MLB Player News
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Dennis Santana RP | PIT
Pirates' Dennis Santana: Clean ninth inning
Santana allowed one walk but no hits across one scoreless inning in Saturday's game against the Rockies.
Santana has pitched in both of Pittsburgh's games to begin 2026, and he has yet to allow an earned run. His usage Saturday was particularly notable, as he entered the game in the ninth inning with the score knotted at 0-0. Manager Don Kelly noted shortly before the new season began that Santana may not get every save chance, though Santana's clearly still a high-leverage arm for the Pirates and should work in plenty of save situations.
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Orion Kerkering RP | PHI
Phillies' Orion Kerkering: Begins rehab assignment
Kerkering (hamstring) threw a clean inning in Saturday's minor-league rehab appearance for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, striking out one.
Kerkering, who's working his way back from a Grade 1 right hamstring strain, is next expected to pitch in consecutive games Sunday and Monday, per MLB.com. Once he's cleared to join Philadelphia's bullpen, Kerkering is likely to operate primarily as a setup man for closer Jhoan Duran in 2026.
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Edwin Uceta RP | TB
Rays' Edwin Uceta: Progressing in throwing program
Uceta (shoulder) threw live batting practice Friday, per MLB.com.
Another session is on tap for Uceta on Tuesday, and the hope is that a minor-league rehab assignment will be on the horizon shortly thereafter. The right-hander was in contention to begin the season as one of Tampa Bay's closer options, and it sounds like Uceta has a chance to return from right shoulder soreness and make his season debut by late April. It's worth noting that Griffin Jax has already blown two saves in as many appearances to start the year.
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David Bednar RP | NYY
Yankees' David Bednar: Registers second save
Bednar earned the save Saturday against the Giants, allowing no runs on one hit and one walk in one inning. He struck out one.
It was Bednar's second save in as many outings to begin the new campaign. The right-hander wasn't at his sharpest Saturday, throwing just 12 of his 20 pitches for strikes, but he was able to induce a Patrick Bailey double play to seal the deal. Bednar tossed five scoreless appearances during Grapefruit League play, and he appears to be picking up right where he left off this spring.
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Carlos Estevez RP | KC
Royals' Carlos Estevez: Implodes in season debut
Estevez (0-1) took the loss and a blown save Saturday against Atlanta, allowing six runs on four hits and two walks in one-third of an inning.
It was a nightmarish season debut for Estevez, who failed to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning. After showing diminished velocity during spring training, the right-hander's fastball topped out at 92.3 mph Saturday over his 23 pitches, which appears to be a major concern after he averaged 95.9 mph on his four-seamer last season. There's still time for him to find his form as Kansas City's closer, but the Royals have capable alternatives in Lucas Erceg and Matt Strahm if Estevez can't steady the ship.
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Reynaldo Lopez RP | ATL
Braves' Reynaldo Lopez: Six strong innings in season debut
Lopez took a no-decision Saturday against the Royals, allowing one run on three hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out three.
Lopez might not have been overly dominant in his season debut, but he kept the Royals quiet until Salvador Perez opened the scoring with a seventh-inning solo shot. It was particularly encouraging to see the right-hander get his fastball velocity as high as 97 mph, considering he was rarely breaking 90 mph this spring after missing most of 2025 due to shoulder surgery. Lopez tossed 77 pitches Saturday, and he'll be trying to further build himself up during his next scheduled outing in Arizona.
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Pete Fairbanks RP | MIA
Marlins' Pete Fairbanks: Notches second save
Fairbanks earned the save in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Rockies, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
Fairbanks was called on to protect a one-run lead in the ninth and needed just nine pitches to do so. He could be unavailable Sunday after notching saves on back-to-back nights, but the 32-year-old appears to have a firm grip on the closer's role following a strong start with his new club.
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Robert Garcia RP | TEX
Rangers' Robert Garcia: Unable to close door on Phillies
Garcia surrendered two unearned runs on one hit and one walk while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning during Saturday's 5-4 win over the Phillies.
With the Rangers leading 3-0 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, manager Skip Schumaker called Garcia's number in Texas' first save situation of the season. Garcia struck out Kyle Schwarber and got Bryce Harper to ground out to begin the frame. After dispatching those tough lefty batters, the southpaw reliever ran into trouble against two righty batters. Alec Bohm singled ahead of a walk by pinch hitter Edmundo Sosa. Garcia was then pulled in favor of Chris Martin, but Martin was unable to close the door after a Jake Burger error opened the flood gates. The early pull helped Garcia avoid a blown save, but it's clear he was the first option to close out the game. Both he and Martin are expected to get save chances for Texas this season.
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Chris Martin RP | TEX
Rangers' Chris Martin: Blows first save opportunity
Martin (1-0) blew the save but came away with the win in Saturday's 5-4 victory over the Phillies. He allowed one unearned run on two hits and struck out one while recording one out.
With the Rangers up 3-0, manager Skip Schumaker actually called on Robert Garcia to open the ninth inning. However, Garcia recorded just two outs while allowing one hit and one walk with one strikeout before giving way to Martin to protect the 3-0 lead. Martin surrendered two hits and three runs, two of which were charged to Garcia, to send the game to an extra inning. With neither pitcher faring well in their first outing of the season, Garcia would seem to continue to hold the slight edge for save opportunities for Texas.
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Emilio Pagan RP | CIN
Reds' Emilio Pagan: Suffers first blown save
Pagan was charged with a blown save in Saturday's extra-innings win against the Red Sox, giving up a solo homer with two strikeouts and no walks over 1.1 innings.
Pagan has always been a little prone to giving up home runs, including 10 during the 2025 regular season, and served up a two-out solo shot to Wilyer Abreu in the ninth inning Saturday to blow the save. The right-hander converted 32 of 38 opportunities with a 2.88 ERA last season and inked a two-year, $20 million contract in December, so the early blown save shouldn't alter his job security.