MLB Player News

Manager Pat Murphy said Sunday that Zerpa (forearm) is deciding whether or not to undergo Tommy John surgery, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The left-hander landed on the injured list Wednesday due to forearm tightness, and he could end up being out for the season and beyond. Even if Zerpa doesn't end up needing Tommy John surgery, he seems likely to be sidelined for multiple months.

Okert will operate as the Astros' opening pitcher in Monday's series opener against the Dodgers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Okert will make his first start of the 2026 campaign, helping bridge the gap in Houston's rotation ahead of Peter Lambert's expected start Tuesday. The right-hander has appeared in 17 contests so far this season, posting a 4.20 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 10 strikeouts over 15 innings. The Astros haven't specified whether a pitcher will work in bulk relief behind Okert, but Ryan Weiss is the freshest arm in the bullpen who's capable of covering multiple innings.

Dubin signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Friday.

Dubin made his organizational debut Sunday with Triple-A Rochester, tossing a scoreless inning out of the bullpen. The right-handed reliever most recently saw action at the big-league level with Houston and Baltimore in 2025, when he turned in a 5.08 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across 33.2 innings.

Atlanta outrighted Payamps to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday after he cleared waivers.

The right-hander was designated for assignment by Atlanta on Friday, but he'll remain in the organization after passing through waivers unclaimed. Payamps has surrendered seven earned runs over 7.2 innings during his time in the big leagues this year.

Smith will be sidelined at least a couple weeks after the White Sox announced Sunday that he suffered a right rotator cuff strain, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Smith presumably sustained the injury during his previous start for Triple-A Charlotte last week, during which he fired two scoreless frames. The right-hander opened the campaign in the White Sox's rotation but was demoted in early April after surrendering 10 earned runs with a 11:9 K:BB through his first three starts.

The Tigers designated Holman for assignment Sunday.

Holman will be moved off an organization's 40-man roster for the fourth time in just under three months, as the Athletics, Diamondbacks and Dodgers had all previously designated him for assignment. Since Holman hasn't been previously outrighted, he'll have to accept an assignment to Triple-A Toledo if he clears waivers. The right-hander had made three appearances (one start) for Toledo since being claimed by the Tigers on April 11, logging a 6.75 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and 3:2 K:BB over four innings.

Topa picked up the save in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Blue Jays despite allowing two runs on four hits in the ninth inning.

It didn't come easy for Topa on Sunday after the right-hander entered with a three-run lead. He gave up four hits in the frame, including a two-run homer to Kazuma Okamoto, though he ultimately coaxed a double play off the bat of Lenyn Sosa to strand the tying and go-ahead runs on base. It's Topa's second save this season and his first since April 7. His ERA sits at 4.70 with a 1.63 WHIP and 9:6 K:BB across 15.1 innings.

The Angels selected Saucedo's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.

Saucedo joined the Halos on a minor-league deal in February and will get a look in the big leagues after giving up seven earned runs with a 15:11 K:BB over 14.2 innings with Salt Lake. The left-hander made 10 appearances for the Angels last season and had a 7.43 ERA across 13.1 frames.

Poulin will serve as the Nationals' opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Zack Littell had been in line to start but will instead handle a bulk-relief assignment. Poulin has opened on four other occasions this season, covering 4.1 innings in those games while yielding one earned run on four hits and no walks.

Crochet (shoulder) was able to play catch Sunday for the first time since landing on the injured list Wednesday, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

The Red Sox plan to proceed cautiously with Crochet while he works his way through left shoulder inflammation, but the club is optimistic that it caught the injury before it became a greater concern. For his part, Crochet believes that he'll be ready to return from the IL when first eligible May 12, but the two-time All-Star still has a few more checkpoints to hit in his recovery before rejoining the rotation.