MLB Player News

O'Brien struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his fifth save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Guardians.

The flame-throwing right-hander topped out at 99.7 mph with his two-seamer as he fanned Angel Martinez and Rhys Hoskins en route to converting his fifth straight save chance to begin the season. The back of the Cardinals' bullpen seemed unsettled to begin the season, but O'Brien has quickly locked down the closing gig while posting a 0.39 WHIP and 11:0 K:BB with just one unearned run allowed through his first 10.1 innings.

Pagan (hamstring) played catch and "felt pretty good," but his availability for Wednesday's game against the Giants has yet to be determined, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Pagan's hamstring tightened up throughout his relief appearance in Tuesday's 2-1 win, and he felt it grab on his final pitch. However, after seeing the doctor and receiving treatment, he feels as though he's "dodged a bullet" with the injury. Pagan will talk with the Reds staff prior to Wednesday's contest before it's determined whether he will be available to pitch. Consider him day-to-day for the time being. If Pagan isn't cleared to pitch, Tony Santillan would likely be the first choice to fill in at closer.

The Phillies placed Pop on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right calf strain.

Pop evidently suffered the injury during an opener assignment Sunday against the Diamondbacks. He will be eligible for activation April 28, but it's too soon to know whether he will be back on that date. Kyle Backhus has taken Pop's spot on the roster and in the Philadelphia bullpen.

The Phillies recalled Backhus from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Backhus will get the call back to Philadelphia as a replacement in the bullpen for righty Zach Pop (calf), who was placed on the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. Before being sent back to Lehigh Valley last week, Backhus had yielded three earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four batters in three innings across his four appearances with the big club.

Mlodzinski is expected to cover the bulk of the innings in relief behind opening pitcher Mason Montgomery in Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

Despite pitching to a 2.51 ERA over his first three starts, Mlodzinski is still in search of his first win after working fewer than five innings his first two times out and taking a no-decision in his most recent outing. With Montgomery handling the first frame or two of Wednesday's contest, Mlodzinski should have improved odds of coming away with a win while serving as the Bucs' primary pitcher out of the bullpen.

Kilian allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one in a scoreless inning during Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Reds.

Kilian earned a bullpen job during spring training and has continued to impress early in the season. The 28-year-old right-hander tossed a scoreless sixth inning Tuesday and now owns a 1.29 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 10:4 BB:K across seven innings in eight appearances this season.

Lee struck out two in a perfect sixth inning Tuesday during a win over the Marlins.

The 31-year-old has had a strong start to the season as one of the top southpaws in the Atlanta bullpen. Over eight appearances and 7.2 innings, Lee has delivered a 1.17 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 7:0 K:BB, but he has just one hold with zero wins or saves.

Suarez (2-0) picked up the win in Tuesday's victory over the Marlins, giving up a run on three hits in the eighth inning. He struck out one.

The veteran reliever got tagged for his first earned run of the season in his seventh appearance, but Suarez got credit for the win when Atlanta rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth to erase a 5-3 deficit. Suarez sports a 1.29 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 8:1 K:BB through seven innings with two holds in addition to his two wins, and he'll be first in line for save chances should Raisel Iglesias be unavailable.

Padres manager Craig Stammen said Tuesday that Pivetta underwent an MRI on his elbow, but the Padres are still awaiting the results before a timeline for the right-hander's return is established, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Pivetta exited his most recent start Sunday against the Rockies due to an injury the Padres initially labeled as right elbow stiffness. Upon placing Pivetta on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, the team classified his injury as inflammation, but the severity of the issue won't be known until the MRI results are in. Matt Waldron (lower body) is expected to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list later this week to take over Pivetta's spot in the rotation.

Pagan struck out a batter in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his fifth save of the season in a 2-1 win over the Giants, but he appeared to injure his hamstring on his final pitch, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "His hammy grabbed a little bit. So we need to check him out. He's getting looked at right now," Reds manager Terry Francona said after the game.

The 34-year-old right-hander had appeared to right the ship after a bumpy start to the season, but the injury could set him back. Pagan blew his first save chance of 2026 and got tagged for five runs and two home runs in his first three appearances, but since then he's converted five straight saves and reeled off six straight scoreless outings, albeit with a 5:5 K:BB in his last six innings. If Pagan winds up missing time, Tony Santillan would likely be the next man up for Cincinnati in the ninth inning.