MLB Player News

Diaz picked up the save Thursday against the Phillies and struck out the only batter he faced.

Diaz came in to get the last out, as he was assigned to face Phillies superstar Trea Turner with runners on first and second. The right-hander retired him on five pitches to secure his second save in as many chances. Diaz has been unscored upon in four of five outings but has an inflated 6.23 ERA since he allowed three earned runs in his other appearance.

Martinez did not factor in the decision against Milwaukee on Thursday, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out two batters over six innings.

Martinez was far from overpowering in the outing, as he allowed as many homers as he notched strikeouts. However, he kept San Diego in the game and finished with his first quality start of the campaign. The right-hander continued to struggle with his control, issuing three more walks to bring his season K:BB to 11:10 over 17.2 innings. Seth Lugo and Ryan Weathers have both pitched well at the back end of the Padres' rotation, so it will be interesting to see which of Lugo, Weathers and Martinez moves to the bullpen when Joe Musgrove (toe/shoulder) is able to return to action.

Payamps earned a save against the Padres on Thursday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in a scoreless 10th inning.

Milwaukee closer Devin Williams was deployed to keep a 3-3 tie intact in the bottom of the ninth inning, which he did successfully. After the Brewers took the lead in the top of the 10th, manager Craig Counsell turned to Payamps to close things out. The right-hander came through in the clutch situation, allowing a two-out infield single but nothing else in compiling a scoreless frame and notching his first career save. Despite the positive outcome, Williams is the clear closer for the Brewers, and Payamps isn't likely to see many (if any) additional save chances moving forward.

Lawrence has allowed only one earned run while maintaining an 8:3 K:BB across his first 7.1 innings of the 2023 season.

Lawrence has been trusted as a high-leverage reliever out of Colorado's bullpen, as he's entered in the seventh inning or later in all six of his appearances and the Rockies have had the lead on five of those occasions. Some caution is required due to Lawrence's home park, and he's given up three runs (one earned) across his last two games at Coors Field. However, with Daniel Bard (personal) still sidelined and Pierce Johnson experiencing some struggles on the mound, Lawrence could enter the picture for saves at some point this season.

Pomeranz (elbow) was diagnosed Thursday with a neck strain, delaying his minor-league rehab assignment, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Pomeranz was supposed to begin pitching for Triple-A El Paso on Thursday, but he's run into another setback in his return from August 2021 flexor tendon surgery. At least it's not related to his forearm or elbow. The estimated timetable for his 2023 debut will probably have to be pushed back at least a week or two.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Thursday that Rodriguez (shoulder) has already thrown two bullpen sessions, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Rodriguez will do a couple more of those workouts before advancing to a minor-league rehab assignment. The Rule 5 pick landed on the injured list ahead of Opening Day because of shoulder tightness, but he could make his debut out of the Cardinals' bullpen before the end of April.

Rogers (0-1) took the loss Wednesday versus the Dodgers, allowing four runs on four walks while failing to record an out.

Rogers was called upon in the sixth inning, but he threw just 15 of 30 pitches for strikes. One of his walks came on a pitch clock violation. John Brebbia proceeded to allow three inherited runners to score, leaving Rogers with the loss. Rogers has kept runs off the board just once in five appearances, pitching to an awful 18.90 ERA and 3.00 WHIP across his first 3.1 innings with the Giants. With numbers like that, he may have worked his way out of the high-leverage mix for the immediate future.

Yates (1-0) picked up the win in Wednesday's victory over the Reds, walking one and striking out one in a scoreless eighth inning.

The veteran right-hander hasn't had a regular spot in a big-league bullpen since 2019 due to injuries, tossing only 11.1 big-league innings over the last three seasons, but Yates won a spot in the Atlanta bullpen in camp and recorded his first MLB win since 2018 on Wednesday. The 36-year-old has been far from sharp though, posting a 5.79 ERA and 4:6 K:BB through 4.2 innings to begin the season, and he's unlikely to see consistent high-leverage work without improving his control.

Robertson gave up two hits and struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings to record his first hold of the season in Wednesday's win over the Padres.

The veteran right-hander looked like he might slide right into the ninth-inning role vacated by Edwin Diaz (knee), but instead Mets manager Buck Showalter elected to bring Robertson into Wednesday's game with two outs in the seventh inning and the team nursing a 4-2 lead. Adam Ottavino ended up getting the save after Robertson kept San Diego off the board through the eighth. He'll have more reliable fantasy value in formats that count saves and holds, but Robertson still figures to get the majority of the save chances for the Mets. Through six appearances and 6.1 innings, he has yet to give up a run with an 8:0 K:BB.

Nelson (2-0) allowed one hit while striking out three and walking none over 1.1 innings to earn the win Wednesday against Milwaukee.

Nelson stranded a pair of runners to finish off the fifth inning and qualify for the win. He's been effective thus far this season, allowing one run over 5.2 innings (six appearances) while striking out nine. The lefty was slated to open the season in the minors, but a Joe Mantiply shoulder injury provided a stay from that fate. Since then, Cole Sulser (shoulder) and Mark Melancon (shoulder) have landed on the 60-day injured list, which means Nelson should remain in Arizona for the foreseeable future.