MLB Player News

Stewart (shoulder) has been facing hitters at the Dodgers' complex in Arizona and is getting close to beginning a minor-league rehab assignment, per MLB.com.

Stewart's recovery from right shoulder surgery seems to be progressing smoothly. When the righty reliever begins a rehab stint, it will be his first game action since he went through a brief rehab assignment last September. Stewart could join the big-league bullpen by the end of April.

Pop is slated to serve as the Phillies' opening pitcher in Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Andrew Painter had been lined up to start the series finale but was a late scratch due to a migraine. Pop hasn't covered more than an inning in any of his appearances so far, so he's not expected to provide the Phillies with much length in his first career MLB start.

The Mets designated Garcia for assignment Sunday.

The veteran right-hander joined the Mets on a one-year, $1.75 million contract in January, but he's being let go after surrendering five earned runs on 11 hits with a 4:2 K:BB across his first 6.1 frames of the campaign. Garcia had a 3.42 ERA and 1.46 WHIP across 58 appearances in 2025.

The Mets recalled Gerber from Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.

The 28-year-old failed to make New York's Opening Day roster but will get a look in the majors a couple weeks into the season. Gerber is taking the roster spot of Luis Garcia, who was designated for assignment in a corresponding move, and should fill a low-leverage relief role.

Thielbar (1-2) allowed an unearned run on a hit and a walk in the 11th inning to take the loss Saturday against the Pirates. He struck out three.

Thielbar had a bit of a tough-luck loss, as he allowed the automatic inherited runner to score on a soft groundball back toward the mound with two outs in the top of the frame. The veteran lefty fielded the ball but threw low to first base, and his error allowed the Pirates to move ahead 4-3. On the bright side, Thielbar has six strikeouts and a solid 3.38 ERA across 5.1 innings so far this season working in middle relief for the Cubs.

Santana gave up one run on one hit and two walks in the ninth inning Saturday, blowing his first save of the season in a 4-3 extra-innings win over the Cubs. He failed to strike out a batter.

One game after picking up his first save of 2026 on Friday, Santana took a step back, getting only 15 of 27 pitches into the strike zone as he gave up his first run of the year in his eighth appearance. Santana still sports a 1.13 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 6:4 K:BB through eight innings, compared to Gregory Soto's 1.04 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB through 8.2 innings, and the duo seem likely to continue splitting closing opportunities depending on matchups.

Junk (0-2) took the loss Saturday, coughing up five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks over five innings as the Marlins were downed 6-1 by the Tigers. He struck out four.

A three-run homer by Riley Greene in the third inning was the big blow off Junk, who tossed 64 of 99 pitches for strikes before exiting. The 30-year-old right-hander has seen an uptick in velocity this season, but so far it hasn't translated into significantly better results. He'll take a 4.32 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB through 16.2 innings into his next start, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Brewers.

Manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that the Dodgers are monitoring Diaz's fastball velocity, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Diaz had a rough outing Friday, allowing three runs in the ninth inning against Texas to blow his first save since joining the Dodgers. More notably, his fastball velocity is averaging 95.9 mph in the early going, which is over a tick below his 97.3-mph average velocity last season. Diaz wasn't available to pitch Saturday after throwing 23 pitches Friday, and Roberts didn't commit to having him available Sunday either, saying, "We'll see how he feels tomorrow," per Harris. However, Roberts also noted that Diaz's velocity isn't much of a concern while pointing out that it's usually lower early in the campaign, so fantasy managers probably have no need to panic.

Vesia struck out the only batter he faced to earn a save Saturday against the Rangers.

The Dodgers took a three-run lead into the ninth inning and turned to Blake Treinen to close things out. Treinen got two outs but also allowed two baserunners on a walk and an error, and Vesia was brought in to face lefty Evan Carter, who was then swapped out for pinch hitter Danny Jansen. Vesia got the job done, fanning Jansen on six pitches to end the contest. The save was Vesia's first of the season after he recorded five saves each of the past two regular seasons. He's one of Los Angeles' top setup men but probably won't see many more save chances since Edwin Diaz, who was unavailable Saturday (per Jack Harris of the California Post) after throwing 23 pitches Friday, is locked into the closer role.

Adam earned a save against the Rockies on Saturday by retiring the only batter he faced.

The Padres took a 9-5 lead into the ninth inning, and Bradgley Rodriguez opened that frame on the mound. However, Rodriguez loaded the bases with two outs, and with Mason Miller having pitched three straight days, manager Craig Stammen turned to Adam for the final out. The righty came through by getting Ezequiel Tovar to pop out to second base. This was Adam's second appearance in as many days since being activated from the injured list Friday. He's faced exactly one batter in each outing and has retired both on nine total pitches.