MLB Player News

Hernandez allowed two runs on three hits and walk in one-third of an inning in Thursday's 6-0 loss to the White Sox.

Hernandez began the sixth inning, but allowed four of the five batters he faced to get on base. He was done after a two-run single allowed to Adam Eaton, and Josh Staumont went on to pitch 1.2 scoreless innings. Hernandez worked in long relief in his previous outing, earning a win on Opening Day versus the Rangers. The 24-year-old's role hasn't been clearly defined yet, but it appears he's been passed over for a spot in the rotation by Jakob Junis. Without much of a chance of joining the closer conversation, Hernandez will carry minimal fantasy value.

Iglesias struck out the side in a perfect inning to earn the save against Toronto on Thursday.

Iglesias entered the contest having blown his previous save attempt and with a shaky 9.00 ERA, but he looked dominant against the Blue Jays, throwing 10 of 14 pitches for strikes and whiffing Teoscar Hernandez, Vladimir Guerrero and Lourdes Gurriel (in that order). The save was Iglesias' second as a member of the Angels.

Romano gave up two hits in two-thirds of an inning Thursday to get charged with a blown save in an extra-innings loss to the Angels.

After Trent Thornton gave up a single to Dexter Fowler with one out in the top of the seventh inning and the Jays leading 5-4, Romano got the call to face the top of the Angels' order and allowed the inherited runner to score on a Shohei Ohtani base hit. Romano has consistently seen high-leverage usage in the late innings to begin the season, but as yet that hasn't translated into save opportunities, and Julian Merryweather's impressive performance so far could be inching him towards locking down the closer role. Romano hasn't pitched poorly though, posting a 0.00 ERA and 3:2 K:BB through his first three appearances (2.2 innings) with a win and a hold.

Diekman is likely to remain in his customary setup role during the prolonged absence of closer Trevor Rosenthal following surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "It's not ideal to use Jake in the ninth inning," manager Bob Melvin said. "A lot of times, his spot comes up before that in the eighth."

Diekman proved nearly unhittable last season while primarily logging eighth-inning work, securing 13 holds while posting an 0.42 ERA and 0.94 WHIP across 21.1 innings (21 appearances). The veteran left-hander's extensive body of work in high-leverage/non-closing scenarios is one reason Melvin seems intent on using him earlier than the ninth inning. When addressing how he'll handle the closer role for the time being, the Athletics skipper expressed a preference for Lou Trivino to get the first chance at ninth-inning duties.

Wilson (shoulder) was activated from the 10-day injured list Friday.

The veteran southpaw opened the season on the injured list after shoulder tightness cropped up late in camp, but he'll join the team after missing the first week of the campaign. Wilson had a 3.66 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 23:9 K:BB over 19.2 innings for the Mets last season.

Fairbanks was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday with a right rotator cuff strain, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander surrendered a run over 1.1 innings during his last appearance Tuesday at Boston, and he'll now be sidelined for the near future. According to Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network, Fairbanks will be shut down from throwing for 2-to-3 weeks, so he'll likely be unavailable until at least early May. Diego Castillo is 2-for-3 in save chances this season and should continue to operate as the primary closer with Fairbanks and Nick Anderson (elbow) sidelined.

Barnes struck out three over a perfect inning in Thursday's 7-3 win over Baltimore.

Barnes had himself another dominant outing, needing just 11 pitches in a near-immaculate performance to dispatch the Orioles in a non-save situation. Through four innings, he's allowed one baserunner (a walk) and struck out nine of 13 batters faced. He's picked up where he left off in Grapefruit League play when struck out eight and allowed two hits in 5.1 scoreless innings. The Red Sox have not yet needed someone to close a game, but it's clear Barnes is ready if and when a save opportunity presents itself.

Trivino rather than Jake Diekman is the leading candidate to log save chances during Trevor Rosenthal's (shoulder) prolonged absence, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "If we can keep moving forward with Lou, he gives us an option to close as well, " manager Bob Melvin said. "He's pitched really well for us. We've seen what he can accomplish when he's feeling good."

The right-hander has carried over his momentum from an excellent spring into the regular season, giving up just a solo home run across 5.2 innings while recording six strikeouts over four appearances. Melvin also has a seemingly appealing left-handed option for ninth-inning work in Diekman, but he noted Thursday that he'd prefer to keep the veteran in a setup role whenever possible. Trivino does have some closing experience, albeit not very successful, as he's converted only four of 11 save opportunities over the past three seasons. His mid-90s fastball serves as an excellent weapon for high-leverage scenarios, but his career 4.1 BB/9 could prove problematic.

McHugh fired three scoreless innings in a loss to the Red Sox on Wednesday, allowing four hits and no walks while recording two strikeouts.

McHugh had a rough landing against the Marlins on Saturday in his first regular-season appearance since August 2019, but that outing may have served to work out a few kinks. The right-hander's long-relief stint Thursday seems like precisely the type of assignment that's tailor made for the versatile McHugh as he continues to reacclimate to big-league bats -- a low-leverage, innings-eating scenario following a rough performance by the starting pitcher. The fact that McHugh got 33 of his 45 pitches into the strike zone Wednesday was also encouraging, considering he managed to do so only 12 times among 26 offerings in his first appearance.

Paredes exited Thursday's game with side discomfort, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Paredes exited the game with a trainer after facing only two batters. He was already being evaluated by doctors after the game, so some news about his prognosis should be revealed soon.