MLB Player News

Santillan is the likely candidate to replace injured closer Emilio Pagan (hamstring), who was removed from Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Cubs, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Santillan has been the preferred eighth-inning arm for manager Terry Francona and has produced nine holds thus far in 2026. Although he didn't fare well Tuesday -- the right-hander was taken deep by Michael Busch -- Santillan is a logical choice to serve as the closer in Pagan's absence. Santillan a trusted late-game arm, sporting a 2.87 ERA over 15.2 innings this season, and his 12 career saves are more than any other relievers in line to get save opportunities for the Reds.

Munoz (3-3) took the loss Tuesday against Atlanta, allowing a run on one hit and a walk in one inning. He struck out two.

Entering with the game tied 2-2 in the ninth inning, Munoz promptly gave up a leadoff, go-ahead homer to Matt Olson. It's already the third long ball surrendered by Munoz this season after he gave up just two in 62.1 innings last year. It's been a shaky start to the campaign for Munoz, who sports a 6.00 ERA with a 1.40 WHIP and 25:7 K:BB across 15 innings while converting seven of his nine save chances.

Bednar earned the save Tuesday against the Rangers, allowing one run on one hit while striking out two over 1.2 innings.

Bednar entered in a high-leverage spot in the eighth inning with one out, the bases loaded and a four-run lead, but he quickly escaped by retiring the next two hitters. The ninth inning was less clean, as he allowed a triple to Ezequiel Duran followed by an RBI groundout, though he still had enough cushion to finish off his 10th save of the season. Bednar has now allowed a run in two of his last three appearances, pushing his season line to a 3.52 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and an 18:5 K:BB across 15.1 innings.

Sulser earned the save Tuesday against the Blue Jays, retiring the side in order in the ninth inning.

Sulser entered with a one-run lead and efficiently handled Toronto's lineup, needing just 12 pitches to secure his second save of the season. After a rough start in which the right-hander allowed six earned runs over his first six appearances, he has completely turned things around, tossing 9.2 consecutive scoreless innings since. Sulser now owns a 2.75 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and a 15:8 K:BB across 19.2 innings. Bryan Baker leads the Rays with nine saves on the campaign and remains the team's primary closer, but he was presumably unavailable Tuesday after pitching each of the previous two days.

Iglesias allowed a hit and struck out two without walking a batter in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Seattle.

Iglesias had a minimum stay on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation. He threw 13 of 19 pitches for strikes to close out this win, protecting the one-run lead Matt Olson gave Atlanta in the top of the ninth inning. It's a positive sign that Iglesias was put right back into the closer role after his absence -- Robert Suarez will move back to a setup spot. Iglesias has yet to allow a run over 9.2 innings this season, collecting six saves with a 13:1 K:BB over nine appearances.

The Reds will place Pagan (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Pagan had to leave Tuesday's game in a cart after suffering a left hamstring injury on the first pitch he threw -- the second time he's injured his hamstring in roughly three weeks. He isn't scheduled to undergo imaging until Wednesday, but the Reds have already determined that his injury is severe enough to warrant a stay on the IL. Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft will be the favorites to handle the ninth inning for as long as Pagan is on the shelf.

Lambert (2-2) earned the win over the Dodgers on Tuesday, allowing three hits and issuing four walks while striking out four batters over seven scoreless innings.

Lambert was a bit wild in issuing four free passes, but those didn't hurt him since he gave up only three hits. The right-hander did face some tension when Los Angeles loaded the bases against him in the fourth frame, but he got out of that inning unscathed in the scoring column and surrendered just one baserunner thereafter. Lambert's seven innings were a season high, and he notched his second quality start through four outings. He's getting a chance with Houston's rotation due to injuries to other pitchers, but Lambert may be earning his way to a permanent starting role, as he's posted a 2.42 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 23:11 K:B across 22.1 innings so far.

Rolison (3-0) worked around a walk to pitch a scoreless inning of relief and earn the win in Tuesday's 3-2, 10-inning victory over the Reds. He struck out two.

Rolison was the last of five Chicago pitchers to enter the game, and he managed his third win in just six relief appearances this year. The righty is pitching well with a 3.12 ERA and 10 strikeouts across 8.2 innings, but he's still fairly low in the Cubs' bullpen pecking order, and his fantasy value remains limited as a result.

Pagan was removed from Tuesday's game against the Cubs with a left hamstring injury, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Pagan fell to the ground after throwing one pitch in the ninth inning of Tuesday's contest and immediately began grabbing his left hamstring. The 34-year-old righty was unavailable for a few games in mid-April after tweaking the same hamstring, and although the details of his latest injury are still unknown, the fact that he had to leave the game on a cart suggests he could now be forced to spend time on the injured list. If that ends up being the case, Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft would be next up to close games for the Reds.

The Angels released Strickland on Tuesday, Taylor Blake Ward of TheSportingTribune.com reports.

Strickland had previously been released by the organization March 21 but returned on a minor-league contract six days later. However, he struggled mightily in 10 games with Triple-A Salt Lake, registering a 13.14 ERA, 2.15 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB across 12.1 innings. Strickland is 37 years of age, but he's had periods of big-league success in the past, so another team may be willing to take a chance on him, probably on another minor-league deal.