MLB Player News

Alexander is no longer scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Tigers, but he's likely to pitch in bulk relief while Shawn Armstrong serves as the Rays' opening pitcher.

Though Alexander operated as a starter his last time out Friday against the Yankees and struck out four over 5.1 scoreless innings, he looks set to appear out of the bullpen for his upcoming turn through the rotation. Working in bulk relief isn't anything out of the ordinary for Alexander, who previously tossed six innings of two-run ball behind Armstrong in an April 14 win over the Giants. The arrangement should put Alexander in better position to be credited with a win, if the Rays are able to come away with a victory in the series finale versus Detroit.

Armstrong will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Armstrong will draw his third "start" of the season, but he hasn't recorded more than six outs in any of his eight appearances and is unlikely to work more than once through the batting order, if that. Manager Kevin Cash hasn't outlined his plans for once Armstrong exits the game, but Tyler Alexander is available on his standard four days' rest and will presumably operate as a bulk reliever after tossing 5.1 scoreless innings in his last start Friday against the Yankees.

Wilson is slated to serve as the Brewers' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Pirates, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Wilson will take the hill for his second start in his last three appearances, with his most recent outing coming in relief Saturday, when he tossed 1.1 innings against the Cardinals en route to scooping up a win. Since he'll be taking the hill Wednesday on three days' rest and hasn't recorded more than 11 outs in any of his seven appearances on the season, Wilson likely won't reach the five innings he'll need to hit to qualify for a win. The Brewers aren't expected to have a designated bulk reliever work behind Wilson, but unless the team calls up another pitcher from the minors prior to Wednesday's contest, Bryan Hudson -- who tossed 2.1 scoreless innings in his last appearance Sunday -- represents the most logical option to fill multiple innings once Wilson exits the game, if needed.

Holmes struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his ninth save of the season in a 4-3 win over the A's.

The right-hander needed only nine pitches (seven strikes) to carve up the bottom of the Oakland order. Holmes has been brilliant to begin the season, converting nine of 10 save chances with a 0.00 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 10:1 K:BB through 12 innings, and he sits one ahead of the Padres' Robert Suarez for the MLB saves lead.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Fleming will start Wednesday's game against the Brewers, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Fleming has previously made 22 starts in the majors with the Rays over the previous four seasons, but he's worked exclusively out of the bullpen this season for Pittsburgh. The southpaw has one three-inning appearance under his belt, but it came back on March 29, and each of his subsequent eight outings have lasted 1.2 innings or fewer. As such, Fleming shouldn't be expected to work deep into Wednesday's contest and may be serving as a glorified opener in front of rookie Quinn Priester, who had initially been in line to start the game.

Foley struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his seventh save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Rays.

He needed only nine pitches (seven strikes) to dispatch the bottom of the Tampa Bay order. Foley has yet to blow a save or even give up an earned run this season, and the Tigers closer sports an 11:6 K:BB through 11 innings.

Leasure allowed one earned run on two hits across one inning to earn a hold Tuesday against the Twins.

Leasure entered the game in the seventh inning and was tasked with protecting a two-run lead. He gave up an earned run for his second consecutive appearance, though those are his only runs allowed across 9.1 innings of work on the season. Michael Kopech has earned the majority of save chances for the White Sox to this point in the campaign, but Leasure has proven to work effectively in high-leverage roles.

Estevez struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to pick up the save in a 7-4 win over the Orioles on Tuesday.

Estevez struck out Jackson Holliday and Adley Rutschman while getting Gunnar Henderson to ground out to retire the side in order. Tuesday was his first appearance in a week since blowing a save against the Rays. Outside of that outing, Estevez has been very reliable as the team's closer and doesn't face much competition for the job with Robert Stephenson (elbow) out for the year and Jose Soriano in the rotation. He now has four saves to go along with a 2.57 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 7:0 K:BB in seven innings thus far.

Phillips gave up a hit and three walks in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his sixth save of the season in a 4-1 win over the Nationals. He struck out two.

The right-hander threw only 16 of 32 pitches for strikes in a shaky appearance, but Phillips got a bit lucky when Luis Garcia was caught in a rundown between third base and home plate rather than scoring on a CJ Abrams single. Phillips then erased a bases-loaded jam by fanning Jesse Winker to end the game. The Dodgers' closer had issued only one free pass in his first 8.2 innings this season, so the sudden control issues aren't a concern just yet. Phillips has yet to blow a save chance in 2024 while posting a 0.93 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB through 10 appearances.

Wilson (1-2) allowed two earned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one across 0.2 innings to blow the save and take the loss Tuesday against the Twins.

Wilson has picked up two holds this season and has held a high-leverage role in the Chicago bullpen. He's had plenty of success -- eight of his 10 appearances have been scoreless-- but he ran into trouble in a save situation Tuesday. Wilson entered the game in the ninth inning with a one-run lead but immediately served up a game-tying home run to Byron Buxton. He got into more trouble before ultimately allowing a game-winning knock to Alex Kirilloff. The White Sox have only three saves as a team this season, but Wilson could get in the mix when Michael Kopech is used in high-leverage situations rather than in the final frame.