MLB Player News

Martin allowed one hit over a scoreless seventh inning and recorded a hold in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Tigers.

Boston's bullpen leads the majors with 32.2 innings thrown and has held up well. Martin's logged four straight scoreless appearances out of the gate and has two holds. The 36-year-old is part of the setup crew along with Ryan Brasier and John Schreiber.

Brasier allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one over a scoreless eighth inning to earn his first hold in Thursday's 6-3 win over Detroit.

Brasier made his third consecutive scoreless appearance following an Opening Day meltdown, during which he allowed three runs on two hits, two walks, a hit batsman and threw a wild pitch. This was the first time a save opportunity was presented to Boston, and manager Alex Cora signaled his confidence in Brasier by using him in a setup role.

Vargas allowed two walks and hit a batter over a scoreless ninth inning in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Vargas managed to escape with his first scoreless outing despite loading the bases with one out. All three of the hard-throwing right-hander's appearances have come in Diamondbacks' losses. Vargas has given up two runs on three hits (one HR) and three walks while striking out six over three games.

Weathers is likely to make one more spot start for the Padres before Joe Musgrove (toe) returns, MLB.com reports.

Weathers pitched well in his season debut versus the Diamondbacks and is lined up for another turn Monday against the Mets. After Musgrove's return, the left-handed Weathers will slide back to a long-relief role or perhaps join the Triple-A El Paso rotation.

Junis (2-0) allowed two hits and two walks while striking out four over four scoreless innings Thursday to earn the win over the White Sox.

Junis has won both of his appearances this season, allowing just one run over 6.1 innings. He was efficient Thursday, throwing 44 of 69 pitches for strikes after starter Alex Wood needed 71 pitches to complete three frames. Junis' role as a swingman is clearly paying off when he can vulture some wins, but that's not a particularly reliable source of fantasy value. He's unlikely to be called upon for a few days after this long-relief assignment.

Graterol wasn't available for Thursday's game against Arizona due to back tightness, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed after the team's 5-2 win that he didn't use Graterol in the contest because the reliever's back tightened up in the middle of the game. Evan Phillips ended up nabbing his second save of the campaign, and he may be emerging as the team's first choice in closing situations. It's unclear if Graterol's back issue will cause him to miss additional time.

Phillips earned a save against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning of work.

Phillips got the call with Los Angeles up by three runs heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, and the right-hander retired the side in order to notch his second save in three days. It's worth noting that Brusdar Graterol was unavailable due to a tight back, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com, but manager Dave Roberts implied that he would have used Graterol in the eighth frame. It would be premature to label Phillips as the Dodgers' full-time closer, but he's earned both of the team's single-inning saves thus far and has has yet to allow a run through three innings this season.

Johnson picked up a save against the Nationals on Thursday, striking out two batters in a perfect ninth inning.

Johnson was called upon in the ninth inning to close out a rare 1-0 Coors Field game, and he succeeded with ease, needing just nine pitches -- eight of which were strikes -- to retire the side in order. The right-hander struck out two in the frame, giving him seven punchouts over three innings so far this season. Daniel Bard was expected to open the season as the Rockies' closer, but he's currently on the injured list while he deals with anxiety. Johnson has stepped in to notch both of Colorado's saves thus far, and he has an opportunity to dig his heels into the closer role with Bard's timeline for a return uncertain.

Cimber struck out one and did not allow a baserunner in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Thursday against the Royals.

He took advantage of a rare save chance, as Jordan Romano was unavailable after pitching each of the last two days. Cimber had little trouble protecting a three-run lead, inducing two groundball outs before striking out MJ Melendez to end the game. Cimber has turned in four scoreless innings to begin the season, though he has walked two and also hit a batter.

Englert, who tossed 1.1 scoreless innings in Thursday's loss to the Red Sox, now has a 1.69 ERA and 0.94 WHIP this season.

It's a small sample size of just 5.1 innings, but Englert has looked good out of the bullpen. The righty only has one strikeout, however, so he may not be able to sustain his success if he doesn't miss more bats. Englert is locked into a middle-relief role for now, which limits his fantasy appeal, though he could see higher-leverage work down the road if he continues to pitch well.