MLB Player News

The Orioles optioned Vespi to Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday.

Vespi was called up to the Orioles' 26-man roster for the season opener Thursday after Jacob Webb (personal) was placed on the team's paternity list. Vespi will now return to Triple-A and await his next call up to the majors. With Norfolk last season, Vespi posted a 2.33 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 41:13 K:BB over 38.2 innings while tallying seven saves.

Stanek was credited with a hold in the win over the Red Sox on Friday, allowing a hit and a walk over two-thirds of a scoreless inning. He struck out one.

Stanek was far from his sharpest, but the veteran setup man managed to prevent any damage to the Mariners' razor-thin one-run lead in the eighth with the help of Andres Munoz, who closed out the frame with runners on the corners. The fact Stanek was a bit rusty -- he threw just seven of 17 pitches for strikes -- isn't necessarily surprising, considering he worked just three innings for the Mariners in Cactus League play after being acquired from the Astros on March 8.

The Orioles reinstated Webb (personal) from the paternity list Saturday.

Webb missed the Orioles' season opener Thursday due to the birth of his child. He earned the last spot in Baltimore's bullpen by posting a 4.91 ERA over 7.1 innings in spring training.

Winckowski allowed one hit and two walks while striking out four over two relief innings in Friday's 1-0 loss to the Mariners.

Winckowski breezed through the seventh inning but ran into trouble in the eighth when he loaded the bases with two outs. Triston Casas made a nice defensive play to prevent any damage to Winckowski's line. Winckowski projects as a multi-inning reliever that can enter at any point during a game.

Ginkel allowed one hit over a scoreless ninth inning in Friday's 7-3 win over Colorado.

It wasn't a save situation, but Ginkel was given a soft entry to a ninth-inning role he's expected to occupy while closer Paul Sewald (oblique) is on the shelf. Sewald can come off the injured list April 9, but at the time of his setback, manager Torey Lovullo described the pitcher's absence as "weeks, not days," per Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Ginkel, who has closing experience, is the most logical fill-in candidate. Nothing should be read into him pitching in a non-save situation; Ginkel's previous outing was a week ago in a Cactus League game against the Giants.

Fleming gave up one run on two hits and a walk over three relief innings Friday to record his first save of the season in a 7-2 win over the Marlins. He struck out three.

The 27-year-old southpaw entered the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with the Pirates ahead by four runs already, and he never gave manager Derek Shelton a reason to turn to another pitcher. Fleming tossed 58 pitches (33 strikes) in the appearance and likely won't be available for a few days, which could prompt Pittsburgh to option him to Triple-A Indianapolis in favor of a fresh arm. The save was the second of his career, and his first back in 2021 for the Rays was also of the three-inning variety, so he's not a late-inning option for the Pirates.

Phillips picked up a save Friday versus the Cardinals, striking out one in a clean inning.

Phillips set down St. Louis in order in the ninth inning, closing out a three-run Los Angeles victory for his second save this year. The 29-year-old right-hander figures to be a steady source of saves this year, holding down the closing job on an elite Dodgers team. Phillips converted 24 of 27 save chances last season, pitching to a 2.05 ERA with a 0.83 WHIP and 66:13 K:BB across 61.1 innings.

Thompson dropped to 0-1 in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Dodgers after striking out four while allowing five earned runs on six hits and two walks over 5.1 innings.

All five of the runs charged to Thompson came via home runs, as the left-hander gave up solo homers in the first and second innings before Teoscar Hernandez added a three-run shot in the fourth. Thompson went 5-7 last season with a 4.48 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 72:25 K:BB across 66.1 innings. The southpaw figures to head back to the bullpen, or Triple-A Memphis, when Sonny Gray (hamstring) returns from the IL.

Pivetta dropped to 0-1 in Friday's 1-0 loss to the Mariners, allowing one run on three hits and zero walks while striking out 10 over six innings.

Pivetta was dominant, allowing his lone run on a J.P. Crawford solo homer in the sixth inning. However, the Red Sox couldn't solve George Kirby, saddling Pivetta with the loss. The 31-year-old right-hander is expected to be a major piece in Boston's rotation after going 10-9 with a 4.04 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 183:50 K:BB last season. He's in line for a road matchup next week against the A's.

Munoz earned the save in Friday's win over the Red Sox, striking out three over 1.1 scoreless innings.

Munoz came on in relief of Ryne Stanek with two outs in the eighth, coaxing a groundout off the bat of Trevor Story to strand the tying run at third base. Munoz would proceed to strike out the side in the ninth, closing out a 1-0 win for his first save of the year. The 25-year-old right-hander should have a firm grasp on the ninth-inning job in Seattle after tallying 13 saves last season while posting a 2.94 ERA with a 1.27 WHIP and 67:22 K:BB.