MLB Player News

Mayza gave up a hit and struck out one in two-thirds of an inning to record his first hold of the season in Wednesday's win over the Red Sox.

The southpaw started the ninth inning in position for a save with the Jays up by three, but after facing the minimum three batters and getting two of them out, Mayza gave way to Anthony Castro with J.D. Martinez coming to the plate. Mayza has looked sharp to begin the season, giving up no runs in five innings over seven appearances with a 6:0 K:BB, which has earned him a spot in manager Charlie Montoyo's high-leverage crew.

Williams struck out two and walked one in one inning of relief, earning a hold in Wednesday's 4-2 win over San Diego.

The reigning NL Rookie of the Year is beginning to resemble his 2020 self after allowing runs in three of his first four appearances this season. Featuring a mid-90s fastball as merely a complement to his signature, late-sinking changeup, Williams displayed his propensity to baffle the best of hitters Wednesday by embarrassing Fernando Tatis with three straight changeups. Despite his slow start, the righty figures to be an elite fantasy asset in leagues that count holds.

Rogers pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, striking out three and earning the hold in Wednesday's 13-12, extra-innings loss to Oakland.

The lefty has yet to allow an earned run through six appearances in 2021, having struck out nine and walked only one. Rogers has been a reliable option in Minnesota's bullpen since 2016, and he figures to pitch in even more high-leverage situations going forward with top closer candidates Alex Colome and Hansel Robles both struggling. At an average velocity of 95.2 mph, the sidearmer is throwing his sinker harder than ever and appears well on his way to a dominant 2021 campaign.

Hartlieb was recalled by the Pirates on Thursday.

The Pirates need another pitcher with Chad Kuhl (shoulder) landing on the injured list. Hartlieb won't be taking Kuhl's rotation spot, as he hasn't started a single game as a professional. In 50 appearances at the major-league level, he's struggled to a 6.91 ERA and 1.83 WHIP.

Rainey struck out the side and gave up one hit in a scoreless seventh inning during Wednesday's win over the Cardinals, recording his third hold of the season.

The right-hander has had a shaky start to the season with an 8.53 ERA and 1.74 WHIP through 6.1 innings, but Rainey appeared to regain his 2020 form Wednesday, as he fanned Matt Carpenter, Justin Williams and Austin Dean, all on sliders. Rainey is still a key setup arm for the Nats for now, but if he can't find some consistency, he could be bumped down to lower-leverage spots once the rest of the bullpen gets healthier.

Weathers will start Thursday's series opener against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Manager Jayce Tingler previously said that Weathers would receive his second start of the season this week as part of a temporary six-man rotation for the Padres, but the young lefty could have the opportunity to stick around as a full-time starter if he delivers a quality outing Thursday. Though San Diego brought back Dinelson Lamet from the injured list to start Wednesday, he pitched just two innings in the Padres' loss to the Brewers before exiting with right forearm tightness. A return to the IL is almost certainly on tap for Lamet, and with Adrian Morejon (elbow) undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this week, Weathers should be in good position to hold down a starting job if the Padres decide to shorten their rotation to five men.

Junis allowed five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three over five innings during Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Rays. He didn't factor into the decision.

Most of Junis' troubles came in the opening frame, as the Rays piled on four runs behind a two-run homer, two doubles and two walks. He settled down for a bit afterward, allowing just one hit and no runs over the next three innings, but Junis faced more struggles in the fifth, as the Rays opened the frame with three consecutive singles and tacked on another run. Junis has a 4.20 ERA and a 15:6 K:BB in three starts since entering the rotation April 7 and will look to rebound in a road matchup against the Pirates on Tuesday.

Barlow (1-0) allowed one run on three hits while striking out a batter over 1.2 innings. He was charged with a blown save but got the victory after the Royals picked up a ninth-inning walkoff win.

Barlow was called upon in the eighth with the Royals clinging to a 7-6 lead but couldn't keep the Rays from scoring. He allowed a game-tying RBI double to Randy Arozarena in the eighth, then gave the Rays their lead back after surrendering a second RBI double to Joey Wendle in the ninth. Fortunately, the Royals were able to rally for two runs in the bottom half of the inning, handing Barlow a win. Overall, the 28-year-old has been fairly solid with a 2.92 ERA and 14:4 K:BB over 12.1 innings so far.

The Rangers have a list of concerns about Hearn's performance thus far in 2021, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. After seven outings, he has a 7.59 ERA and 2.06 WHIP over 10.2 innings.

The first issue is Hearn's velocity when facing first batters. He averages a robust 95.1 mph overall, but against first hitters, that average drops to 93.1. "There is no reason to ease your way in," Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. "You've got to have your best fastball from pitch one. That's something you've got to do in the bullpen or in the warmup. There is plenty of time to get loose. It's definitely hurt him at this point." He's also struggled when falling behind in the count, allowing opposing hitters to go 6-for-11 with nine walks when they've gotten ahead of him. And if that's not enough, the left-hander has been raked by right-handed batters, who are slashing .423/.516/.923 against him. All four home runs he's allowed have been to righties. The need for relievers to face at least three batters means they have to be competitive to opposite-side hitters. Where this leaves Hearn is unclear. He had been serving as a tandem starter but has thrown just 2.1 innings over his last three outings.

Taylor allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two over one inning in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Blue Jays.

The Red Sox had fallen behind 4-0 after two innings, but they managed to claw their way back to 4-3 in the eighth before Taylor was summoned from the bullpen. The left-hander allowed Toronto to tack on a pair of insurance runs, scuttling Boston's attempted comeback. Taylor was a pivotal reliever in 2019 before throwing just 7.1 innings in 2020, a season impacted by a bout with COVID-19. He's off to tough start in 2021, allowing eight runs on 15 hits and five walks over 6.2 innings (10.80 ERA). Taylor is one of two left-handers in Boston's bullpen -- Darwinzon Hernandez is the other -- but he has options left and could end up at Triple-A Worcester if this caliber of work continues.