MLB Player News

The Phillies recalled Nelson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

The right-hander was optioned to the minors late in camp but will join the major-league club Sunday since Luis Ortiz (ankle) is headed to the injured list. Nelson made just one appearance for the Phillies last season and should fill a low-leverage role, likely as a long reliever, now that he's up in the majors.

Miller (1-0) tossed two scoreless innings to earn the win in relief during Saturday's 7-6, 10-inning victory over the White Sox. He struck out one.

Detroit starter Kenta Maeda was tagged for six runs over 3.1 innings, but the Detroit bullpen was lights out the rest of the way, punctuated by Miller at the end. The righty has now tossed three scoreless innings across the team's first two games, so he may be unavailable Sunday. However, Miller looks like he'll be a heavily used and valuable reliver for the Tigers moving forward.

Cuas pitched 1.1 scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts in Saturday's loss to the Rangers.

Starter Kyle Hendricks was tagged for five runs while reliever Ben Brown gave up six, but Cuas was effective against a tough Texas lineup. The righty struck out 71 batters across 65.1 innings last season, and if he can continue to miss bats at a high rate, he may see more high-leverage work as the year goes on.

The Phillies placed Ortiz on the 15-day injured list due to a left ankle sprain Sunday.

The right-hander suffered the injury during Saturday's loss to Atlanta and will be sidelined for at least the next couple weeks. Nick Nelson was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill Ortiz's spot in the bullpen.

Jarvis allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four batters over three relief innings in Saturday's 9-4 loss to the Rockies.

Jarvis fulfilled his role as a multi-inning reliever, working the sixth through eighth innings. He allowed traffic in all three frames and was eventually stung for a two-run home run by Brenton Doyle during his final inning. Jarvis competed for a spot in the rotation during spring training but was bypassed in favor of Tommy Henry after Eduardo Rodriguez (shoulder) opened the season on the injured list. Henry was rocked Saturday before Jarvis entered the game, and that the two are currently on the same schedule could make it convenient for manager Torey Lovullo to make a change. Eventually, Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery are expected to enter the rotation, which will obviate the need for either Jarvis or Henry as starters.

Brebbia pitched a perfect ninth inning in Saturday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Tigers.

The 33-year-old right-hander was bothered by a calf strain early this spring, but Brebbia was able to make a couple Cactus League appearances late in camp and seems healthy to begin the season. He was viewed as a potential closing candidate in an unsettled White Sox bullpen heading into 2024, so his high-leverage usage Saturday is encouraging, but the better news for Brebbia's fantasy outlook might have been how manager Pedro Grifol has deployed his competition. Rookie Jordan Leasure worked the sixth Saturday and got a hold, while Michael Kopech pitched the eighth Thursday with the team down by a run.

Smith (0-1) was charged with the loss after he surrendered four runs on two hits and two walks during the ninth inning Saturday versus the Twins.

Smith entered for the ninth inning with the game tied 1-1 and immediately induced a groundout, but Minnesota then rallied for four runs as five of the next six batters reached base. Notably, he was lined up for the save chance before James McArthur, who is also in the mix at closer, blew a 1-0 lead in the eighth inning, but Smith's rough season debut certainly won't help his standing. John Schreiber is the third option in the potential closing committee and delivered a scoreless seventh Saturday.

Gallegos earned a save against the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out two batters over one scoreless inning.

Ryan Helsley got a chance to close Los Angeles out in the ninth inning, but he gave up two runs to allow the game to move to an extra frame. After St. Louis posted a run in the top of the 10th, the Cardinals turned to Gallegos to try to hold the lead. He struck out the first two batters he faced before yielding an infield single and a walk to load the bases, but Gallegos then got Shohei Ohtani to pop out to shortstop to end the threat and emerge with the save. Helsley is likely to remain the team's primary closer despite Saturday's blown save, but if he were to struggle early in the campaign, Gallegos would probably be next in line for the ninth-inning role given that he recorded double-digit saves in each of the past three campaigns.

Helsley (1-0) blew a save but earned the win over the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out two batters over one inning.

The Cardinals turned the ball over to Helsley while holding a 5-3 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, but the closer couldn't slam the door on the Dodgers. He gave up a one-out solo homer to Mookie Betts, then surrendered three straight two-out singles to allow the tying run to cross the plate. Helsley did manage to move the game to extra innings by striking out Teoscar Hernandez for the third out, and he ended up as the winning pitcher when the Cardinals pulled out the victory in the 10th frame. Helsley has pitched well enough in a closing role over the past two campaigns to have some grace despite Saturday's blown save, but it's worth noting that Giovanny Gallegos -- who has also worked as a closer for the Cardinals in recent years -- eventually secured the save Saturday and looms as a viable ninth-inning alternative should Helsley struggle early.

Kinley allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one across a scoreless eighth inning in Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Kinley pitched with a five-run lead in a setup role for Justin Lawrence. It was his second appearance of the season, with the first coming in Friday's loss to Arizona. Though the team hasn't yet had a save chance, Kinley appears more likely to be in line for holds rather than saves to begin the new year.