MLB Player News

Birdsong picked up a hold during Sunday's 5-4 win over the Yankees, tossing two scoreless innings while striking out three and hitting one batter.

The 23-year-old entered the game in the sixth frame and retired all three batters he faced. The right-hander later hit Aaron Judge with a pitch in the seventh but escaped the inning without allowing a hit. Birdsong was efficient, facing seven batters and throwing 15 of his 20 pitches for strikes. After falling short in his bid for a spot in the Giants' Opening Day rotation, Birdsong has been dynamite in relief, having yet to allow a run while posting an 0.89 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB with three holds across nine innings over four appearances. The Giants don't seem motivated to have Birdsong get stretched back out for a starting role anytime soon, as manager Bob Melvin told Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News on April 5 that the right-hander is being treated as a true reliever at this point after San Francisco chose not to have him piggyback No. 5 starter Landen Roupp in his first start earlier this month.

Strahm gave up one run on one hit in one inning Sunday against St. Louis, striking out three.

Strahm threw 15 of his 19 pitches for strikes but struggled with his command, allowing a Yohel Pozo leadoff double to eventually come around to score following a wild pitch. It was the first run Strahm allowed so far this year, so the southpaw should remain Philadelphia's top left-handed setup man while Jose Alvarado works as the primary closer. Through 7.1 innings, Strahm has yielded only four hits, registered a 12:2 K:BB and tallied three holds.

Pressly earned the save in Sunday's 4-2 victory over the Dodgers, pitching a clean inning with one strikeout.

The veteran reliever made quick work closing out this win, completing the task in seven pitches, all of which were strikes. Pressly is now a perfect 4-for-4 in saves opportunities this season. However, under the hood, the 34-year-old has shown signs of slowing down, as his 3.38 ERA across eight innings is underpinned by a 6.11 FIP, 2.13 WHIP and 3:6 K:BB.

Rea took a no-decision Sunday against the Dodgers. He struck out five over 3.2 innings while allowing a run on four hits and one walk.

After not pitching since April 7, Rea was tasked with filling in for Justin Steele (elbow) against the mighty Dodgers. Rea impressed over this 68-pitch outing, throwing 42 strikes and generating nine whiffs. The 34-year-old has pitched to a 1.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 7:1 K:BB across nine innings and should continue to hold a rotation spot as Steele is slated to miss the rest of 2025. Rea currently lines up to make his next start against Arizona at home next weekend.

Martinez struck out two over one inning to earn a hold in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Brewers.

Arizona led 3-2 when the right-handed Martinez opened the eighth inning against three scheduled righty hitters. He retired the side in order, including a lefty pinch hitter. That held the lead for lefty A.J. Puk heading into the ninth, when the Brewers had lefties scheduled. The late-game bullpen deployment is working without manager Torey Lovullo having to name one closer. Martinez has yet to allow a run or a walk while striking out nine over 5.2 innings.

Walker earned the save in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Yankees, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.

Walker was called upon to protect a 5-4 lead in the ninth inning and delivered a clean inning to record his fourth save in as many chances. The 29-year-old has been rock-solid to open the season, posting a 1.29 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 6:1 K:BB across seven innings.

Puk picked up the save in Sunday's 5-2 victory over Milwaukee, pitching a scoreless inning with three strikeouts and a walk.

The flamethrowing southpaw required 24 pitches to polish off the Arizona win, as he allowed two baserunners to reach via a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Puk last completed a save April 2, with Justin Martinez, a right-hander, picking up a pair in between. Puk and Martinez are likely set to continue sharing save opportunities based on matchups against opposing lineups.

Matz appears to be lined up to enter the St. Louis rotation Thursday against the Mets at Citi Field.

Earlier Sunday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported that Matz was slated to start Wednesday's game against the Astros, but with Andre Pallante now being listed as the Cardinals' probable starter for that day, St. Louis looks set to wait until the series with the Mets to expand its rotation to six men. The Cardinals are likely electing to push Matz back an extra day after he tossed 2.1 innings of one-run ball in relief during Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Phillies. The left-hander has made five appearances out of the bullpen so far in 2025, surrendering four runs (three earned) on 11 hits and two walks while striking out six batters over 11.2 innings.

Henry allowed one hit while striking out two in a scoreless eighth inning during Sunday's 11-4 loss to the Marlins.

Henry was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday after Orlando Ribalta (biceps) was placed on the 15-day injured list. Henry got the call in the eighth frame for his major-league debut, striking out two while tossing 14 pitches (11 strikes) without being tagged for a run despite giving up an RBI single to Griffin Conine. Henry spent most of his minor-league career as a starter, but he shifted to a bullpen role this season and could be deployed as a long man for Washington.

Rea will start Sunday's game against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

After covering 5.1 scoreless innings across his three relief appearances to begin the season, Rea will pick up his first start of the season Sunday and could be in line for an extended stay in the rotation. Manager Craig Counsell announced Sunday that Justin Steele -- who was placed on the injured list earlier in the week -- would require season-ending elbow surgery, creating a permanent opening in the rotation that will at least temporarily fall to Rea until Javier Assad (oblique) completes his rehab assignment and is activated from the IL. Since Rea maxed out at 65 pitches over his three relief appearances and three Cactus League appearances, he'll likely be slightly limited from a workload perspective Sunday, but he should be capable of handling a traditional starting role in any additional outings that follow.