MLB Player News

Minter (0-1) took the loss Saturday as the Braves fell 4-2 to the Marlins, allowing two runs on two hits in one-third of an inning.

Entering the game in the top of the ninth with the score tied 2-2, Minter labored to put anyone away, giving up a single to Starlin Castro at the end of an 11-pitch at-bat before Jorge Alfaro took him deep the other way. Minter has looked shaky in his first two appearances since coming off the injured list -- he walked two batters in his first outing Thursday -- but he remains firmly in the late-inning mix for Atlanta, particularly with the club reluctant to use Arodys Vizcaino on back-to-back days.

Beede fired four scoreless innings while giving up three hits, two walks and striking out eight in his season debut with Triple-A Sacramento on Friday.

It was an impressive -- albeit short -- debut for Beede. The 2014 first-round pick is looking to turn his career around after seeing his ERA balloon to 7.05 over 33 starts with Sacramento in 2018. Beede did show an improved strikeout rate this spring (13 strikeouts over 10.1 innings), so his eight punchouts Friday are a positive sign. The Giants' rotation is currently set in stone, but if the 25-year-old continues to show improvement, we could see him in the majors later this season.

Iglesias (0-2) allowed one run on three hits over 2.1 innings and took the loss in Saturday's extra-inning game against the Pirates.

Iglesias entered with the game tied 5-5 to start the eighth inning and tossed two scoreless frames before giving up a single and a double in the 10th inning to end the game. The 29-year-old has a 5.79 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and 4:3 K:BB across 4.2 innings and is without a save opportunity through eight games.

Diaz struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to secure the save against the Nationals on Saturday.

Diaz is now 4-for-4 in save opportunities and has given up only two hits and a walk over 3.2 innings. The 25-year-old has been as good as advertised thus far after being acquired from the Mariners in December.

Smith pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his third save of the season in a 6-4 win over the Rays on Saturday.

The lefty converted his third save in as many chances and has thrown three scoreless innings in the process. The 29-year-old has a firm grip on the closer role and now has struck out four and walked just one this season.

Yates struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning to record his fifth save of the season in a 6-4 win over the Cardinals on Saturday.

The righty allowed a two-out single to Yadier Molina but then struck out Dexter Fowler to end the game. The 32-year-old has given up only one earned run this season and has converted all five of his save opportunities.

Reyes was optioned to Triple-A Memphis after Saturday's loss to the Padres, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Manager Mike Shildt talked in spring training of Reyes being used in a multi-faceted bullpen role, but his poor start to the season instead has him headed to the minors to straighten things out. The 24-year-old is one of the most talented arms in the organization but has allowed five runs with a pitiful 1:6 K:BB over three innings thus far in 2019. Reyes could still earn his way into a high-leverage role this season, but he'll first have to illustrate better control at Memphis.

Edwards was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Edwards was supposed to be one of the Cubs' top bullpen arms, but he's endured an awful 2019 so far. In four appearances (lasting just 1.2 innings) he's allowed six earned runs, walking five while striking out just two. He was forced to scrap a new deceptive delivery after it was ruled illegal, so it's likely that his spring preparations have been thrown off. He'll head to the minors to get his rhythm back and could return as a high-leverage arm later in the season if he can earn back manager Joe Maddon's trust.

Robertson pitched a clean ninth inning in Friday's 10-4 win over the Twins, allowing one hit while striking out a pair.

After struggling in his first three appearances, Robertson finally had his first scoreless outing Friday. His season numbers are still quite ugly, with a 12.00 ERA, a 3.67 WHIP, and a 3:5 K:BB, but it's possible that he's now figured things out. The veteran threw just 3.2 Grapefruit League innings, so he may have just needed a bit of a tune-up before getting back to his typical self.

Chafin retired the lone batter he faced in Friday's 15-8 win over the Red Sox.

Chafin was called on at the most critical juncture and got the left-handed-hitting Rafael Devers in the sixth inning with the bases loaded. Facing one or two lefties has become Chafin's role, and he filled it nicely Friday, giving Devers nothing to hit and inducing a meekly hit groundball back to the mound. It may be a stretch to call any moment in a 15-8 game a high-leverage spot, but one poorly located pitch would have cut the Diamondbacks' lead to two while giving Boston momentum. Instead, Chafin got the one batter he needed to, called it a night, and the Diamondbacks tacked on another eight runs before it was over.