MLB Player News

Martin allowed a hit in a scoreless eighth inning to pick up a hold in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Astros.

This marked the second time Martin entered a game in the eighth inning with Texas holding a lead. It didn't work out well the first time when he allowed three hits and two runs in a slugfest win over the Cubs, but the right-handed reliever preserved the lead Tuesday and got the game into the capable hands of closer Jose Leclerc.

Treinen gave up a hit and a walk while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his third save of the season in a 1-0 win over the Red Sox.

Xander Bogaerts nearly made things interesting with a one-out double, but he got thrown out by Ramon Laureano trying to stretch it into a triple, and Treinen took care of the rest. The right-hander has picked up where he left off last season and already has an 8:2 K:BB through 6.2 innings to go along with his spotless 0.00 ERA.

Boxberger (0-1) gave up a run on two hits and a walk while striking out one in the 10th inning of Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Twins.

After Ian Kennedy blew the save in the ninth to send the game to extras, Boxberger had his own rough outing, leaving the back of the Royals' bullpen as big a mystery as ever. The right-hander has given up four runs in 2.1 innings to begin his stint in Kansas City, but Boxberger's 3:1 K:BB at least offers a little hope he will turn things around quickly.

Hildenberger (1-0) recorded the win Tuesday, striking out the only batter he faced in a 5-4 extra-inning victory over the Royals.

After Taylor Rogers ran into trouble in the ninth inning with the score tied 4-4, Hildenberger got the call to face Billy Hamilton and fanned him on three pitches to end the threat. The sidearmer was then rewarded after the Twins pushed across the winning run in the 10th. Hildenberger seems to be falling into a very narrow role for new manager Rocco Baldelli -- he's only faced one batter in both of his appearances so far -- but if he continues to excel, he could yet be a factor in Minnesota's wide-open closer picture.

Armstrong (oblique) threw a bullpen session Tuesday and will join Triple-A Tacoma for further rehab work, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Armstrong apparently got through his Tuesday bullpen, his second in three days, without issue. He now joins the Rainiers in Sacramento, where he'll throw live batting practice and then likely work in a couple of rehab outings. If all continues without setbacks, Armstrong would likely rejoin the big-league club when it returns from an upcoming road trip to Chicago and Kansas City.

Leclerc did not allow a baserunner and earned the save Tuesday against the Astros.

Leclerc needed only six pitches to pick up his second save of the season, easily retiring the Astros in order. He recorded all three outs via the groundball and has allowed only two baserunners in 3.1 innings of work this season. Though it's early in the campaign, he seems to have a firm grasp on the closer role in Texas.

Miller allowed two earned runs on five hits and five walks while striking out two across 3.2 innings Tuesday against the Rangers. He did not factor into the decision.

Miller wasn't hit particularly hard -- he didn't allow any extra-base hits -- but found the strike zone on only 47 of his 88 pitches, leading to his short outing. He has only managed to pitch 38 innings across the past two seasons combined, so seeing him start and throw a relatively high number of pitches is positive. However, he'll have to show a lot of improvement with his control to be relevant for most formats.

Castro gave up a solo home run and recorded one strikeout to earn the save in Tuesday's 2-1 win over Toronto.

Castro was unable to preserve the shutout as he served up the homer to Rowdy Tellez, but was nonetheless able to secure the victory. Castro hadn't recorded a save since the 2015 season, but appears to be starting out in a high-leverage role for the Orioles in 2019.

Chapman (0-1) gave up two runs on three hits and one walk over an inning of work to take the loss versus the Tigers on Tuesday.

Chapman was called upon in a tie game in the ninth inning and struck out the first batter he faced. However, he then surrendered two runs on a walk and three hits before retiring the side. The 31-year-old will try to improve in his next outing, although he may not be available Wednesday after throwing 23 pitches in this losing effort.

Ottavino fired 1.1 innings in a scoreless relief appearance in the Yankees' 3-1 loss to the Tigers on Tuesday, striking out three with no walks.

The righty has been as advertised so far for his new team, as he has yet to concede a run or a hit in any of his four relief appearances, to go along with six strikeouts against two walks. Save opportunities don't figure to come by all that frequently with Arolodis Chapman the go-to option at closer, but Ottavino's devastating stuff and brilliant 112:36 K:BB over 77.2 innings last season with Colorado suggest he'll continue to post stellar ratios and rack up plenty of strikeouts.