MLB Player News

Lopez hurled a perfect inning with a strikeout while picking up a save in Saturday's 2-0 win against the Royals.

Lopez worked in the seventh inning in the opener, but the right-hander was tasked with picking up the save for Saturday's affair. He needed just eight pitches to get through the lineup -- six of those for strikes -- and looked like the pitcher that made him such a solid option for the first half of the 2022 campaign with Baltimore. Jhoan Duran is going to get his save chances as well, so this will be a difficult bullpen for fantasy managers to read, at least to begin 2023.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Pressly isn't available for Saturday's game against the Angels due to an illness, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Pressly also wasn't available Friday after being "under the weather," according to Baker. The right-hander could be ready to pitch in Sunday's series finale against the White Sox, but that's up in the air at the moment. Rafael Montero and Hector Neris have picked up saves for Houston in the last two games, and with Neris pitching 1.1 innings Saturday, Montero looks like the better bet to get the ball Sunday if Pressly can't play.

Sandlin (1-0) allowed a hit and struck out one over 1.1 innings to earn the win versus the Mariners on Friday. He was not charged with a run.

Sandlin came on after Hunter Gaddis ran into some trouble in the fourth inning. Sandlin then gave up an RBI double to Julio Rodriguez, which made it a 5-4 game, before getting things under control. The Guardians held the lead the rest of the way, and Sandlin delivered a clean fifth inning en route to the win in his first outing this season. The right-hander was a solid part of the Guardians' bullpen a year ago, posting a 2.25 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 41:24 K:BB across 44 innings while adding seven holds and a 5-2 record. He should continue to see low-leverage assignments to begin 2023.

Graveman (1-1) allowed three earned runs on two hits and two walks across two-thirds of an inning to take the loss Friday against the Astros.

Graveman entered the game in the seventh inning with a 3-2 lead, but he allowed three consecutive batters to reach base to load the bases with two outs. He was pulled at that point and was charged with the runs after Yordan Alvarez cleared the bases with a double. Graveman has pitched the eighth and seventh innings in two appearances this season, so he doesn't appear to be in the mix for saves for the time being.

Silseth will begin the 2023 campaign with Triple-A Salt Lake, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Silseth was unsuccessful in his bid to grab a big-league rotation spot with the Angels to begin the campaign, so he'll instead see his first action at the Triple-A level. The right-hander was chosen to be Salt Lake's Opening Day starter, and that assignment should come Saturday with Friday's contest rained out. Silseth got into seven major-league games last season and could be among the top candidates for a call-up if a spot in the rotation opens up.

Montero allowed a hit and tallied one strikeout in a scoreless inning to earn a save in Friday's win over the White Sox.

Montero was charged with a blown save in the eighth inning of Thursday's loss but was immediately given a shot to redeem himself. He worked around a one-out single by Tim Anderson to pick up the save during a 6-3 win. Ryan Pressly took a loss Thursday and did not pitch in Friday's game.

Taylor (elbow) is beginning a minor-league rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Sugar Land, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Taylor landed on the injured list just ahead of Opening Day after battling lingering elbow issues throughout the spring, but it would appear that the 27-year-old southpaw will be an option for the Astros' bullpen by the middle of April. Houston is currently carrying zero left-handed relievers.

Sewald (1-0) recorded the win in the Mariners' victory over the Guardians on Thursday, firing a perfect eighth inning during which he recorded a strikeout.

The hard-throwing right-hander was utilized in a setup role to start the season and came out of the gates exceedingly sharp, pounding in 10 of his 12 pitches for strikes. Sewald was rewarded for preserving a scoreless tie when Ty France slugged a three-run home run in the home half of the frame. Andres Munoz logged the ninth-inning opportunity Thursday, but Sewald -- who recorded a career-high 20 saves in 2022 -- figures to get his fair share of closing chances over the course of the campaign.

May (1-0) was credited with the win in Thursday's season-opening win over the Angels, allowing a hit and a walk while recording a strikeout in a scoreless eighth inning.

May took the ball after back-to-back scoreless relief frames from Zach Jackson and Domingo Acevedo, and he worked himself into a bit of trouble by allowing an infield single and then intentionally putting on Shohei Ohtani. However, May got out of the jam by striking out Anthony Rendon swinging, and he was rewarded for his efforts when the Athletics took the lead in the bottom of the eighth. The right-hander is likely to be deployed in similar high-leverage situations this season, which should give him a solid chance at holds, saves and the occasional win.

Karinchak (0-1) allowed three runs on a hit, a walk and a hit batsman in one-third of an inning, taking the loss Thursday versus the Mariners.

Karinchak was rattled early by a pitch-clock violation, and he then plunked Kolten Wong before Ty France took him deep in the eighth inning. After an uneven spring that saw Karinchak post a 12:5 K:BB and a 4.66 ERA over 9.2 innings, it's a little concerning to see him struggle in a high-leverage situation. The right-hander had a 2.08 ERA over 39 innings last season, but he also carried a 4.8 BB/9, which is something he'll need to get in check to continue to have success as a setup man. With the Guardians locking up Trevor Stephan on a four-year deal Wednesday, Karinchak's place as a setup man is far from guaranteed.