MLB Player News

Erceg earned the save Monday against the Guardians, working a clean ninth inning with one strikeout.

It was the first three up, three down inning for Erceg on the season, retiring the Guardians in order to earn his third save of the year. With Carlos Estevez (foot) on the injured list, the 30-year-old has been thrust into closing duties and has been a perfect 3-for-3 on save opportunities. If Erceg continues to have success, it's possible that he could take over closer duties on a full-time basis even when Estevez comes back.

Junis picked up the save in Monday's 2-1 win over Seattle. He allowed no hits or walks with no strikeouts over a scoreless inning.

Junis was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning and answered with a flawless frame to collect his first save of the season. Through six innings in 2026, the right-hander has yet to allow a run and has permitted just one baserunner. With Texas opting not to name a defined closer, Junis could continue to see save opportunities and work in high-leverage situations if he can maintain this level of performance.

Pagan earned the save Monday against the Marlins, tossing a perfect ninth inning.

Entering the ninth inning with a two-run lead, Pagan needed just 13 pitches to secure the save, turning in a clean and efficient frame. The 34-year-old has now converted four of his five save opportunities this season, though his 7.11 ERA remains inflated from a rough outing against Pittsburgh last Wednesday. Since then, Pagan's bounced back well, allowing just one hit while striking out two in three appearances.

Romano earned a save against Atlanta on Monday, retiring the only batter he faced in the ninth inning.

The Angels carried a 6-1 lead into the ninth frame, so it looked like Romano wouldn't be needed. However, reliever Chase Silseth ran into some trouble, giving up a solo home run to open the inning and then putting a pair of runners on base. Romano was summoned to put out the fire and did just that, getting Mike Yastrzemski to fly out to end the game. Romano is now 4-for-4 on save chances and has yet to give up a run through five innings, so he seems to have a pretty good hold on the Angels' closer role.

Soriano (3-0) earned the win over Atlanta on Monday, allowing one run on three hits and no walks while striking out 10 batters over eight innings.

Soriano entered Monday on a 12-inning scoreless streak to begin the campaign. That ended when Drake Baldwin launched a solo homer off him in the first frame, but Soriano responded in impressive fashion, allowing just two more hits and zero additional runs over the remainder of his eight innings. Soriano racked up 15 swinging strikes and 10 punchouts, giving him 21 strikeouts -- tied for the MLB lead -- through his first 20 frames. Soriano posted a career-worst 4.26 ERA last season along with an 8.1 K/9, so there's reason to be skeptical about how long he can keep dominating opponents, but for now he's emerged as one of fantasy's most valuable early-season successes.

Junk (0-1) took the loss Monday against the Reds, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out three over 7.1 innings.

Junk turned in a strong outing despite being tagged with the loss, keeping Cincinnati hitless into the fourth inning before allowing back-to-back hits that produced the game's first run. The right-hander settled in from there, working three more scoreless frames before Tyler Stephenson led off the eighth with a solo homer that accounted for the final damage. Monday's outing marked the longest of the 30-year-old's career across 38 appearances. While Junk admitted in a postgame interview that he didn't feel he had his best stuff, his ability to compete and navigate deep into the game was an encouraging sign moving forward into his next start, scheduled against Detroit.

Laweryson picked up the save Monday against the Tigers. He allowed no hits or walks while striking out two over 1.2 perfect innings.

Laweryson entered in the eighth inning with a two-run lead that grew to four heading into the ninth, though the margin proved irrelevant as he was flawless en route to earning his first career MLB save. After surrendering four runs (three earned) across 1.1 innings in his season debut, the 27-year-old hasn't allowed a baserunner over his past three scoreless outings.

Baker earned the save Monday against the Cubs, allowing one run on one hit and no walks while striking out two in the ninth inning.

A two-out home run from Matt Shaw spoiled a shutout ninth inning from Baker as he earned his first save of 2026. It was the first hit and run the 31-year-old surrendered on the season. He also added two strikeouts to give him six on the season through four innings and four appearances. With some of the other Rays high-leverage relievers struggling to start the season, Baker's early success might earn him some more save opportunities moving forward.

Zerpa picked up the save Monday against Boston, giving up one run on two hits and no walks in the ninth inning.

With closer Trevor Megill and top setup man Abner Uribe both likely unavailable after working each of the past two days, it was Zerpa who drew the save opportunity and came away with his first career save. Things weren't easy though, as Willson Contreras homered and Wilyer Abreu singled to bring the potential tying run to the plate, but Zerpa got Trevor Story to ground out to end the game. The left-hander should see occasional high-leverage work, but Megill and Uribe are still the primary ninth-inning options in most situations.

Helsley picked up the save in Monday's win over the White Sox. He allowed one run on a hit and two walks with a strikeout over one inning.

Helsley worked himself into a jam after issuing two walks to open the ninth inning but was able to preserve a two-run lead and secure his third save of the young campaign in an Orioles win. After delivering a pair of scoreless innings in his first two appearances of the season, the hard-throwing right-hander has allowed a run in each of his past two outings. Overall, Helsley owns a 5.40 ERA and 2.40 WHIP, though the 3.1-inning sample is too small to draw any meaningful conclusions.