MLB Player News

Jax will serve as the Rays' opener for Sunday's series finale against the Twins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Jesse Scholtens was originally slated to start in Sunday's game, but he'll instead follow Jax in bulk relief. Jax has given up at least one earned run in two of his last three outings and has an 8.00 ERA, 1.89 WHIP two holds and a 10:7 K:BB across nine innings this season.

O'Brien (3-1) blew the save and took the loss Saturday as the Cardinals fell 11-9 to the Mariners, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk in an inning of work. He struck out one and also hit a batter with a pitch.

There weren't many St. Louis pitchers who had success Saturday, and O'Brien wasn't immune to the malaise. The right-hander entered the game in the eighth inning with one out and runners on second and third to protect a 9-7 lead, but a Connor Joe single tied things up and stuck O'Brien with his second blown save of the year in nine chances. He then came back out for the ninth and loaded the bases before a Leo Rivas single put Seattle in front for good. The earned runs on O'Brien's ledger were his first of 2026, and despite the stumble he still boasts a 1.26 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 16:1 K:BB through 14.1 innings.

Munoz walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his fifth save of the season in an 11-9 win over the Cardinals.

The right-hander fired only seven of his 14 pitches for strikes, but Munoz escaped taking any damage after a leadoff walk by getting Nathan Church to ground into a double play. Munoz has blown only one save chance so far this season, but a couple shaky appearances have left him with a 6.55 ERA and 1.45 WHIP through 11 innings despite an 18:6 K:BB. Should he falter enough as Seattle's closer, Matt Brash -- who picked up the win Saturday -- has yet to allow an earned run in 2026 and would be the next man up.

Crochet (3-3) picked up the win in Saturday's 17-1 rout of the Orioles, allowing three hits and two walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

After a pair of shockingly poor starts in which he coughed up 16 runs (15 earned) in only 6.2 innings, Crochet bounced back Saturday and was back in Cy Young-caliber form. The southpaw tossed 57 of 90 pitches for strikes as he produced his third quality start of the season and fanned at least seven batters for the fifth time in six trips to the mound. He'll take a 6.30 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 37:11 K:BB through 30 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Astros.

The Yankees placed Chivilli on the 15-day injured list Saturday with right shoulder discomfort, retroactive to Thursday.

Chivilli has appeared in two games since joining the Yankees on April 15 but hasn't pitched since Sunday, and his shoulder will now prevent him from taking the mound again for New York until at least May 8. Ryan Weathers was activated from the paternity list in a corresponding move.

Pittsburgh recalled Sanders from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday.

Sanders had a very brief stint with the big-league club in mid-April, getting into one game and allowing four runs over two-thirds of an inning. His call back to the majors Saturday corresponds with starter Braxton Ashcraft (personal) being placed on the bereavement/family medical emergency list. Sanders could be in for another short stint with the Pirates if Ashcraft isn't out beyond the seven-day maximum.

Bowlan (groin) is set to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday.

Bowlan landed on the 15-day IL on April 13 due to a right groin strain. He's been throwing bullpen sessions and will now take another step in his rehab by seeing game action. Bowlan is eligible to return from the injured list Tuesday, and it's feasible that he'll be ready to return to Philadelphia's bullpen at that time.

The Astros reinstated Sousa (oblique) from the injured list Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

After spending the first month of the season on the injured list working his way back from an oblique strain, Sousa will now rejoin the Astros' bullpen. He'll likely settle into a high-leverage role and could even be in the mix for saves while Josh Hader (biceps) is sidelined. Colton Gordon was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Cincinnati optioned Nicolas to Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

Nicolas spent the past two weeks on the big-league roster and got into seven games, struggling to an 8.59 ERA, 2.86 WHIP and 7:13 K:BB over 7.1 innings. That damage was largely a result of two poor outings during which he yielded a combined seven runs across 1.2 frames; in his other five appearances, he wasn't charged with any earned runs. Nonetheless, Nicolas' awful 31.0 percent walk rate is likely something he'll be tasked with working on while in the minors.

Brash delivered a perfect seventh inning in Friday's 3-2 win over the Cardinals.

Brash has now held opponents without an earned run through his first 11 appearances (9.1 innings) this season, allowing just three hits and two walks. While his strikeout numbers are down (five total punchouts and one in his last 5.1 frames), Brash has proven to be a trustworthy late-inning option ahead of Andres Munoz in the Mariners' bullpen. Brash's four holds are tied with Gabe Speier for the team lead.