MLB Player News

Hoffman (1-0) allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in one inning Monday. He struck out one, blew a save chance and earned a win over the Phillies.

Hoffman coughed up the 3-1 lead in the ninth inning after Jose Alvarado worked a clean eighth but the Phillies quickly took the lead back in the 10th to get Hoffman the victory. Hoffman had turned in 4.1 scoreless frames prior to Monday's hiccup. As of now, Alvarado still appears to be the team's top ninth-inning option.

Soto allowed one hit in a scoreless frame Monday, striking out two and earning a save over the Cardinals.

Soto was in a first-and-third jam with just one out but punched out Nolan Gorman and Nolan Arenado to close out the 5-3 win in the 10th inning. This came after Jeff Hoffman blew a save chance in the ninth. Soto now has a save and two holds with a 5:0 K:BB through 3.2 shutout frames.

Diaz picked up the save Monday against Milwaukee. He pitched a scoreless inning, allowing one walk and no hits, with no strikeouts.

Diaz entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead but didn't pitch as cleanly as his line looks. Not only did he walk Christian Yelich in the inning, but he also beaned Sal Frelick before wrapping up the save with a Rhys Hoskins flyball. Diaz remains the main saves option in Cincinnati despite his rocky start with a 7.20 ERA and 1.60 WHIP over his first five appearances.

Wentz logged two scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts in Monday's loss to the Pirates, and he now has a 1.69 ERA across three appearances this season.

It's a small sample size of just 5.1 total innings, but Wentz has pitched well, pairing a 1.13 WHIP and six strikeouts with the strong ERA. The southpaw has retired more than three batters in all of his outings so far, so it looks like he'll be trusted as a long reliever moving forward. It's not the most fantasy-friendly role, though Wentz could steal a few wins here and there.

Banks (0-1) was saddled with his first loss, allowing one run on two hits over 2.1 innings during Monday's 4-0 defeat to the Guardians. He struck out five.

Banks served as the opener and showed very well as he threw 43 pitches and worked into the third inning while recording all five outs by way of the strikeout. Banks' previous two outings only lasted one inning each and totaled 40 pitches, but the White Sox allowed him to top that combined total during Monday's loss. The pitch count was not entirely unfamiliar territory for Banks, who worked as many as four innings last season, topping 50 pitches in seven outings.

Merryweather (ribs/back) underwent additional testing Monday and it was determined that he is dealing with a rib stress fracture in his back, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Merryweather was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a right shoulder strain, but manager Craig Counsell announced his updated injury status Monday, stating that the right hander will be shut down from throwing for four weeks. Merryweather is now set to be on the shelf well past the minimum stay on the IL and in the meantime, Daniel Palencia will likely stick around the major-league bullpen.

The Dodgers optioned Varland to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Varland will return to Triple-A after being recalled by the Dodgers on April 6. He pitched against the Cubs on April 7, when he gave up two runs (one earned) on one hit over 0.1 innings. Prior to his call-up, Varland appeared in three games for OKC, giving up two runs on one hit and one walk over 3.2 innings.

Soriano will enter the Angels rotation and start Wednesday against the Rays in Anaheim, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The Angels stretched Soriano out in spring training before putting him back in the bullpen once the season began. However, with Chase Silseth (elbow) heading to the injured list, Soriano will now get a look in the rotation. Soriano came up as a starter in the minors and made two starts with Double-A Rocket City in 2023, but all 40 of his appearances in the majors to this point have come in relief. The 25-year-old has standout stuff with a fastball that regularly hits triple digits, but he also has two Tommy John surgeries under his belt and his professional high in innings is 82.1, which came back in 2019. Still, he may bring enough upside to the table for managers in deeper fantasy leagues to pick him up on speculation.

Zuniga was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday with a right pectoral strain.

Zuniga evidently must have suffered the injury during Sunday's appearance against the Red Sox when he allowed four baserunners without recording an out. There's no timetable at this point for how long he might be sidelined.

Headrick was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A St. Paul on Monday with a forearm strain, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.

The left-hander presumably suffered the injury during his start against Nashville on Saturday, when he struck out seven across five scoreless innings. Headrick doesn't have an official timeline for his return, but the fact it's an forearm injury likely means he'll be out beyond the 7-day minimum.