MLB Player News
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Jacob Lopez RP | ATH
Athletics' Jacob Lopez: Nabs first win Saturday
Lopez (1-1) earned the win Saturday against the Mets, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out five.
The left-hander hardly pitched well enough to warrant a victory Saturday, but the Athletics got to Mets right-hander Kodai Senga early and never relinquished the lead while tallying up 11 runs. Lopez served up a pair of home runs and issued at least three walks in his third consecutive outing to open the new campaign. Lopez has yet to give up fewer than three runs in any of his first three starts, and he'll take an ugly 7.43 ERA, 2.18 WHIP and 11:13 K:BB into a scheduled matchup with the division-rival Rangers next week.
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Grant Taylor RP | CHW
White Sox's Grant Taylor: Serving as opener again Sunday
Taylor will open Sunday's series finale against Kansas City, and Jonathan Cannon is slated to be called up to work in bulk relief, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
Taylor has previously opened three games for Chicago and has been effective in that role, allowing one hit while posting a 3:0 K:BB over three scoreless innings. It's not an appealing role from a fantasy perspective, however, as it removes the possibility of Taylor notching a win, hold or save. Cannon, meanwhile, is slated for his first MLB appearance of the campaign after opening the season with Triple-A Charlotte.
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Bennett Sousa RP | HOU
Astros' Bennett Sousa: Beginning rehab assignment
Sousa (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday.
Sousa opened the regular season on the injured list after suffering a left oblique strain during his final spring training appearance. It's unclear how many rehab outings he'll need, but the Astros never imagined the southpaw needing much more than a minimum-length IL stint, so he could be added to the big-league bullpen relatively soon.
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Lucas Erceg RP | KC
Royals' Lucas Erceg: Collects fifth save of 2026
Erceg earned his fifth save the season in Saturday's 2-0 win over the White Sox, striking out one batter in a perfect ninth inning.
Erceg was brought out for the ninth to protect the Royals' two-run lead, and he needed only 12 pitches (seven strikes) to close things out for Kansas City. He is up to five saves on the year, which is tied with David Bednar and Jhoan Duran for most in the majors. Erceg has a 2.70 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 6.2 innings to open the 2026 campaign. He may not be available for Sunday's series finale, given that he pitched both Friday and Saturday.
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Packy Naughton RP | STL
Cardinals' Packy Naughton: Suffers UCL damage
Naughton was diagnosed Saturday with UCL damage to his left elbow after undergoing an MRI, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
The 29-year-old lefty suffered the elbow injury during his most recent appearance with Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday. Naughton will seek a second opinion before determining his next steps, but he could be facing another elbow surgery after missing most of 2024 and all of 2025 due to a pair of elbow procedures.
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Clay Holmes RP | NYM
Mets' Clay Holmes: Expected to make next start
Manager Carlos Mendoza said Saturday that Holmes' hamstring "checked all the boxes" during a series of strength tests, David Lennon of Newsday reports.
The next step for Holmes is to throw a bullpen session within the next few days. If he gets through it without any issues, he'll receive the green light to make his next start against the Dodgers on Wednesday.
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Grant Holman RP | PHI
Tigers' Grant Holman: Claimed by Detroit
The Tigers claimed Holman off waivers from the Dodgers on Saturday.
It's the third time this season that Holman has been claimed off waivers, and he has been optioned to the FCL after being picked up by Detroit, though he'll likely end up with Triple-A Toledo eventually. To make room on the 40-man roster for Holman, the Tigers transferred Trey Sweeney (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list. Holman appeared in 22 regular-season games (two starts) for the Athletics in 2025 and posted a 5.09 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 17:9 K:BB across 23 innings.
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Sam Hentges RP | SF
Giants' Sam Hentges: Progressing in recovery
Hentges (shoulder/knee) threw live batting practice in Arizona on Wednesday and is nearing a rehab assignment, per MLB.com.
Hentges continues to ramp up after undergoing left shoulder surgery in September 2024 and arthroscopic right knee surgery in August 2025. The southpaw appears to be nearing a return to game action after being placed on the 15-day injured list March 25 (retroactive to March 22), and he's expected to come back during the first half of the season. The 29-year-old hasn't pitched in a game since 2024, when he recorded a 3.04 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 27:5 K:BB across 23.2 innings in 25 relief outings for Cleveland.
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Jesse Scholtens RP | TB
Rays' Jesse Scholtens: Back with Tampa Bay
The Rays recalled Scholtens from Triple-A Durham on Saturday.
Scholtens was called up by the Rays on Wednesday to serve in a long-relief role against the Cubs the same day, and he allowed four hits and one walk while striking out four across 4.2 scoreless innings. He was optioned to the minors Thursday, but he's back with the big club after Joe Boyle (elbow) was placed on the 15-day injured list. Scholtens has starting experience between the minors and majors and could see some spot starts in Tampa Bay's rotation for as long as Boyle is sidelined.
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Daysbel Hernandez RP | ATL
Braves' Daysbel Hernandez: Activated, optioned to Triple-A
Atlanta reinstated Hernandez (shoulder) from the injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.
A shoulder cyst sent Hernandez to the injured list at the start of the season, but he now appears to have moved past the issue. The 29-year-old owns a 3.11 ERA and 1.40 WHIP across 55 MLB innings over the last two years and could be welcomed back into Atlanta's bullpen if he pitches well at Gwinnett.