MLB Player News

Weems will serve as the 27th man for the Nationals in Saturday's doubleheader against the Pirates, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

It's an extra bullpen arm for the Nats in the twin bill versus Pittsburgh. Weems, 30, has posted a 1.93 ERA with 13 strikeouts through 9.1 innings this season at Triple-A Rochester.

Hall was called up to serve as the 27th man for the Orioles in Saturday's doubleheader against the Tigers, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Hall will give the O's an extra arm in long relief as they navigate through the twin bill in Detroit. The highly-touted 24-year-old lefty has posted a 4.41 ERA and 20:9 K:BB in 16.1 innings (four starts) this season at Triple-A Norfolk.

Kelly recorded the final out of Friday's 3-2 win over the White Sox to record his first career save.

Pete Fairbanks got the call in the ninth inning for the Rays as expected, but after hitting one batter and walking another with two outs, he exited the game complaining of numbness in his fingers, forcing Kelly to finish things out. Fairbanks has dealt with this issue before -- he has Raynaud's syndrome, which impacts blood flow to the extremities in colder temperatures -- but if he ends up missing additional time, Jason Adam seems more likely to handle the bulk of the closing duties for the Rays. Kelly hasn't pitched badly as a Rule 5 rookie, however, posting a 4.20 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB through his first 15 big-league innings with two wins and a hold -- plus Friday's save -- in nine appearances.

Romano struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his ninth save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Mariners.

He fired 11 of 14 pitches for strikes to move into a tie for the league lead in saves with Josh Hader and Emmanuel Clase. Romano has been scored upon only twice in 12 appearances to begin the season, and as the season progresses, his 3.18 ERA and 1.24 WHIP figure to continue coming down to something closer to the 2.13 and 1.03 marks he's posted over the last two years since taking over ninth-inning duties for Toronto.

Rucker (1-1) allowed a run on two hits without retiring a batter to take the loss Friday against the Marlins. He also hit two batters.

Rucker got the bottom of the ninth inning in a 2-2 game and struggled mightily. He allowed a leadoff single to Jorge Soler, then plunked both Luis Arraez and Avisail Garcia with pitches. That loaded the bases for Jean Segura, who plated the winning run on a single. Rucker had come into the contest with six straight scoreless outings and still carries a solid 3.38 ERA overall, so he should be able to rebound from the tough performance.

Rodriguez (oblique) threw a bullpen session Friday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora was positive about the results and said Rodriguez will next throw live batting practice. The reliever opened the season on the 15-day injured list.

Martin (shoulder) could be activated Sunday if he checks out OK after Friday's rehab outing, Christoper Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Boston manager Alex Cora described it as a "good chance" Martin will be available for the Red Sox this weekend. Martin threw an inning for Triple-A Worcester on Friday, allowing a pair of unearned runs and two hits. Presumably, the Red Sox will want to see how Martin responds Saturday before making a decision on activating him.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo refrained from calling Chafin the team's closer Friday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Despite the continued use of Chafin in save situations, Lovullo would only go as far as saying the reliever was "maybe" his top option. The manager said he might pivot away from Chafin if a situation dictates it. "I don't have a problem running him out there right-left-right," Lovullo said. "But if it's a wall of righties and it's a good matchup for a right-handed pitcher, I would probably go in a different direction." Chafin has converted four of five opportunities so far.

Alvarado picked up the save in Friday's 3-1 win over the Astros. He struck out two over a perfect ninth inning.

The southpaw has been one of the best closers in the league to start off the year, though he's still splitting duties with Craig Kimbrel. Alvarado has allowed just one earned run over 12.1 innings, and his five saves are tied for fifth in MLB. Additionally, he has a 0.49 WHIP and impressive 24:0 K:BB.

Thielbar threw a scoreless inning with a walk while striking out two in Friday's 8-6 win over the Royals. He earned his seventh hold.

Thielbar is off to a strong start to the season with a 2.25 ERA and 10 strikeouts in eight innings with two walks. He's working as the top lefty in the bullpen, but he may not be in the mix for saves since he's behind Jorge Lopez, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran.