MLB Player News

Manager Oliver Marmol said Saturday that Middleton (forearm) has yet to resume his throwing program, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Middleton had been scheduled for mound work earlier in the week, but a setback prevented him from throwing. He will meet with the Cardinals' staff Saturday to discuss the next steps of his rehab process, but it appears the right-hander's absence will extend further into the season than originally expected.

Garcia (1-0) was credited with the win in Friday's victory over the Yankees, striking out one in two-thirds of a scoreless inning of relief.

He entered a 0-0 tie with one out in the sixth inning and needed only seven pitches to retire Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Garcia was then rewarded with the win when Ernie Clement put the game's first run on the board with a solo shot in the top of the seventh. The right-hander has been kept in a high-leverage setup role while Jordan Romano (elbow) has been sidelined, with Chad Green collecting the Blue Jays' first save of the season Friday, and Garcia has yet to allow a run in 2.1 innings with a 2:0 K:BB.

Johnson (2-0) picked up the win Friday, walking one and striking out two in a scoreless 10th inning as Atlanta downed the Diamondbacks 6-5.

He walked a batter for the third straight appearance, but it's mostly been a strong start to the season for Johnson. The right-hander sports a 2.25 ERA and 5:3 K:BB through four innings as part of the high-leverage bridge to closer Raisel Iglesias, and Johnson has seen the most usage of any Atlanta reliever so far. After recording eight holds in 24 appearances for the team last season, he may not have to wait too much longer for his first hold of 2024.

Smith was removed from a save situation Friday against the White Sox. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in one-third of an inning.

Called upon to protect a one-run lead, Smith struck out Yoan Moncada but then allowed a double and a walk to the next two batters he faced. That was enough for manager Matt Quatraro, who replaced Smith with James McArthur. The right-handed McArthur came through with a double play to secure the save, and with that, we may have witnessed a changing of the guard in the ninth inning for Kansas City. There have been no formal announcements in that regard, but Smith already had two losses, one blown save and six earned runs allowed in 2.2 innings this season before Friday's messy outing.

Foley (2-0) pitched a scoreless eighth inning with two strikeouts to earn the win in Friday's 5-4 victory over the A's.

Foley now has two wins across five appearances after recording only three wins in 70 games last season. While he likely won't be able to sustain his current vulturing pace, the righty does seem to be Detroit's top option for saves at the moment, though the likes of Alex Lange, Andrew Chafin and Shelby Miller are also in the mix in a fluid Detroit bullpen. Foley leads the team with two saves so far, while Lange has one and no one else has any.

Chafin recorded two outs in the ninth inning of Friday's 5-4 win over the A's, but he also walked two batters and was pulled for Alex Lange, who recorded the save.

Chafin was close to recording his first save of the season, but the Tigers opted for the righty vs. righty matchup of Lange against Zack Gelof to close things out with two runners on base. Detroit has a fluid bullpen at the moment, with Chafin, Lange, Jason Foley and Shelby Miller all in the back-end mix. That could limit the value of all the pitchers, though Chafin should still have the opportunity to record holds and possibly a few saves moving forward.

Merryweather tossed 1.1 scoreless innings to earn a hold in Friday's 9-7 win over the Dodgers. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three.

Merryweather helped bridge the gap to closer Adbert Alzolay after starter Kyle Hendricks only lasted four innings, and he picked up his first 2024 hold in the process. The righty had a solid 2023, logging a 3.38 ERA along with 17 holds and two saves across 72 innings while striking out 98. Merryweather could improve on those numbers in 2024 as a key reliever for the Cubs.

Gage signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Saturday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Gage was DFA'd by the Dodgers on Tuesday and released Wednesday, but the team will bring him back to provide bullpen depth at Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 31-year-old southpaw posted a 4.58 ERA and 1.64 WHIP across 37.1 frames with Houston's Triple-A affiliate last season.

Cruz (0-1) was tagged with the loss Friday against the Mets. He allowed a run on three walks while striking out two over one inning in a 3-2 defeat.

Cruz entered a clean seventh inning and got the first out before walking three consecutive batters. He nearly escaped trouble, but a potential double-play grounder was mishandled by shortstop Elly De La Cruz. The reliever has allowed two runs one one hit and three walks while striking out eight over 4.1 innings.

Gibaut (forearm) allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three over a scoreless inning for High-A Dayton on Friday.

Gibaut began a rehab assignment with the Dragons, working into and out of a jam in the fifth inning. The right-hander dealt with a pronator strain in his right forearm during spring training and needs time to get ready for the regular season. Per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, Gibaut's targeted return is April 20.