MLB Player News

Hoffman (2-0) picked up the win in Sunday's extra-inning victory over the Orioles, allowing one hit over two scoreless innings and striking out four.

The Toronto closer entered a 6-6 tie in the ninth inning, and stuck around for the 10th after the Blue Jays pushed across a run in the top of the final frame. Hoffman tossed 24 pitches (18 strikes) in the appearance, which could make him unavailable Monday should the team have a late lead to protect against Atlanta. Through his first 9.1 innings with the Jays, Hoffman has a 0.96 ERA, 0.64 WHIP and dominant 13:1 K:BB while converting all three of his save chances.

The Diamondbacks released Sosa on April 12.

Sosa was handed an 80-game suspension in March for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, and the Diamondbacks have opted to cut him loose rather than waiting for him to finish serving the suspension. The 23-year-old held a 3.39 ERA and 62:20 K:BB over 61 innings across three levels in the minors in 2024.

The Cardinals are expected to use Matz as part of a six-man rotation for at least three weeks, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

The Cardinals are moving to a temporary six-man rotation because they have just one scheduled off day from April 11 to May 7. Matz will enter the rotation this week and appears in line to make at least four starts before the team re-evaluates its pitching plan. The left-hander has collected a 2.31 ERA and 6:2 K:BB over 11.2 innings covering five relief appearances this season.

Atlanta activated Bummer from the bereavement list Monday.

Bummer missed the weekend series against the Rays but has rejoined the club for its early-week series in Toronto. The southpaw has yielded three runs with a 7:4 K:BB over five innings this season.

Atlanta optioned Petersen to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

Petersen was with the big club for just one day, tossing two scoreless frames in one relief appearance. He's clearing out to make room on the roster for Aaron Bummer, who is back from the bereavement list.

Munoz earned the save Sunday against the Rangers after giving up one hit in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out two.

Munoz gave up a one-out base hit to Josh Smith and followed that up with back-to-back punch outs to seal the deal. Munoz now sits by himself in second with six saves on the year and has yet to allow a run in eight innings while posting a 12:4 K:BB.

Hendriks (elbow) walked one and struck out one over a scoreless inning for Triple-A Worcester on Sunday.

Hendriks made his second rehab appearance for the WooSox and looked sharp in both. He's allowed one hit and one walk while striking out four over two innings. Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Lauren Campbell of MassLive.com that the organization will assess where Hendriks is at before considering potential next moves.

Hader allowed two hits and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Sunday against the Angels.

Hader had a four-run lead, but he hadn't pitched since Tuesday, so he entered the game in a non-save situation. He allowed a pair of singles but still managed to record his fifth straight scoreless appearance. Hader hasn't recorded a save since April 3, but that hasn't been a result of his performance.

Birdsong picked up a hold during Sunday's 5-4 win over the Yankees, tossing two scoreless innings while striking out three and hitting one batter.

The 23-year-old entered the game in the sixth frame and retired all three batters he faced. The right-hander later hit Aaron Judge with a pitch in the seventh but escaped the inning without allowing a hit. Birdsong was efficient, facing seven batters and throwing 15 of his 20 pitches for strikes. After falling short in his bid for a spot in the Giants' Opening Day rotation, Birdsong has been dynamite in relief, having yet to allow a run while posting an 0.89 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB with three holds across nine innings over four appearances. The Giants don't seem motivated to have Birdsong get stretched back out for a starting role anytime soon, as manager Bob Melvin told Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News on April 5 that the right-hander is being treated as a true reliever at this point after San Francisco chose not to have him piggyback No. 5 starter Landen Roupp in his first start earlier this month.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that he expects Gusto to make at least one more start with the big club, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

After opening the season in the Houston bullpen, Gusto slid into the rotation Saturday as a replacement for Spencer Arrighetti (thumb), who was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier in the week. Though he took a loss against the Angels and gave up three earned runs over four innings, Gusto delivered a strong 6:1 K:BB and induced 12 whiffs on 72 pitches. The Astros seemingly came away encouraged by the rookie's performance, and he looks like he'll be in line to make his next start during the team's three-game series versus the Padres next weekend. Gusto could be headed to the bullpen or to Triple-A Sugar Land after that, however, as Lance McCullers (forearm) could be on track to return from the 15-day injured list the following week.