MLB Player News

Hicks was credited with his first hold in a win over the Marlins on Monday, logging a perfect sixth inning during which he recorded a strikeout.

So far, so good for Hicks in his comeback campaign, as he's fired a pair of perfect frames over his first two appearances, neither which has come in a save situation. The hard-throwing Hicks also has only one strikeout through six batters faced, but the fact that he's notched six outs on just 26 pitches speaks to the fact that his location already seems to be back to form after he missed all of last season.

The Brewers transferred Topa (elbow) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.

Milwaukee was already preparing for Topa to remain sidelined for the first half of the season while he recovers from a right elbow flexor strain, so the move to the 60-day IL won't have any bearing on his timeline. Instead, the transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for reliever Brad Boxberger, whose contract was selected from the alternate site in a corresponding move.

The Brewers selected Boxberger's contract from their alternate site Tuesday.

Milwaukee created a spot for him on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster, respectively, by transferring Justin Topa (elbow) to the 60-day injured list and trading Orlando Arcia to Atlanta. Boxberger appeared to have made a strong push for the Brewers' Opening Day roster coming out of spring training, but Milwaukee instead had him bide his time at the alternate site for a few days before a roster spot opened up. Though he has 77 career saves on his resume, Boxberger is expected to work in a middle-relief role for Milwaukee initially.

The Brewers acquired Weigel and pitcher Chad Sobotka from Atlanta on Tuesday in exchange for infielder Orlando Arcia.

A five-year starter at shortstop for Milwaukee, Arcia had moved into a utility role for Milwaukee in 2021 and was seen as expendable, so the Brewers opted to cash him out for a pair of right-handed relievers. Weigel had been a top starting pitching prospect in Atlanta's organization before missing most of the 2018 season following Tommy John surgery. He's since converted to relief duty and could emerge as an option out of the big-league bullpen later in 2021. Expect him to begin the season at Triple-A Nashville.

Coonrod threw two scoreless innings in his Phillies debut Monday against the Mets, striking out three and allowing one hit.

Coonrod kept the deficit at two in the sixth and seventh innings of a game that the Phillies would eventually come back to win 5-3. Coonrod's multi-inning usage likely indicates he isn't ticketed for high-leverage work anytime soon, but it was an encouraging outing nonetheless for the righty.

Brogdon (2-0) earned the win Monday against the Mets, striking out one and allowing one hit in a scoreless eighth inning.

Brogdon was brought in to face the Mets' fifth, sixth and seventh hitters with a two-run deficit in the top of the eighth. He allowed a single to J.D. Davis, then got Jeff McNeil to ground into a double play and struck out James McCann. That left Brogdon as the pitcher of record when the Phillies scored five runs in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead for good. While Brogdon likely won't remain the Phillies' wins leader for too much longer, he appears to be fourth in the team's high-leverage hierarchy behind Hector Neris, Jose Alvarado and Archie Bradley, so he should continue to pitch in close games going forward.

Rogers pitched a scoreless inning with one hit and one strikeout to earn a hold in Monday's 3-2 win over the Padres.

Rogers was one of four Giants relievers to keep a fairly clean pitching line as the bullpen was tasked with covering four innings Monday. The 30-year-old has collected two holds in three appearances this season, allowing an unearned run, two hits and a walk with two strikeouts over 2.2 innings. Rogers has slotted in as a setup man behind Jake McGee early in 2021, but he can't be counted out for save opportunities down the line this season.

The Nationals placed Hand on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

Hand is one of nine Nationals players on the 40-man roster who will begin the campaign on the IL as a result of the team's recent COVID-19 outbreak. Prior reports have suggested that only four of the players in question have been confirmed to have tested positive for the virus, but it's uncertain whether Hand is one of the infected players or merely a close contact. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, players that tested positive will be eligible to return after 10 days in quarantine, while those ruled out through contact tracing can return after a week. Daniel Hudson and Tanner Rainey look to be the top candidates for saves while Hand is sidelined.

Hand was not on the field for the Nationals' workout Monday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Eleven players in total are reported to be in quarantine for the Nats due to positive COVID-19 tests or being designated as close contacts, and Hand's absence from the workout suggests he's probably in one of those groups. If he's in the latter group, he could still be cleared to play in time for Tuesday's game against Atlanta, but Daniel Hudson or Tanner Rainey would be the most likely candidates to handle a save chance if Hand is unavailable.

Morejon allowed two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out two batters over four innings in Monday's loss to the Giants. He didn't factor into the decision.

Both runs Morejon gave up came via solo home runs. The 22-year-old left-hander was taken deep to center by Darin Ruf to open up the second inning, then Evan Longoria drove a sinker out of the yard to put the Giants up 2-1 in the fourth. Morejon never pitched more than three innings in 2020, as he primarily served as an opener; however, the Padres stretched him out to be a starter this spring, and he should remain in the rotation until Dinelson Lamet (elbow) is able to come off the injured list. His next opportunity to pitch is expected to come against the Rangers on Sunday.