MLB Player News

Mikolas is scheduled to work in bulk relief behind opening pitcher PJ Poulin in Sunday's game against the Giants, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

The Nationals will pair Mikolas with Poulin for a second straight turn through the rotation. After turning in a 12.41 ERA, 2.35 WHIP and 11:7 K:BB in 12.1 innings over his first three starts this season, Mikolas didn't fare dramatically better coming out of the bullpen Tuesday, as the Pirates tagged him for three earned runs on three hits and two walks across 3.1 innings. Despite the favorable matchup against a weak Giants offense, Mikolas hasn't provided reason for fantasy managers to include him in lineups with any level of confidence.

Poulin will serve as the Nationals' opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Giants, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Poulin will draw his third start of the season as an opener, again working in front of Miles Mikolas. The Nationals rode the Poulin-Mikolas pairing to a win over the Pirates on Tuesday, though the two pitchers combined to allow four earned runs over 4.1 innings. Poulin is unlikely to pitch more than an inning or two Sunday before turning the game over to the veteran right-hander.

Pagan was not used in a save situation in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Twins.

Pagan, who had been dealing with a hamstring injury, returned to the mound Friday and notched a save on 13 pitches. That he wasn't used on back-to-back days suggests manager Terry Francona is being cautious with his closer. Tony Santillan closed out Saturday's win for his first save of the year, and he could see more opportunities if Pagan's availability remains limited.

Miller picked up the save Saturday against the Angels, allowing one hit and one walk in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out two.

The hard-throwing right-hander has been nearly untouchable this season, though the Angels did put up a fight Saturday. Los Angeles brought the potential tying run to the plate, but Miller got Adam Frazier to ground out to close it out. Miller's scoreless streak is now up to 31.2 consecutive innings, dating back to the 2025 regular season, and he's also gone 7-for-7 on save chances to go with a 25:2 K:BB over his first 10.1 frames of 2026.

Pallante (2-1) earned the win against the Astros on Saturday, allowing one run on three hits and three walks with five strikeouts over five innings.

Pallante allowed a run in the first inning before rebounding with four scoreless frames despite throwing just 48 of 87 pitches for strikes. The 27-year-old has logged exactly five frames in each of his first four starts, holding opponents to two earned runs or fewer three times with one seven-run (six earned) clunker. He owns a 4.05 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 12:11 K:BB across 20 innings and lines up for a home matchup against the Mariners next weekend.

Vodnik picked up the save Saturday against the Dodgers, giving up no runs on two hits and no walks in the ninth inning.

Vodnik did make things interesting, allowing the possible tying and go-ahead runs to reach base, but he got Kyle Tucker to fly out to wrap up an upset victory. The last-place Rockies figure to be near the bottom of the standings in 2026, but Vodnik appears to be the club's clear-cut closer at this time. Through nine frames, the right-hander has a 2.00 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 5:4 K:BB while converting three of his four save opportunities.

Baker was charged with a blown save Saturday against the Pirates, allowing one run on two hits and one walk with two strikeouts in one inning.

With the heart of the order due up for the Pirates in the bottom of the eighth, manager Kevin Cash called on Baker to protect a 5-4 lead. He yielded a leadoff walk to Brandon Lowe and an infield singled to Ryan O'Hearn before Nick Yorke tied the game with a single. It was Baker's second blown save of the season, though he'd previously recorded four of the Rays' previous five saves. Baker now owns a 4.32 ERA and 9:3 K:BB across 8.1 innings and currently remains Tampa Bay's leading candidate for saves.

O'Brien earned the save in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Astros, striking out one while retiring both batters he faced in the ninth inning.

The right-hander was called upon with one out in the ninth after George Soriano allowed three runs in the frame, and O'Brien retired the top two hitters in the Astros' order on seven pitches. The 31-year-old has been outstanding to open the campaign, posting a 12:0 K:BB across 11 innings while allowing just one unearned run and converting all six of his save opportunities.

Treinen is fine after being hit in the head with a batted ball during batting practice prior to Saturday's game against Colorado, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Treinen was evaluated for a head injury following the incident. He warmed up in the bullpen during the game but ultimately did not appear in the contest, so it appears that a stint on the injured list won't be necessary.

Suarez earned the save in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Phillies, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning

With Raisel Iglesias unavailable after sleeping on his shoulder wrong, Suarez was called upon with a two-run lead in the ninth and slammed the door on 14 pitches. The 35-year-old has been stellar so far this season, posting a 1.04 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 10:1 K:BB across 8.2 innings. If Iglesias remains unavailable in the near term, Suarez would clearly be the top option for saves in the Atlanta bullpen.