MLB Player News

Romano struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his seventh save of the season in a 2-0 win over Atlanta.

After getting tagged for three runs and failing to close out a win over the A's in his last appearance May 23, Romano bounced back with a sharp performance that saw him fire eight of 11 pitches for strikes. That prior outing was the only time in May the right-hander has been scored upon, and through 9.2 innings on the month Romano sports a 2.79 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 15:2 K:BB while converting all five of his save chances.

Flexen (3-0) allowed an unearned run on one hit across two innings of relief to earn the win in Tuesday's 4-3 extra-innings victory over Colorado. He struck out one.

Flexen worked the 10th and 11th innings, and outside of allowing an automatic runner to score in the 11th, he managed to keep the Rockies at bay. The veteran righty has still yet to allow an earned run through seven appearances this season, allowing him to build trust as a reliable long-relief option out of Chicago's bullpen. Flexen worked mostly as a starter last year with the White Sox, though he managed just a 3-15 record overall.

The Blue Jays named Schultz as their starting pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Rangers in Arlington, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Schultz will be making his first MLB start Wednesday, and though the Blue Jays haven't confirmed as much, the right-hander is likely to be utilized as more of an opener in front of lefty Eric Lauer, who had started the last time the fifth spot in the rotation came up last weekend. Schultz has worked out of the bullpen in each of his 13 appearances between Toronto and Triple-A Buffalo this season, covering no more than 4.1 innings in any of those outings. He'll also be taking the hill on just two days' rest Wednesday, so the Blue Jays may just be hoping to get two or three innings out of him before turning the game over to the bullpen.

The Guardians will have Allard start Wednesday's game against the Dodgers at Progressive Field, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Slade Cecconi had been slated to take the hill Wednesday, but he ended up being scratched while he tends to mild groin tightness. As a result, Allard will be called upon to make his first start of the season in the big leagues, as the 27-year-old lefty has previously made all of his appearances out of the bullpen since getting called up from Triple-A Columbus on April 26. Allard will likely be operating on somewhat of a restricted workload Wednesday, though he did make four starts for Columbus earlier this season and has made six-, four- and three-inning relief appearances for the Guardians over the past month. If he fares well Wednesday and if Cecconi's groin issue is more serious than anticipated and forces him to go on the injured list, Allard could be in line for additional turns through the Cleveland rotation.

Chapman was charged with a blown save in Tuesday's loss to the Brewers after allowing a run on two hits and a walk over an inning of work. He struck out one.

Chapman came in to close the door in the ninth with a one-run lead after Richard Fitts and the bullpen blanked the Brewers. Chapman found himself with runners on the corners and one out before Sal Frelick knocked in a run that would end up sending the game to extras. Tuesday marked Chapman's first outing this season allowing multiple base hits and it was his first blown save of the year. He's allowed five hits and three walks over his last six appearances but has kept the damage to a minimum. The 37-year-old owns a 2.14 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 28:8 K:BB in 21 innings this season.

Ginkel (0-3) allowed five runs on four hits and one walk while striking out one over one-third of an inning, taking the loss Tuesday against Pittsburgh.

Ginkel entered after seven strong innings from Corbin Burnes, and Ginkel simply didn't have it. This was the second time this season he's given up five runs in an appearance. The right-hander, who was on the injured list for the first month, initially had issues coming off the IL but appeared to have righted himself. Ginkel threw five consecutive scoreless outings before picking up losses in his last two appearances. He has a 12.60 ERA and 2.10 WHIP over 10 innings this season.

Williams picked up the save Tuesday in a 3-2 win over the Angels, allowing two runs on three hits and no walks over one inning. He did not record a strikeout.

The right-hander was removed from the closer role due to early-season struggles but was called on to pitch the ninth inning, with Luke Weaver likely unavailable after working the previous two days. Williams saw his streak of eight consecutive scoreless appearances snapped by a Yoan Moncada solo homer and Jo Adell RBI, but Williams narrowly escaped with the save. The former Brewer didn't issue a walk against the Angels but has posted a career-worst 5.40 BB/9 through his first 23 appearances and 20 innings as a Yankee, contributing to a disappointing 6.75 ERA and 1.55 WHIP. While Williams filled in as closer, it's unlikely he reclaims the full-time role anytime soon, with Weaver sporting a 0.73 ERA.

Kowar (elbow) could be nearing his activation from the 60-day injured list, MLB.com reports.

Kowar has produced solid results in the minor leagues amidst his recovery from 2024 Tommy John surgery, posting a 2.57 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 4:3 K:BB over seven innings (eight appearances) on his rehab assignment. The 28-year-old right-hander should be ready to make both his Mariners and season debut by early June, and he'll likely operate as a multi-inning reliever in Seattle's bullpen once he's fully up to speed.

Bazardo threw a scoreless ninth inning in Tuesday's 9-1 win over the Nationals. He struck out one.

Bazardo is searching for some consistency, as he's given up at least one run in three of his seven appearances this month. His longest scoreless stretch of the season is just five outings, which he accomplished from April 6 through April 15, but he's still kept his ratios in check with a 4.21 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 21:11 K:BB over 25.2 innings. However, Bazardo owns zero holds or saves in 2025, and he'll likely remain primarily in a middle-relief role going forward.

Bednar struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 9-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

Bednar has earned three saves over his last four appearances. He had allowed a baserunner in each of his last three outings before Tuesday's clean inning. The right-hander is still on shaky ground, as he's been scored on in four of his 11 appearances in May, allowing five runs over 9.2 innings with a 15:2 K:BB. Overall, he has a 4.86 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 24:5 K:BB through 16.2 innings in the majors this season, and he's added six saves and three holds.