MLB Player News

Rodriguez picked up his fourth hold of the season in Thursday's win over the Angels, allowing one hit and striking out five over two scoreless innings.

The 28-year-old right-hander needed only 29 pitches (20 strikes) to record his six outs, as Rodriguez helped give the Blue Jays' usual high-leverage options a breather by working the seventh and eighth innings. He may be joining that group himself -- Rodriguez has recorded a hold in back-to-back appearances, and over his last nine outings and 12.1 innings he's posted a 2.92 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB.

Scholtens (elbow) made his first rehab appearance with High-A Winston-Salem on Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Scholtens missed the entire 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery and was placed on the 60-day injured list in spring training. The right-hander worked three innings Tuesday while allowing three earned runs on five hits and two walks and striking out two. He will need several more rehab outings before being ready to re-join the White Sox.

The Royals signed Richards to a minor-league contract Thursday.

Richards had been cut loose by the Cubs earlier this week after posting a 7.27 ERA and 12:7 K:BB over 8.2 innings at Triple-A Iowa. The righty will report to Triple-A Omaha, where he will give the Royals some relief depth.

Vodnik (shoulder) is throwing from 90 feet, MLB.com reports.

Vodnik resumed throwing in late April, but he has progressed slowly since. He was previously expected to return at some point in early May, but his timeline is now unclear.

Martinez (shoulder) extended his throwing program out to 90 feet Thursday and could get back on a mound this weekend, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Martinez began his throwing program earlier in the week and may need just the minimum stay on the 15-day injured list, per manager Torey Lovullo. "I know you guys want to know on Day 16 is he gonna be available?" Lovullo said. "I think it's gonna potentially be around that time. It's not gonna be much longer than that if it's not on that day." Since Martinez landed on the IL, Shelby Miller and Kevin Ginkel have been given save opportunities.

Strahm picked up the save in Thursday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Rays after allowing one unearned run on two hits in the 10th inning. He struck out two.

It was the second save of the year for Strahm, who was brought in to work the 10th frame after closer Jose Alvarado kept the game tied in the ninth. While Strahm began the season with a scoreless streak of 6.1 innings, he has a 4.82 ERA over his last 9.1 frames and has seen just three save chances overall this year. The southpaw is still one of Philadelphia's top left-handed relievers, but Strahm remains behind Alvarado in the bullpen pecking order when it comes to ninth-inning work.

Green picked up the save in Thursday's 8-5 win over the Angels after throwing a clean ninth inning. He struck out two.

Closer Jeff Hoffman, who had worked each of the past two days and gave up six runs across those outings, unsurprisingly didn't get the call in Thursday's save situation, and it was Green who recorded his first save of the year. Setup man Yimi Garcia has also struggled lately, having yielded seven runs over his last two appearances, but Green is still unlikely to see more than the occasional save opportunity while Toronto's top two bullpen arms work to get back on track. Through 17.1 innings in 2025, Green holds a 3.63 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 17:4 K:BB.

Ginkel allowed a run on one hit over one inning to earn the save in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Dodgers.

Ginkel gave up a two-out solo shot to Shohei Ohtani, but the right-hander was able to get a flyout from Mookie Betts to end the game. While Ginkel has allowed three runs, including two homers, on five hits and three walks over 4.1 innings, he remains part of the Diamondbacks' high-leverage mix. This was his first save of the year to go with three holds. While A.J. Puk (elbow) and Justin Martinez (elbow) are sidelined, Ginkel is competing with Shelby Miller and Ryan Thompson for save chances. The presence of a closer committee, as well as Arizona's 4.78 bullpen ERA, which ranks 25th in the majors through Thursday's games, makes this a risky landscape for chasing saves in fantasy.

Ashcraft blew the save Thursday against Atlanta after allowing two runs and two hits and one walk in the ninth inning. He struck out one.

Closer Emilio Pagan worked each of Cincinnati's past two games, which opened the door for Ashcraft to receive his second save opportunity of the season. However, Ashcraft failed to convert in both instances, and he's given up six runs over his last seven outings after opening the season on a nine-inning scoreless streak. The right-hander owns a 2.95 ERA and 19:9 K:BB over 18.1 innings and should continue to see high-leverage work, but his shakier 1.36 WHIP could give manager Terry Francona some trepidation the next time he needs to choose an arm if/when Pagan is unavailable for a save situation.

Fairbanks blew the save Thursday against the Phillies after allowing one unearned run on one hit and one walk in the ninth inning. He struck out one.

Although Fairbanks avoided taking an earned run due to a throwing error on a pickoff attempt earlier in the frame, it was still his first run allowed in his last eight appearances. The right-hander also fell one pitch short of his season high of 29, which could affect his availability for Friday's series opener against the Brewers. Fairbanks is still very much first in line for future save opportunities in the Rays' bullpen, as he sports a strong 1.76 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 14:7 K:BB while converting eight of his nine save chances across 15.1 innings in 2025.