MLB Player News

Diaz (hamstring) is working with coaches on his mechanics, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Apparently, the hamstring injury impacted the reliever's mechanics, which led to command and control issues. "Stability with his front leg is probably the biggest thing," Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said of Diaz. "Then, incorporating that into his delivery, where that becomes comfortable and almost second nature." It's uncertain when Diaz will be ready to rejoin the team, or if he'll automatically resume his role as the team's closer.

Lopez (illness) tossed a scoreless inning in his return to the mound Sunday against the Phillies.

Lopez was not available to pitch for the Nationals' first two games of the season due to illness, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com. He feels good now, though, needing just five pitches to dispose of the Phillies in order during his appearance Sunday.

Hendriks (elbow) resumed playing catch Sunday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Hendriks received a cortisone shot Thursday and said he feels much better. He said the shot loosened the tension in what he called a compressed nerve. The right-hander believes he can return from the 15-day injured list around when he's first eligible April 8, but manager Alex Cora said that the Red Sox will not skip any steps in the rehab process for Hendriks, who didn't pitch for the big club and was limited to six minor-league appearances while finishing up his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Jackson allowed a hit and a walk during a scoreless inning against Boston on Sunday. He struck out one and earned a save.

Jackson retired the first two batters he faced on just five pitches. He then coughed up a double to Jarren Duran and walked Rafael Devers before striking out Alex Bregman to close out the 3-2 victory. Jackson was roughed up in his first appearance, allowing three runs while recording only one out and taking a loss Thursday. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy showed confidence in Jackson by throwing him in save situations Friday and Sunday. Jackson converted both, leading to a 3-1 series win for Texas.

Schreiber allowed one run on two hits while striking out two over 1.1 innings Sunday against the Guardians.

Schreiber saw his strikeout rate dip to 20.5 percent in 2024 in his first year in Kansas City but remained useful with a 3.66 ERA and 1.32 WHIP over 51.2 regular-season innings. He could be a nice source of holds (24 last year) ahead of Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estevez in the bullpen.

Stratton allowed two runs on three hits and two walks with no strikeouts over 1.2 innings Sunday against Cleveland.

Stratton's season ended in mid-September due to a forearm injury, but he was healthy in spring training. He was unimpressive last season with a 5.55 ERA, 17.1 percent K rate and 12.8 percent walk rate but was a consistent part of the middle-relief corps. A slow start to the season won't help him find higher-leverage usage.

Brash (elbow), whom Seattle placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday, is getting closer to beginning a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

After returning to action for the first time since September 2023 in Seattle's final spring training game last week, Brash is inching toward taking the next step in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. The hard-throwing right-hander will likely need to make several appearances in the minors before returning to Seattle's bullpen, so he remains unlikely to rejoin the major-league roster until sometime in late April or early May. Although Brash is set to serve as a high-leverage arm for the Mariners, the club could ease him back into action as a middle reliever upon his eventual activation from the IL.

Puk allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over a scoreless inning in Sunday's 10-6 win over the Cubs.

It wasn't a save situation for Puk, who made his season debut in the top of the ninth inning after the Diamondbacks took the lead an inning earlier, courtesy of an eight-run rally. Nothing has changed with respect to Arizona's closer situation. Manager Torey Lovullo still hasn't named one and will continue to trot out Puk and Justin Martinez for late-game, high-leverage situations.

Jansen picked up the save in Sunday's 3-2 win against the White Sox, pitching a scoreless inning with no strikeouts while allowing a hit and a walk.

The 37-year-old collected his 449th career save, working around a double and a walk before inducing a game-ending double play. Despite debuting late in spring training March 1 due to lingering shoulder soreness, Jansen appears to be in classic form, as he now needs just 30 more saves to pass Lee Smith for third most all-time. Jansen is firmly planted in his role as the Angels' closer and could be a trade deadline target if the team fades out of contention.

Matz picked up a save in Sunday's 9-2 win over the Twins after striking out two while allowing one hit and no walks over four shutout innings.

Matz entered the game with a six-run lead and had no problem finishing off the game for St. Louis. He fired 39 of 51 pitches for strikes and allowed just one runner to reach scoring position. The veteran southpaw should continue seeing long-relief action and likely won't be used in many save situations.