MLB Player News

Manager Aaron Boone announced Sunday that Williams has been removed from the closer role "for right now," Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

The writing was on the wall after Williams blew his first save of the season Friday against Toronto, which was the second straight appearance in which he allowed three earned runs. The right-hander has yet to truly look like himself in 10 outings with the Yankees and has an 11.25 ERA and 8:7 K:BB across eight innings. New York presumably plans to return Williams to the closer job at some point this year, but he'll need to right the ship in a lesser role before getting that opportunity. Luke Weaver, who took over as the Yankees' closer down the stretch last season, has yet to allow a run through 11 outings this year and could get the bulk of the save chances in the meantime.

The Mets selected Urena's contract from Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.

Urena will take the spot on the 26-man roster vacated by A.J. Minter (lat), who was placed on the 15-day injured list. Urena, who signed a minor-league deal in February, will give the Mets a long-relief option out of the bullpen who can also start in a pinch. Urena appeared in 33 regular-season games (nine starts) for the Rangers in 2024, posting a 3.80 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 70:39 K:BB across 109 innings.

The Mets placed Minter on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to a left lat strain.

Minter was lifted in the eighth inning of Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Nationals due to what was initially reported as left triceps tightness. Further testing revealed a left lat strain, and the 31-year-old southpaw will be shut down from throwing until a rehab program is established. The Mets selected Jose Urena's contract from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move.

Church is on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Round Rock with an oblique injury, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

It was reported April 22 that he would be shut down for 7-to-10 days. Church was optioned to Triple-A on April 16 after walking more batters (six) than he struck out (five) in 4.2 innings with the big club. The 24-year-old relief prospect showed roughly the same velocity on his pitches as in 2024, using his 87 mph slider slightly more than his 96 mph fastball. He could still figure into the high-leverage mix in a year or two.

The Yankees recalled De Los Santos from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to serve as the 27th player for Sunday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays.

The right-hander will temporarily join the big club as bullpen depth following Saturday's postponement. De Los Santos has given up one earned run over 8.1 innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year, though he hasn't pitched in the majors since 2023, when he posted a 3.33 ERA in 22 outings with Pittsburgh.

Hurter (1-0) gave up one run across 2.1 innings of relief to earn the win in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader with the Orioles. He allowed a hit and two walks.

After Keider Montero covered 4.1 innings to start the game, Hurter finished the fifth then worked into the seventh to earn his first win of the season. The lefty has been solid with a 2.65 ERA across 17 innings, which is in line with the 2.58 ERA he posted across 45.1 regular-season innings in 2024. Hurter isn't missing many bats, however, with only 11 strikeouts across those 17 frames.

Roberts allowed four runs on three hits and a walk across two innings of relief in Saturday's 10-4 loss to the Phillies. He struck out one.

Starter Ben Brown was tagged with the loss after allowing six runs in 3.2 innings, but Roberts wasn't much more effective out of the bullpen. The righty came into the contest with a tidy 1.42 ERA, which ballooned to 5.40 after Saturday's outing. Roberts should stick in a middle-relief role for the Cubs for the time being, giving him limited fantasy upside.

Ginkel (shoulder) will pitch for Triple-A Reno on Sunday, MLB.com reports.

This will be Ginkel's second rehab appearance after he threw 22 pitches for the Aces on Thursday. Relief pitchers typically don't require many outings while on rehab, which means Ginkel could be ready to go Tuesday when Arizona embarks on a road trip beginning in New York against the Mets.

Graveman (back) threw 22 pitches and faced six batters in an extended spring training game Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Graveman is checking boxes on his way to an early May return. He's thrown a bullpen session, a live batting practice session and now appeared in a game environment. There should be a key spot for Graveman once he's ready, as the Arizona bullpen deals with injuries.

Fairbanks earned the save Saturday in San Diego as he struck out one and gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning.

The right-hander allowed a one-out double to Manny Machado but otherwise had no issues with the heart of the Padres lineup. Fairbanks has delivered three straight scoreless appearances and has converted all five of his save chances this year. He has a 2.61 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 10:6 K:BB across 10.1 innings as he's looking to produce his third straight year of 20-plus saves.