MLB Player News

Lovelady earned the save in Saturday's 2-0 win over Atlanta, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.

After opening Friday's contest, Lovelady got the call with a two-run lead in the ninth inning Saturday and slammed the door on 11 pitches. Clayton Beeter pitched each of the previous two nights after returning from injury while Gus Varland threw 12 pitches Friday, so Lovelady drew the assignment against two lefties and the switch-hitting Ozzie Albies. The versatile southpaw is now 4-for-4 in save chances with a 2.38 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 21:4 K:BB across 22.2 frames, while also recording three holds and opening three games.

Phillips will start Sunday's game against the Mets, Stephen Strom of Marlins Radio Network reports.

The Marlins sent Braxton Garrett down to Triple-A Jacksonville after just two starts, and the team will now give Phillips the next shot at replacing Robby Snelling (elbow) in the rotation. The right-handed Phillips has pitched well out of the bullpen in 2026 with a 1.20 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 27:16 K:BB over 30 innings, but he hasn't thrown more than three innings in an appearance this season. With that in mind, Phillips is unlikely to reach the five innings necessary to qualify for the win in his first start Sunday in a game that the the Marlins will likely treat as a bullpen day.

The Cardinals added Fernandez to their active roster to serve as the 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader against the Reds.

Fernandez has allowed one earned run in 5.2 innings with the Cardinals this season, and he'll return to the majors to give St. Louis extra bullpen depth for Saturday's twin bill. He'll likely be sent back to Triple-A Memphis following the nightcap.

The Reds optioned Franco to Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

Franco gave up three earned runs over two innings during the first half of Saturday's doubleheader, inflating his ERA to 5.40 through 16.2 frames in the big leagues this season. He'll be joined by Connor Phillips on the trip back to Louisville, and the Reds will bring up Zach Maxwell from Triple-A and activate Caleb Ferguson (oblique) from the IL to round out the active roster.

The Reds optioned Phillips to Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

After posting a 2.88 ERA through 25 innings last season, Phillips has struggled to the tune of a 5.53 ERA and 1.77 WHIP over 27.2 frames to begin the 2026 campaign, so the Reds will send him and Jose Franco down to the minors to right the ship. To fill the open roster spots, Caleb Ferguson (oblique) was activated from the IL, and Zach Maxwell was promoted from Louisville.

The Reds recalled Maxwell from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

Maxwell gave up four earned runs in just one inning during his season debut May 1, but he's since fired 7.1 shutout innings at Louisville while tallying 10 strikeouts. He'll get another look in the Reds' bullpen as a result, and the team will clear room for him on the active roster by sending down Connor Phillips and Jose Franco.

The Reds reinstated Ferguson (oblique) from the injured list Saturday.

Ferguson has been sidelined by an oblique strain since spring training. He began playing in rehab games in late April but has struggled, allowing 11 earned runs in just 7.2 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A. Despite his poor results, the Reds are comfortable adding him back to their bullpen and will likely look to use him in middle relief.

Myers gave up a run on a hit and a walk in 1.1 innings Friday against the Marlins. He didn't strike out a batter.

The right-hander tossed 20 pitches (13 strikes) as the opener before exiting the mound. Myers could be headed for another turn in the rotation as an opener next Wednesday against the Reds -- rookie Jonah Tong fired three hitless, scoreless innings in relief Friday and appears ticketed for another turn as a bulk reliever or tandem option. Myers would be a likely candidate to begin that game for the Mets. On the season, the former Brewer has posted a 3.56 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 23:7 K:BB through 30.1 innings.

Patrick pitched 1.1 perfect innings to collect the save in Friday's 5-1 win over the Dodgers. He did not record a strikeout.

Patrick entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning after Aaron Ashby had walked Freddie Freeman and plunked Max Muncy (wrist), putting the tying run on deck. Patrick induced a groundout from Teoscar Hernandez to get out of the jam and then retired the side in order in the ninth to capture his second save in his last three appearances. The 27-year-old righty's experience as a starter makes him more likely to operate as a long reliever, but he's seemingly winning the trust of manager Pat Murphy to work in high-leverage spots occasionally while Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill work through early-season struggles.

Manaea (0-1) took the loss Friday against the Marlins, allowing one run on four hits over 3.2 innings in bulk relief. He struck out three without walking a batter.

It was one of the better performances this season from Manaea, who fired 46 of 65 pitches for strikes after replacing Tobias Myers on the mound with one out in the second inning, but the veteran southpaw was on the hook for the loss as the Mets were downed 2-1. Manaea has a 4.00 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB over four appearances and nine innings in May, an improvement on his 6.97 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in April, but he seems set to remain in a long-relief role despite New York's rotation issues.