MLB Player News

McGough struck out one over a scoreless two-thirds of an inning to save Sunday's 2-1 win over the Dodgers.

McGough dispatched the two hitters he faced on nine pitches to record the first save of his MLB career. He'd been a closer in Japan the last two seasons, and the Diamondbacks rolled the dice in bringing him back stateside. The right-hander impressed in the Cactus League, putting him in the mix to save games.

De Los Santos (1-0) struck out one in a perfect inning Sunday versus the Mariners, earning the extra-inning win.

De Los Santos worked the ninth inning of a 5-5 game, which was his third appearance of the young season. He's picked up a 3:1 K:BB over 2.2 hitless innings so far. The right-hander was mostly limited to middle-relief assignments in 2022, but he excelled in that role with a 3.04 ERA and 1.07 WHIP across 53.1 innings. He's unlikely to challenge for many saves with Emmanuel Clase, Trevor Stephan and James Karinchak in the high-leverage mix, but De Los Santos could be part of the bridge to get to the late innings.

Stephan picked up the save Sunday against Seattle with a perfect ninth inning. He struck out one batter.

Stephan picked up 20 holds over 66 appearances last season while posting a 2.69 ERA, and he was called upon in the bottom of the 10th inning Sunday to preserve a one-run lead. While it was encouraging to see the righty earn the save, he's unlikely to see many save chances this year behind Emmanuel Clase, who picked up the save against Seattle on Saturday.

Graterol (0-1) took the loss in Sunday's 2-1 loss to Arizona. He allowed one run on four hits over one inning.

Graterol entered Sunday's matchup in the ninth inning during a tie game, and although he gave up a run to take the loss, it was encouraging to see him take the mound in the ninth while Evan Phillips was used in the eighth frame. The Dodgers haven't named a set closer to begin the year, but Graterol's work in the ninth inning suggests that he could be first in line for save opportunities. The right-hander made 46 appearances for the Dodgers last year, converting four of his five save chances while picking up 10 holds with a 3.26 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 49.2 innings.

Finnegan worked a clean ninth inning to earn a save against Atlanta on Sunday.

Finnegan was given the save opportunity after coughing up two runs in a non-save situation during his first appearance of the season. He needed just eight pitches to quickly finish off the 4-1 victory. The 31-year-old picked up 11 saves in 15 chances last season and looks to be the team's main ninth-inning arm once again.

Williams (biceps) warmed up in the bullpen and was available if needed during Sunday's game against the Cubs, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

A liner deflected off Williams' right biceps during Saturday's win over the Cubs, but he was able to remain in the game to pick up the save. His availability was in question ahead of Sunday's series finale, but manager Craig Counsell said after the game that the right-hander would have been available in a save situation. While the Brewers' medical staff will likely continue to monitor Williams if he's feeling sore, it wouldn't be surprising to see him available for Milwaukee's home opener against the Mets on Monday.

Pagan allowed one run on two hits and no walks while striking out one over one inning in Sunday's 7-4 win over Kansas City.

Pagan struggled with the Twins last season, posting a 4.43 ERA and seven blown saves, and it was a mild surprise that he wasn't non-tendered. His 2023 debut in a low-leverage spot (the Twins were up four runs in the ninth) didn't build confidence for a turnaround as he gave up a hit to his first two batters. He'll likely work in low-leverage spots until he gains the team's confidence again.

Diaz picked up the save with a scoreless ninth inning during Sunday's 3-1 victory over the Pirates. He didn't allow a baserunner and recorded one strikeout.

Diaz delivered a scoreless frame Saturday in a non-save situation and followed up with his first save of the season in Sunday's series finale. The 26-year-old is Cincinnati's best reliever by a wide margin and should see the bulk of the save chances this year, though he's also likely to be used in some high-leverage spots before the ninth inning.

Manaea could be used as a piggyback pitcher behind starter Anthony DeSclafani in Monday's game against the White Sox in Chicago, Danny Emerman of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.

Manager Gabe Kapler hasn't specifically said that the Giants will maintain a six-man rotation, so Manaea looks as though he could be deployed in tandem with DeSclafani as the team aims to coax quality innings from both pitchers. Manaea had previously been available out of the bullpen for the team's season-opening series versus the Yankees, but he went unused in all three games and should thus be capable of covering multiple innings behind DeSclafani, if needed. After a rough season in San Diego in 2022, Manaea showed some improvement in spring training, as he pitched to a 4.08 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB in 17.2 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .215 average in Cactus League play.

Uceta was claimed off waivers by the Pirates and was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.

The 25-year-old was designated for assignment by the Tigers on Thursday and will now join a new organization. Uceta appeared in 10 games for Arizona last season and had a 5.82 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 13:7 K:BB across 17 innings.