MLB Player News

Santillan struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his first save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Twins.

Emilio Pagan was able to pitch Friday night after sustaining a minor hamstring strain earlier in the week and picked up up his sixth save, but he was held out Saturday afternoon while Santillan handled the ninth. Santillan has gotten better results in the early part of the season -- he has yet to allow a run in 10 innings with a 0.90 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB, compared to Pagan's 4.35 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 10:6 K:BB in 10.1 frames -- but as yet, there's been no suggestion the Reds are thinking about making a switch at closer as long as their incumbent is healthy.

Henry (shoulder) played catch Saturday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Saturday marks the first time Henry has done any sort of throwing since he landed on the injured list Monday with a right rotator cuff strain. He said afterward that he felt good while throwing and remains optimistic that his stay on the injured list will be brief.

The Phillies recalled Johnson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday.

The 27-year-old will join the big-league bullpen to fill the void left by Jhoan Duran, who was placed on the IL with an oblique strain Saturday. Johnson gave up three earned runs over 1.2 innings during his first appearance with the Phillies this year and will likely be limited to low-leverage situations.

The Phillies placed Duran on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a left oblique strain, retroactive to Wednesday.

Duran has been dominant as the Phillies' closer to begin the year, posting a 1.35 ERA and 0.75 WHIP through 6.2 innings while tallying five saves. However, he hasn't pitched in a week due to his oblique injury and will now remain sidelined until at least April 30. Brad Keller and Jose Alvarado are the leading candidates to pick up saves while Duran is out, and Seth Johnson will come up from Triple-A to round out the bullpen.

The Cubs transferred Horton (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Horton will miss roughly 16 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery Thursday, so the Cubs will stash him away on the 60-day IL for the rest of the year. Corbin Martin was selected from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move.

The Cubs selected Martin's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Martin will join the big-league bullpen for the first time this season after giving up one earned run in two innings with Iowa. Cade Horton (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day IL in a corresponding move.

Faucher (1-2) took the loss Friday against the Brewers, giving up three runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk in the 10th inning. He struck out one.

Tasked with protecting a 4-4 tie, Faucher instead loaded the bases with nobody out before a throwing error by Xavier Edwards and then a double by Garrett Mitchell brought all three runners home. Faucher has had a very shaky start to the season, stumbling to a 6.43 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and 11:8 K:BB through eight appearances and seven innings, and he could be slipping into a low-leverage role as a result -- his only hold so far in 2026 came back on April 5.

Helsley walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his sixth save of the season in a 6-4 win over the Guardians.

The right-hander continues to get the job done as the Orioles' closer, and Helsley has converted all six of his save chances to begin the season. Last year's homer issues also have yet to resurface -- after he served up nine long balls over 56 innings in 2025 between the Cardinals and Mets, leading to a 4.50 ERA, Helsley has yet to be taken deep over 8.1 innings in 2026 while producing a 2.16 ERA.

After tossing a scoreless inning of relief in Friday's 1-0, 10-inning loss to the Red Sox, Finnegan is now up to nine consecutive scoreless appearances this season.

Finnegan has managed to keep the opposition off the board so far this year, but there are some signs for concern. He only has three strikeouts across nine innings and has walked eight batters, which has contributed to a 1.33 WHIP that is a jump up from the 1.11 WHIP he posted for the Nationals and Tigers last year. Finnegan should remain locked into a key setup role for Detroit, though he'll need to flip the strikeouts and walks around if he wants to sustain his early success.

Santana allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one in the ninth inning in Friday's win over the Rays.

The Pirates were up by two runs at the start of the eighth inning but tacked on two runs in the home half of the frame. That meant Santana didn't work in a save situation, though he's now pitched the ninth inning or 10th inning in six consecutive appearances -- five of which were to end the game. Santana looks to be the Pirates' preferred closing option for the time being, though Gregory Soto will likely mix in occasionally.