a double-play grounder from Josh Jung to end the threat. Scott is up to seven saves in eight opportunities, and he's added two holds. The 30-year-old southpaw has a 2.45 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 10:0 K:BB over 11 innings this season. He's not overwhelming with velocity, but he is one of the Dodgers' most trusted relievers, so he should remain the primary closer as long as he's getting the job done.

Kahnle struck out a batter and gave up a walk in two-thirds of an inning to collect his fourth save of the season in Friday's 7-3 win over the Royals.

The Tigers put Kenta Maeda on the mound with a 7-1 lead to begin the ninth inning, but he was pulled after allowing a run and loading the bases while recording just one out. Kahnle then took the hill and walked the first batter he saw to make it a 7-3 ballgame, but the 35-year-old bounced back by striking out Cavan Biggio and getting Drew Waters to line out, putting an end to Friday's festivities. With four saves on the year, Kahnle has seemingly taken a firm hold of the closer job in Detroit and now owns a 1.17 ERA and 0.52 WHIP through 7.2 innings.

Loaisiga (elbow) is scheduled to throw a live bullpen session Sunday, will toss another live bullpen after that and could begin a minor-league rehab assignment shortly thereafter, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Loaisiga underwent an internal brace procedure on his right elbow last April, putting him just over 12 months post-surgery. The veteran reliever began throwing to hitters this past Wednesday and seems to have come away without any setbacks given his scheduled live session Sunday. Once Loaisiga's rehab assignment kicks off he'll likely need several weeks to ramp up, but there's a chance he could be back in the big-league club's bullpen by late May.

Iglesias pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Friday's 6-4 win over the Twins.

Atlanta's five-run rally in the eighth inning created a save situation, and Iglesias took care of business. The closer hadn't pitched since Saturday -- Atlanta went 1-3 over its previous three games entering Friday, and the one win didn't yield a save opportunity. He's allowed a run in three of his seven appearances this season while converting three of four save chances. The right-hander is at a 3.86 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 7:1 K:BB across seven innings.