MLB Player News

Tonkin (0-1) took the loss Friday as Atlanta fell 5-4 to the Padres, giving up one run on one hit and one walk over two innings while striking out one.

The 33-year-old righty hadn't pitched in the majors since 2017, but he won one of the final spots in the bullpen this spring and has been solid in a low-leverage role so far, posting a 3.38 ERA, 0.56 WHIP and 4:1 K:BB through 5.1 innings over three appearances. Tonkin has no minor-league options remaining, so he would be subject to waivers if Atlanta tried to send him down to Triple-A Gwinnett for a fresh arm.

Murfee (1-1) recorded the win Friday against the Guardians, firing a scoreless fifth inning during which he issued a walk.

Murfee needed just 11 pitches, seven of which found the strike zone, to get through his one frame following a four-inning start from Logan Gilbert. Murfee has been busy early in the new season, with Friday's outing already marking his fifth appearance of the campaign. Murfee's ERA remains unblemished, and the one hit he allowed to the Guardians in his first outing of the season March 31 is the only one he's conceded through 4.1 frames.

Leiter tossed a perfect inning of relief with a strikeout to earn a hold in Friday's win over the Rangers.

Starter Marcus Stroman pitched six scoreless innings, followed by Leiter in the seventh, and then two more scoreless frames from Michael Fulmer to preserve a 2-0 win. The Cubs hadn't played since Tuesday, so they should have had a fresh bullpen but still decided to use Leiter in a key spot for his first hold of the season. That could be a good sign for the righty's future outlook, though Fulmer and Brad Boxberger still figure to be ahead of him in the bullpen pecking order.

Mantiply (shoulder) threw to live batters Friday at Salt River Fields, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Mantiply faced batters for the first time after hurling two bullpen sessions this week. The lefty threw 20 pitches and awaits the next step, which could be a rehab assignment.

Jameson (2-0) allowed one walk while striking out one over 2.1 scoreless relief innings to pick up the win in Friday's 6-3 victory over the Dodgers.

Jameson, who lost out on the fifth starter job in spring training, has thrived as a reliever. In three appearances, the right-hander earned two wins and a save while never pitching fewer than two innings. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo appears to have made a shrewd decision in moving him to the 'pen in a multi-inning role instead of having him start in the minors. The dark lining to this silver cloud are the two home runs and five walks allowed along with an unsustainable .158 BABIP, which project a 6.23 FIP. Fortunately for Jameson and the D-backs, both homers were solo shots and the free passes have not hurt.

Castro walked one and struck out two over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn his first hold in Friday's 6-3 comeback win over the Dodgers.

Castro gave the Diamondbacks four outs before giving way to Andrew Chafin for the save. Castro has yet to allow a run or hit in three outings while walking two and fanning five over 3.2 innings. As manager Torey Lovullo navigates end-game roles, he'll continue to mix and match relievers. Both Castro and Chafin have earned high-leverage opportunities late in games.

Perez (1-0) allowed a run on three hits and struck out one over one inning to earn the win Friday over the Yankees.

Perez has had some mixed results through 4.1 innings across four appearances this season. He's struck out five without walking a batter, but he's been tagged for two runs and seven hits. Perez has worked in a high-leverage role as expected, though he's unlikely to challenge Felix Bautista for ninth-inning work.

Romano picked up the save Friday against the Angels without allowing a run or a hit.

While Romano didn't issue a strikeout, that's mostly because the Angels were aggressive and forced the right-hander to throw just six pitches -- five of those for strikes. He is now up to four saves on the young year, and he hasn't allowed an earned run in any of his appearances.

Chafin struck out two over 0.2 innings in the ninth inning of a 6-3 win over the Dodgers on Friday. He walked one.

Chafin walked Freddie Freeman after coming into the game with one out, but he was able to strike out J.D. Martinez and Max Muncy swinging to end the game, failing to record his second save of the year only because he didn't pitch the requisite one inning. The left-hander has not allowed an earned run in four appearances.

Naughton is being evaluated by doctors after leaving Friday's outing with left forearm tightness, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Naughton looked to be in pain before leaving Friday's relief appearance against the Brewers. He should be considered day-to-day, but a trip to the injured list for a fresh arm cannot be ruled out.