MLB Player News

Pagan (1-0) earned the win Tuesday against the Marlins, allowing two walks with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.

Pagan came on in the bottom of the ninth in a 2-2 game and kept it tied to send it to a 10th frame. The Reds scored four in the next half inning and went on to win by three. Pagan leads the league in appearances (seven) and saves (four) and has lowered his ERA to 6.14 with four straight scoreless outings.

Pepiot (hip) threw another bullpen session Tuesday, per MLB.com.

It was Pepiot's second session amid his recovery from right hip inflammation. The next step entails the right-hander progressing to facing hitters in live batting practice, which is then likely to be followed by a minor-league rehab assignment. Given the nature of his injury, Pepiot may only require a brief stint in the minors before being deemed ready to make his season debut for the Rays. Meanwhile, Joe Boyle looks likely to make at least two more starts for Tampa Bay.

Lopez was ejected from Tuesday's game against the Angels after getting into a fight with Jorge Soler.

After giving up a two-run homer to Soler in the second inning, Lopez plunked the 34-year-old outfielder with a 96-mph fastball in the third and threw another pitch near his head in the fifth, prompting Soler to charge the mound. Both players were ejected after trading punches and may also receive a suspension from MLB. Lopez finished the day with two unearned runs allowed on three hits and two walks while logging seven strikeouts over 4.2 innings.

Uceta (shoulder) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Montgomery on Tuesday, allowing one hit and no walks with one strikeout in a scoreless inning.

Uceta, who opened the season on the injured list due to a right shoulder impingement, took a big step forward in his recovery Tuesday. The Rays will presumably want to see the right-hander make it through a handful of rehab outings before they consider reinstating him from the IL, but a return for Uceta in mid-April appears to be on the table. Tampa Bay has a bit of a carousel forming at closer, and the expectation is that Uceta will join the open competition for save chances upon his season debut.

Bender suffered his second blown save in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Reds, allowing one walk with one strikeout across two-thirds of an inning.

After Sandy Alcantara allowed a double and a walk with one out in the ninth inning, Bender came on to protect a 2-0 lead with Pete Fairbanks (personal) still away from the team. Sal Stewart knocked one in with a sacrifice fly before a wild pitch by Bender tied the game. It was Bender's second blown save in the last four days, and he barely held on for the save Sunday against the Yankees when he allowed two runs on one hit and three walks. Bender wasn't actually charged with any of the runs Tuesday and still has a 9.00 ERA and 6:5 K:BB across four innings this season.

Topa earned the save in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Tigers, allowing one walk and no hits in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.

Eric Orze was given the initial save opportunity but was pulled after yielding an RBI double to Kevin McGonigle. With Cole Sands and Taylor Rogers already deployed earlier in the game, the Twins turned to Topa, who proceeded to seal the win for Minnesota after getting two of the next three batters to ground out. Topa is one of three Twins pitchers to record a save this season, but there doesn't appear to be a clear-cut favorite for the closing job in Minnesota as of yet.

Junis earned the save in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Mariners, when he allowed two hits with no strikeouts over a scoreless ninth inning.

For the second straight game, Junis was called to the mound to close out the game for the Rangers. He gave up back-to-back singles to open the ninth inning but needed just six pitches to get the next three batters out. Junis and Tyler Alexander each have two saves this season, but while Alexander's both came when Robert Garcia and Chris Martin were unavailable, Junis was deployed ahead of Martin on Tuesday. The back of the Texas bullpen remains muddled for the time being.

Assad (1-0) tossed 5.2 scoreless innings to earn the win Tuesday against the Rays, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out three.

Assad got the call to the majors with Matthew Boyd (biceps) and Cade Horton (forearm) landing on the injured list within the past few days, and Assad stepped up with a strong performance for the Cubs. Horton is now set to undergo season-ending surgery on his right UCL, so it's possible that Assad sticks around as Chicago's fourth or fifth starter for the foreseeable future. The righty struggled with injuries of his own last season, but he's mostly been effective for Chicago when he's been on the field since making his MLB debut in 2022. Assad is penciled in to start again Monday against the Phillies on the road, and he's worth a look in fantasy leagues if he can string together a few good outings.

Diaz earned the save in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Blue Jays, striking out three while allowing one hit and one walk in a scoreless ninth inning.

Diaz kept the Blue Jays off the board despite yielding two baserunners in the ninth, ending the night by striking out Tyler Heineman. It's been a strong start to the season for Diaz, who has collected a save in four of five outings, allowing just one run while striking out eight over five innings. He's well on his way to eclipsing his save total from 2025 (28) when he was a member of the Mets.

Slaten was unavailable for Tuesday's game against the Brewers due to oblique soreness, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The team has labeled Slaten as day-to-day, so his injury doesn't seem to be too severe. The 28-year-old is off to a strong start this season after striking out five batters over 3.1 shutout innings, picking up holds in two of his four appearances.