MLB Player News

Naughton left Friday's relief appearance against the Brewers with an apparent injury, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat notes.

Naughton was visited by Cardinals manager Oli Marmol and a trainer after he was seen flexing his left arm, and he exited the contest. Chris Stratton has replaced the southpaw after he went 0.2 innings without allowing a run.

Hader struck out two and delivered a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Friday against Atlanta. He allowed a hit and didn't walk a batter.

The left-hander surrendered a one-out single to Austin Riley but otherwise had no issues locking down the victory. Hader has looked as dominant as ever with a 5:0 K:BB through his first three outings of 2023.

Martinez gave up four runs on four hits and five walks across 4.2 innings during Friday's 5-4 win over Atlanta. He did not factor in the decision.

The 32-year-old was staked an early 3-0 lead but was unable to maintain the advantage. Martinez threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 23 batters he faced, but he struggled to put hitters away and tied a career high with five free passes. Through two starts, the right-hander has a 6.17 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 9:7 K:BB across 11.2 innings.

Sewald picked up the save in Friday's 5-3 win over the Guardians, striking out one over a perfect ninth inning.

After giving up two runs to the Angels in his last outing, Sewald bounced back with his second perfect inning of the campaign and notched his first save of the season. Through four innings, the right-hander has struck out three and walked two, but he figures to continue sharing closing duties with Andres Munoz, who pitched the eighth inning Friday.

Kimbrel picked up the save Friday in a 5-2 win over Reds, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one over a scoreless ninth.

Kimbrel entered with a three-run lead and allowed two baserunners before ultimately escaping any damage, picking up his first save of the year. The veteran right-hander hasn't looked sharp in any of his three outings this season, but it appears Kimbrel is still the top closing option for the Phillies, who may also utilize Seranthony Dominguez, Jose Alvarado and Gregory Soto in high-leverage situations.

Bautista walked one and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his third save of the season in a 7-6 win over the Yankees.

The big right-hander made things interesting, as Aaron Judge stole second and went to third on a wild pitch after his two-out walk, but Bautista got Anthony Rizzo to fly out to end the game. The O's closer got a late start to his spring to make sure his shoulder and knee were healthy, but it seems the plan worked as Bautista has a 7:2 K:BB through his first 3.2 innings in 2023.

Barlow earned a save over the Giants on Friday. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two batters over a scoreless inning.

In this third appearance of the season, Barlow finally got a save opportunity. He gave up a leadoff triple to Joc Pederson and issued a two-out walk but slammed the door by striking out Blake Sabol. Barlow has tossed three shutout frames to begin the year.

Crowe allowed two runs on three hits and a walk over three innings against the White Sox on Friday. He struck out four and picked up a save.

Crowe tossed the last three innings of Friday's 13-9 slugfest and picked up his first save of the season. He worked through two relatively easy innings before coughing up a pair of runs in the ninth. Crowe has thrown five frames in two appearances out of the bullpen, yielding two runs with a 4:2 K:BB.

Fulmer gave up a hit and struck out four over two scoreless innings Friday to record his first save of the season in a 2-0 win over the Rangers.

Neither Brad Boxberger nor Adbert Alzolay had pitched since Tuesday, but Cubs manager David Ross still elected to use Fulmer for multiple innings to close out the shutout, and the right-hander ultimately threw 28 pitches (18 strikes) as he picked up the team's first save of the year. The usage suggests that Ross might view Fulmer as more of a fireman than a pure ninth-inning arm, but he remains the favorite to finish the season leading the team in saves.

Phillips will not be available Friday against the Diamondbacks, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Phillips earned his second save of the season against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, but the right-hander will get the evening off for Friday's contest. Brusdar Graterol is available after missing Thursday's game with back tightness, so he could be tasked with the save chance if necessary.