MLB Player News

Erceg converted a save in Sunday's 4-1 win over Atlanta, striking out one batter while allowing a base hit over a scoreless inning. inducing a game-ending double play ball.

Erceg was pitching on back-to-back days, but threw only 12 pitches on Saturday. Teammate Carlos Estevez blew the save Saturday in spectacular fashion and was unavailable to pitch due to an ankle injury, but he had diminished velocity throughout the spring, and manager Matt Quatraro suggested prior to Sunday's game that Estevez might be on shaky ground as the team's closer. After delivering a relatively stress-free save chance that culminated in a game-ending double play, Erceg is worthy of rostering on speculation in the event he ends up displacing the struggling Estevez in the ninth inning on a more permanent basis.

Adam (quadriceps) tossed 1.1 scoreless innings in a rehab appearance with Triple-A El Paso on Saturday, allowing one hit without a walk or a strikeout.

Saturday marked Adam's first outing in what will likely be a relatively short rehab stint. The veteran reliever retired the side in order in the fourth inning and returned for the fifth, giving up a single and then inducing a flyout prior to being pulled. Adam said Saturday that he'd like to be activated off the IL when first eligible April 6, per Matt Levine of SI.com. He's posted a sub-2.00 ERA in three of the past four regular seasons, so Adam should take on a high-leverage role for San Diego not long after he's back with the big-league club's bullpen.

Williams gave up a hit and a walk while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning during Saturday's 4-2 extra-innings win over the Pirates.

The Mets' new closer entered a 0-0 tie and helped get the game to extras, firing 11 of 19 pitches for strikes. Williams had a shaky first season in New York with the Yankees in 2025, but his 2.68 FIP far out-paced his 4.79 ERA, and the Mets are counting on the 31-year-old righty to regain the form he had the prior three seasons with the Brewers, when he delivered a 1.66 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 14.1 K/9 over 141 regular-season innings.

The Orioles acquired Sandridge from the Angels on Sunday in exchange for cash and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Sandridge will reclaim a 40-man roster spot with his new organization after being DFA'ed by the Halos, but he's still set to begin the 2026 season in Triple-A, where he put up a 4.55 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 31.2 innings last year. He'll serve as organizational bullpen depth for the O's.

The Angels selected Anderson's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.

The right-hander re-signed with the Angels on a minor-league contract in January, and it didn't take long for him to make it to the majors this season. Anderson struggled in seven big-league appearances last year, giving up 13 earned runs with an 11:3 K:BB over 11.1 innings.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough announced that Fairbanks won't be available Sunday against the Rockies after pitching the past two days, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

The club's new closer, who signed a one-year, $13 million contract in late December, fired two scoreless frames and picked up two saves in Miami's first two games of the season. Fairbanks won't be available Sunday after pitching back-to-back days, which is hardly a surprise this early in the campaign. Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender and Andrew Nardi should be in the mix to fill in as the Marlins' closer should a save situation arise Sunday.

The Reds released Valdez (shoulder) on Thursday.

After sustaining a left shoulder injury in spring training, Valdez had been slated to open the season on the 60-day injured list at Triple-A Louisville. Rather than keeping him in the organization and overseeing his rehab process, the Reds will instead opt to move on. Valdez will look to land a minor-league deal elsewhere.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that he would be "surprised" if Estevez is available out of the bullpen for Sunday's game in Atlanta, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Estevez was seen wearing a walking boot Sunday after taking a line drive off his left ankle Saturday, when he suffered a blown save after allowing six earned runs while recording just one out in the Royals' 6-2 loss. Though Estevez been diagnosed with nothing more than a contusion after getting X-rays on his ankle, the Royals appear content to stay away from the 33-year-old reliever, at least for one day. Per Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City, Quatraro added that he's "not averse to putting [Estevez] in a lower-leverage situation" once he's deemed available, which suggests that the right-hander may not have a stranglehold on the closer's gig after Saturday's blowup. Before the rough showing in his season debut, Estevez was coming off a discouraging spring training in which he noticed a steep decline in his velocity.

Romero struck out one in a perfect inning to record his first hold of the season in Saturday's extra-inning victory over Tampa Bay.

The left-handed Romero was summoned in the eighth inning with a two-run lead and two lefty bats due up, but he wound up facing three righties after the Rays used a pair of pinch hitters. He needed 17 pitches to dispose of the Rays in order. Ryne Stanek has been used for both save chances for the Cardinals but has blown one opportunity and allowed six runners to reach base. Romero will continue to be used in high-leverage situations and get some save chances when the opposition has left-handed hitters due up, though the latter type of outings could be few and far between.

O'Brien yielded two hits in a scoreless frame to pick up his first hold of the season in Saturday's extra-inning win over the Rays.

O'Brien was first out of the bullpen for the Cardinals in the seventh inning, called upon to protect a two-run lead after Michael McGreevy spun six no-hit frames. Junior Caminero broke up the combined no-hit effort by singling on the first pitch he saw but was immediately erased with a double play. O'Brien then yielded an infield single but finished off the inning with a groundout. The 31-year-old has now registered a win and a hold in his first two appearances, but the first two save chances for the Cardinals have gone to Ryne Stanek.