MLB Player News

Puk picked up a save against the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing one run on one hit while striking out one batter over one inning.

Arizona held a four-run lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, initially rendering Puk's services unnecessary. However, Ryan Thompson allowed the first two batters in the frame to reach base, at which point Puk was called upon to put out the fire. He instead stoked the flames by serving up a one-out, three-run homer to Anthony Volpe, but the lefty reliever then retired the final two batters he faced to close things out for Arizona. It's noteworthy that Puk got his second save chance in two days while Justin Martinez pitched the eighth inning Tuesday, though it also bears mentioning that in both instances Puk was brought in at a point when the Yankees were due to send up multiple left-handed batters. Manager Torey Lovullo hasn't yet announced a full-time closer, and he may opt to determine save chances based on matchups; that said, Puk appears to at least be the Diamondbacks' closer of choice when the situation calls for a lefty, though he's now allowed two homers over his first three outings of the campaign.

Suarez struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to record his third save of the year in Wednesday's 5-2 win against the Guardians.

Suarez's start to the regular season has made his disastrous spring training feel like a distant memory. He's now converted all three of his save opportunities while striking out four batters and allowing just one man to reach base via a walk. The 34-year-old remains one of the most reliable relievers in the game and doesn't appear to be at risk of losing his hold on the Padres' closer job.

Doval earned the save in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Astros, pitching a scoreless inning with no strikeouts.

Doval induced three consecutive outs in just 10 pitches during the ninth frame, securing his second save in three appearances this season. The right-hander has yet to allow a hit across three innings in the 2025 campaign, recording a strikeout and no walks. Ryan Walker took over the closing role due to Doval's struggles in the middle of last season, and while Walker will likely continue to receive the bulk of the ninth-inning work, Doval should still remain a key part of the back-end mix in San Francisco.

Santana walked one in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his first save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Rays.

Getting Pittsburgh's first save opportunity since a struggling David Bednar was demoted to Triple-A, Santana tossed 16 of 24 pitches for strikes to get the job done against the heart of Tampa Bay's order. Colin Holderman, the other likely candidate to get a shot at closing duties, entered the game in the eighth inning and allowed a run, so the Bucs' bullpen hierarchy seems set for now. Santana has a 2.70 ERA and 3:3 K:BB through his first 3.1 innings on the year, and while he's had control issues at times in the past, the 28-year-old right-hander did post a career-best 7.3 percent walk rate in 2024.

Tarnok (ankle) struck out two batters and gave up one unearned run on one hit and no walks over three innings Sunday for Triple-A Jacksonville in its 2-1 extra-inning win over Nashville.

Tarnok attended big-league camp with the Marlins as a non-roster invitee, but he saw his longshot bid for the Opening Day roster come to an end after spraining his left ankle early in camp. The right-hander had sufficient time to heal up from the injury and kept ramped up ahead of the minor-league season, allowing him to claim a spot in the Jacksonville rotation.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that Montas (lat) has begun a throwing program, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Montas was cleared to play catch from 60 feet as he begins a throwing progression. He was shut down after being diagnosed with a high-grade right lat strain in mid-February, and it's going to be a lengthy build-up process for the hurler.

The Dodgers transferred Hurt (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who was acquired via trade Wednesday. Hurt's move to the 60-day IL won't affect his timeline for his return, as he's working his way back from Tommy John surgery and won't be available until late this season even in a best-case scenario.

Hall (lat) is tentatively scheduled to throw a bullpen session April 15, MLB.com reports.

Hall has been throwing on flat ground at the Brewers' spring training complex in Arizona and will be ready for mound work in mid-April if he continues to progress. He's slated for bullpen sessions April 15 and 18 before advancing to throwing live batting practice April 23. Hall is on the 60-day injured list as he comes back from a left lat strain and isn't eligible for activation until late May.

Alexander is likely to start Friday against the Reds, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The Brewers are holding off announcing a probable pitcher for the game, likely because Alexander may be needed in relief before then. However, Alexander threw a bullpen session Wednesday, which points to him taking the ball Friday if he's not needed in relief Wednesday against the Royals or Thursday against the Reds. Alexander has made two relief appearances this season, most recently throwing 2.1 innings and 47 pitches Sunday, so the lefty is unlikely to be able to handle a full starter's workload Friday.

Salazar has appeared in three of the Nationals' first five games this season, allowing one run on six hits and a walk in three innings. He has yet to strike out a batter.

The 26-year-old righty is filling a low-leverage role in the Washington bullpen, but that's resulted in frequent usage with the team off to a 1-4 start and having been out-scored 28-14 in the four losses. Salazar split last season between the Dodgers and Nats, posting a 2.87 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 27:14 K:BB in 29.1 innings with three holds in 26 appearances.