MLB Player News

Jansen earned a save against the Mariners on Thursday, issuing one walk and striking out two batters in a scoreless inning.

Jansen entered in the ninth inning with Boston holding a two-run lead and worked around a leadoff walk to close out the victory. The veteran closer missed most of spring training due to separate lat and back injuries, but that didn't prevent him from getting the call on Opening Day. Jansen's recent campaigns haven't been quite as dominant as his peak years with the Dodgers, but he's recorded 70 saves over the past two seasons and is locked in as Boston's closer as he pushes toward becoming the fourth pitcher in MLB history to reach 450 career saves.

Crochet (0-1) went six innings and took the loss Thursday against the Tigers, allowing one run on five hits and no walks. He struck out eight.

It was an impressive performance for Crochet, who earned the Opening Day nod despite having never made a start in his previous 72 big-league outings. The lefty struck out eight while going toe-to-toe with Kansas City's Tarik Skubal, who also tossed six innings but didn't yield a single run. Crochet is set for a tougher matchup his next time out, as he currently lines up to face Atlanta at home next week.

Wood (0-1) took the loss against Cleveland on Thursday, allowing six runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out three batters over 3.1 innings.

Wood got through three frames with just one run on his ledger, but he faltered in the fourth, allowing six straight batters to reach base with one out. The left-hander was pulled following Brayan Rocchio's two-run double, but by then he had given up five runs in the frame. Wood will be looked to for veteran leadership and rotation stability in his first campaign with the Athletics, though it remains to be seen how much he has left in the tank after compiling a 4.41 ERA over his previous three big-league seasons across the bay with San Francisco.

Ragans (0-1) tossed six innings of two-run baseball, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out nine while taking the loss Thursday against the Twins.

Ragans picked up where he left off in 2023 with more strikeouts than innings pitched Thursday, but he didn't receive much run support. The hard-throwing lefty started 12 games for the Royals last season after coming over in a mid-season trade from Texas and posted a 2.64 ERA with 89 strikeouts over 71.2 innings. He's expected to continue his ascent as one of the top young left-handed starters in the American League this season.

Robertson (1-0) picked up the win Thursday, working around a pair of walks in a scoreless inning against the Cubs. He struck out one.

Robertson kept Chicago off the board in the top of the 10th inning, working out of a bases-loaded jam, before Jonah Heim ended the game with a walk-off single in the bottom half of the frame. Jose Leclerc, who allowed a run in the ninth inning Thursday, is the presumed closer in Texas, though Robertson would be next in line and figures to see a fair amount of save chances this year. The 38-year-old right-hander tallied 18 saves across 65.1 innings between the Mets and Marlins last season, posting a 3.03 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 78:25 K:BB.

Montas (1-0) tossed six scoreless innings and allowed four hits and no walks while striking out four to earn the win Thursday win against the Nationals.

While the Nats offense isn't expected to light MLB on fire this season, Montas going six scoreless in Great American Ballpark is a noteworthy accomplishment -- especially after logging a 5.94 ERA this spring. Although Montas doesn't have the stuff he had in prior years, he should be in a solid position to succeed if he can keep walks allowed to a minimum. He'll likely have a tougher time in his next start, which is tentatively scheduled to come against the Phillies.

Hernandez tossed a scoreless 12th inning to earn his first save in Thursday's Opening Day win over Miami.

The lefty reliever had been called up from Triple-A earlier in the day and with closer David Bednar unavailable due to a lingering lat issue, Hernandez took advantage of his opportunity by throwing nine of 11 pitches for strikes in a blemish-free 12th to pick up his first career save. The Pirates are currently missing a couple of bullpen arms to start the season, putting Hernandez in position to help the bullpen prior to a likely return trip to Triple-A once the Bucco bullpen returns to full capacity.

Bradford will start Saturday's game against the Cubs, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

Bradford is in the Rangers' rotation as Michael Lorenzen (neck) builds up his workload. Barring an additional injury to the team's pitching staff, Bradford will shift to a relief role or be optioned to Triple-A Round Rock after a few turns as a starter. The left-hander made his big-league debut in 2023, posting a 5.30 ERA across 56 innings, though he managed a more impressive 1.21 WHIP and 51:12 K:BB.

Stewart threw a scoreless eighth inning to earn his first hold of the season in Thursday's Opening Day win at Kansas City.

It was Griffin Jax who got the first save chance of the season and converted with a scoreless ninth inning. It looks like Jax will be the primary option to close games while Jhoan Duran is sidelined several weeks with an oblique injury. However, the Twins could mix and match the two in save situations.

Leiter tossed 1.2 scoreless innings of relief in Thursday's 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Rangers. He struck out three.

With Justin Steele (hamstring) getting pulled after only 4.2 innings, the Cubs needed some length from their bullpen, and Leiter stepped up. The righty was solid in 2023, and while he should help the team this year, he has limited fantasy upside working in front of Hector Neris and closer Adbert Alzolay.