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Justin Lawrence RP | WAS
Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Back from paternity leave
The Rockies activated Lawrence (personal) from the paternity list Monday.
Lawrence missed the Rockies' weekend series in Pittsburgh but will be back for the start of their series against the Giants, which begins Tuesday. He holds a 6.00 ERA this season but leads the club with two saves and should regain his spot atop the bullpen hierarchy.
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Andres Munoz RP | SEA
Mariners' Andres Munoz: Picks up second win Sunday
Munoz (2-2) got the win against the Astros on Sunday, firing 1.1 perfect innings during which he recorded a strikeout.
Munoz continued what is turning into his best stretch of pitching this season, locating eight of his 11 pitches for strikes on his way to his ninth scoreless effort in the last 10 appearances, including his fifth straight. The right-hander has whittled his ERA and WHIP to 2.03 and 1.13, respectively, and he'd also recorded saves in three consecutive appearances before Sunday's victory.
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Jordan Leasure RP | CHW
White Sox's Jordan Leasure: Working as primary setup man
Leasure allowed one hit and struck out one across a scoreless inning in Sunday's win over the Cardinals.
Leasure is consistently working in high-leverage roles, with each of his last four appearances coming in the eighth inning or later. He's turned in three scoreless performances in that span, though he did blow a lead April 28 by allowing two earned runs to the Twins. Leasure also hasn't been particularly dominant overall, maintaining a 9:6 K:BB in 14 innings of work for the season. Still, he has one of the White Sox's five total saves and could be the choice to close games out when Michael Kopech is used in high-leverage situations rather than being reserved for save situations.
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Josh Hader RP | HOU
Astros' Josh Hader: Takes loss against Mariners
Hader (1-3) allowed a solo home run and struck out one to take the loss Sunday against the Mariners.
Hader entered the game in the ninth inning with the score tied 4-4. He retired the first batter he faced but then served up the go-ahead homer to Cal Raleigh. Hader had turned in three consecutive appearances without giving up an earned run prior to Sunday, though he's now been charged with at least one run in six of his 15 appearances.
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Colin Poche RP | DET
Rays' Colin Poche: Resumes throwing
Poche (back) threw on flat ground Sunday and is expected to throw a bullpen session Monday, MLB.com reports.
Poche had been shut down since hitting the injured list April 26, after receiving an injection in his back and resting for several days. He's projected to return in mid-May barring any setbacks, suggesting he may not need a rehab assignment.
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Blake Treinen RP | LAD
Dodgers' Blake Treinen: Faces high-leverage situation
Treinen pitched a clean eighth inning while striking out a batter to secure a hold in Sunday's 5-1 win over Atlanta.
Treinen entered to begin the eighth with the Dodgers holding onto a 4-1 lead and retired Jarred Kelenic, Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies in order, needing just 11 pitches to get through the frame. It's clear right off the bat that Treinen has the trust of manager Dave Roberts in high-leverage situations and could be in the mix for the Dodgers' closer committee while Evan Phillips is sidelined with a hamstring strain.
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Penn Murfee RP | CHW
Astros' Penn Murfee: Starts throwing off slope of mound
Murfee (elbow) was recently cleared to resume throwing off the slope of a mound, MLB.com reports.
Murfee is on the mend from July 5, 2023 surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow. The right-hander should soon begin throwing off the top of the mound while gradually ratcheting up the volume and intensity of his bullpen sessions. After that, Murfee will face live hitters in batting practice before eventually heading out on what will likely be an extended minor-league rehab assignment. The reliever is unlikely to be ready to return from the 60-day injured list until late in the season.
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Paul Sewald RP | TOR
Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald: Feels good after throwing
Sewald (oblique) said Sunday that he responded well to Saturday's inning of work in an extended spring training game, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports. "I haven't felt anything in 10 days now," Sewald said.
Following the encouraging news, Sewald plans to travel with the team to Cincinnati, where he could be activated for Tuesday's series opener against the Reds. He opened the season on the injured list and paused rehab is rehab after an appearance April 23. He downplayed the pause and was reticent to call it a setback; instead, Sewald chalked it up to panic and wanted a re-imaging to ease his mind. The reliever had never been on the injured list during his MLB career and didn't know what to expect.
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Jose Alvarado RP | PHI
Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Gets another save Sunday
Alvarado got the save in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants, allowing a solo home run while also striking out a batter in the ninth inning.
Alvarado served up a one-out solo blast to Jakson Reetz that pulled the Giants to within a run but was able to recoup with a strikeout and line out to end the game. The hard-throwing lefty has picked up seven of the team's 12 saves so far this season, registering a 4.30 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB in 14.2 innings.