MLB Player News

Hand is expected to be part of a closer committee for the foreseeable future after interim manager Rob Thomson said Wednesday that Corey Knebel has been removed from the ninth-inning role, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The closing change comes after Knebel blew his fourth save of the season in Tuesday's 11-9 loss to the Marlins while walking two batters and allowing three unearned runs. Thomson didn't explicitly say which relievers would be part of the closing committee while Knebel is used in lower-leverage spots, but Hand and Seranthony Dominguez look to be the top two candidates to pick up saves. Hand, who has nabbed only one save in 2022 but recorded no fewer than 16 saves in any of the past five seasons, has been dependable in a setup role thus far for Philadelphia, accruing a 1.96 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 20:10 K:BB in 18.1 innings.

Castano was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville to start Wednesday's game against the Phillies, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Castano was sent to the minors in late May, and he posted a 3.71 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 17 innings over three starts in Jacksonville since his demotion. The southpaw's first three big-league appearances in 2022 came as a reliever, and he struck out two in four scoreless innings.

Miller is listed as the Rangers' starting pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Astros in Arlington.

Before he was called up to the big leagues last Friday, Miller started in four of his 12 appearances at Triple-A Round Rock, striking out 50 over 37.2 innings but struggling in the ratio categories (5.02 ERA, 1.56). The same day as his promotion, Miller made his Rangers debut in long relief and ceded one earned run over 2.1 innings. With Glenn Otto (illness) on the COVID-19-related injured list, Miller will now get the chance to enter the rotation, but the Rangers aren't likely to let the right-hander work much more than four or five innings Wednesday.

Clase pitched a clean 10th inning with no strikeouts to pick up his 12th save of the year in a 4-3, extra-inning win over the Rockies on Tuesday.

Clase was brought in to close out the game in the 10th inning, after the Guardians went ahead on a Jose Ramirez RBI double. Clase continues to motor along as the Guardians' closer and has now converted his last five save opportunities dating back to May 14. He boasts a 10.3 K/9 rate and sports a 1.90 xFIP to back up his excellent 1.78 ERA.

The Padres will call up Weathers from Triple-A El Paso to have him start Wednesday's game in Chicago against the Cubs, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Even with Mike Clevinger (illness) on the COVID-19-related injured list, the Padres still have six starters on hand, but Weathers will nonetheless be added to the mix amid a particularly heavy stretch of games for San Diego. As a rookie a season ago, Weathers impressed over his first handful of outings with the big club, but he faltered badly in the second half and was eventually moved to the bullpen. The 22-year-old lefty hasn't shown much improvement from a statistical standpoint while spending the entire 2022 campaign to date at Triple-A (7.29 ERA, 1.85 WHIP and 37:24 K:BB in 54.1 innings), so he's unlikely to have a long leash if he runs into trouble early Wednesday.

Manaea was charged with five earned runs on eight hits and a walk over four innings in a 12-5 victory over the Cubs on Tuesday. He struck out five and did not factor into the decision.

Manaea was roughed up by the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The damage was done early by Willson Contreras, who homered twice and drove in three runs over his first two at-bats. Manaea threw only 72 pitches before Padres manager Bob Melvin had seen enough and went to the bullpen. Manaea is still pitching in line with his preseason expectations, and despite his elevated 3.95 ERA, he has an attractive 9.4 K/9 and serviceable 1.15 WHIP. His next start is expected to be Tuesday against Arizona.

Pressly pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 12th save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Rangers on Tuesday.

The Astros closer gave up a couple of hits but managed to induce soft contact with runners on to get out of the inning unscathed. Pressly now has 12 saves on the year, a number which ties him for eighth overall. When healthy, Pressly has impressed in the closer role. He has converted nine straight save opportunities dating back to May 7.

Lopez recorded his ninth save of the season in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Blue Jays, striking out one over 1.2 perfect innings of relief.

After Cionel Perez ran into trouble in the eighth inning and allowed Toronto to get within a run, Lopez got the call to put out the fire and tossed an efficient 17 pitches (11 strikes) to secure the save. The converted starter hasn't given up an earned run in nearly a month, and while Lopez's 0.88 ERA and 0,88 WHIP through 30.2 innings aren't supported by his 23.1 percent strikeout rate and 10.7 percent walk rate, he continues to be very effective as Baltimore's closer.

Wilson (0-4) took the loss in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Cardinals, coughing up seven runs on 10 hits -- including three home runs -- and a walk over five innings. He struck out three.

All three long balls off Wilson came in the first two innings, with Paul Goldschmidt cranking two of them. The right-hander hadn't appeared in the majors since May 22 before being summoned for the twin bill, but he'd been pitching well for Triple-A Indianapolis, posting a 3.32 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB through 19 innings over three starts. Expect Wilson to get sent back to Indianapolis after this rough outing.

Cabrera allowed a run on two hits and struck out one in 1.1 innings, recording a hold in a 3-1 win over the Pirates in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader.

Cabrera allowed a solo home run to Yu Chang in the seventh inning, but that was all the run production the Pirates got in the matinee. Through 23 appearances, Cabrera has yet to allow more than one earned run in any outing this season. He's pitched to a 2.20 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 24:8 K:BB across 28.2 innings. The southpaw is one of the Cardinals' high-leverage relievers as he's picked up 10 holds, though most save chances have gone to Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley.