MLB Player News

Alcala (undisclosed) struck out two over a scoreless inning of relief in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Dodgers.

Per Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com, Alcala dealt with some unspecified soreness coming out of his most recent relief appearance in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Cleveland, prompting the Twins to hold him out of Monday's series-opening 4-2 loss to Los Angeles. Alcala was able to play light catch Sunday without incident, and after returning to action Tuesday and delivering a solid outing, he looks to be good to go moving forward. The right-hander is off to an excellent start to the 2024 campaign, striking out six over 5.2 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and two walks.

Fairbanks picked up the save Tuesday, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while striking out two during one inning against the Angels.

Fairbanks entered the contest with three runs of cushion but still gave fantasy managers a bit of a scare. He allowed a pair of singles -- one of which plated Aaron Hicks -- then walked Anthony Rendon to put runners on first and second with two outs when he struck out Miguel Sano. After being one of the more reliable closers in baseball last season, Fairbanks owns an awful 15.00 ERA through four appearances and could be losing his grip on the ninth-inning job after allowing at least one run three times to date.

Texas manager Bruce Bochy did not indicate any changes at closer after Leclerc blew a save Tuesday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports. "We're just over a week here into the season," Bochy said. "These guys, with what they've done, no, I don't have concern."

The manager noted that Leclerc is healthy and suggested the right-hander is not yet "locked in." Leclerc has given up runs in four of five outings in addition to Tuesday's blown save, his first of the season.

Leclerc allowed two runs on one hit and a walk in one inning and was charged with a blown save in a 4-3 loss to the Athletics on Tuesday. He struck out two.

Leclerc issued a one-out walk in the ninth inning before serving up a go-ahead home run to Shea Langeliers. The 30-year-old Leclerc has now given up eight runs in five innings while posting a 4:6 K:BB so far. It's entirely possible the Rangers turn away from Leclerc in a ninth-inning role with him struggling badly to begin the year. David Robertson and Kirby Yates would be the likeliest candidates to see save chances if it were to happen.

Miller tossed a perfect ninth inning Tuesday in a 4-3 win over the Rangers to earn his first career save. He struck out two.

Miller entered protecting a 4-3 lead after Shea Langeliers put the A's in front with a go-ahead homer in the top of the frame. Miller was in nearly untouchable, getting a routine groundout before striking out back-to-back hitters to end the game. Miller has the lights-out stuff to become one of the best closers in baseball if he sticks in the role. He touched triple digits eight times out of his 16 pitches in Tuesday's appearance and has now fired five straight scoreless innings with a 9:2 K:BB.

McArthur (1-0) earned the victory in Tuesday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Astros, firing two scoreless innings during which he gave up a hit and recorded two strikeouts.

McArthur entered the contest in the top of the ninth inning with the score tied at 3-3, setting the Astros down in order. He returned for the top of the 10th frame, working around a two-out single by Jeremy Pena to keep the game tied while also picking up a pair of strikeouts. The Royals then walked it off with an RBI single by Salvador Perez in the bottom of the frame, giving McArthur his first win of the 2024 campaign. The right-hander now owns a 5.40 ERA with seven strikeouts over 6.2 innings in six appearances with Kansas City this season, going 2-for-3 in save opportunities in the process.

Green walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his second save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Mariners.

He needed 25 pitches (16 strikes) to get the job done, but Green is now 2-for-2 in converting save chances this season with a 3.18 ERA and 4:2 K:BB through 5.1 innings. The veteran right-hander's time as Toronto's closer is likely running short, though, as Jordan Romano (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday.

Holmes struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his fifth save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Marlins.

The right-hander leads the majors in saves in the early going, and he has yet to allow an earned run through six innings while posting a 3:0 K:BB. Holmes should continue seeing a high volume of save chances for a Yankees team that was the first in MLB to reach double-digit wins this season.

Kopech earned the save in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Guardians, striking out four over two perfect innings.

Kopech looked excellent Tuesday, striking out the side in the eighth inning before setting the Guardians down in order in the ninth to nail down his second save this year. The right-hander had allowed a run in each of his prior two appearances, issuing four walks over 2.2 innings in that span. Tuesday's performance was certainly a step in the right direction for Kopech, who appears to be the White Sox's primary closer early in the year. Overall, he's 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 12:5 K:BB through his first 7.1 innings this season.

Criswell is under consideration to get called up from Triple-A Worcester to fill Nick Pivetta's (elbow) slot in the rotation, Julian McWilliams and Alex Speier of The Boston Globe report.

The Red Sox are hopeful Pivetta can return when eligible to come off the 15-day injured list, but they'll need a fill-in starter in the interim. Criswell opened the season in the rotation at Worcester and most recently pitched Sunday. He would be available to start Saturday against the Angels, the next time the Red Sox need a fifth starter. Criswell has allowed one run on eight hits and three walks while striking out nine over 10.1 innings in his two minor-league starts. Boston is also considering long reliever Chase Anderson, who's already on the 40-man roster and has made two multi-inning appearances, for a spot start.