MLB Player News

Santana allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one in the ninth inning in Friday's win over the Rays.

The Pirates were up by two runs at the start of the eighth inning but tacked on two runs in the home half of the frame. That meant Santana didn't work in a save situation, though he's now pitched the ninth inning or 10th inning in six consecutive appearances -- five of which were to end the game. Santana looks to be the Pirates' preferred closing option for the time being, though Gregory Soto will likely mix in occasionally.

Soto didn't allow a baserunner across one inning to earn a hold Friday against the Rays.

Soto entered the game in the eighth inning with the Pirates up by two runs. He's remained very sharp all season, allowing only one earned run across 10.2 innings while maintaining a 15:5 K:BB. However, Soto has now pitched in the seventh or eighth inning in five consecutive appearances, suggesting Dennis Santana is the primary option for saves at this point.

Sewald struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Friday's 6-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Sewald's been excellent in save situations this season, pitching seven scoreless innings to come away with seven saves in as many attempts. He's struggled outside of closing duties, allowing three runs (two earned) over 1.1 innings across his three other appearances this season, two of which have resulted in him taking a loss. Overall, he still looks locked in as the Diamondbacks' closer with a 2.16 ERA, 0.48 WHIP and 11:0 K:BB through 8.1 innings.

Mayza allowed one hit and no walks in two scoreless innings Friday against Atlanta.

After giving up three earned runs his last time out versus the Cubs, Mayza got right back on track Friday with his eighth scoreless outing of the season already. While the southpaw has just one hold in 2026, he's proven to be very capable out of the bullpen while posting a 2.45 ERA, 0.64 WHIP and 10:3 K:BB through 11 frames.

Megill earned the save in Friday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Marlins, allowing one unearned run on one hit while striking out two in the 10th inning.

Megill was tasked with protecting a three-run lead in the bottom of the 10th inning and did so despite allowing a run to score on a wild pitch. After yielding seven earned runs across consecutive appearances April 10 and 14, he's now picked up a hold and a save in back-to-back solid outings. Angel Zerpa and Abner Uribe, who earned the team's previous two saves, worked the eighth and ninth innings in that order Friday, so Megill's outlook as the team's closer remains murky for now.

Pagan (hamstring) collected his sixth save of the season Friday in the Reds' 2-1 win over the Twins, when he struck out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning.

Pagan injured his hamstring in his last outing against the Giants on Tuesday, but he was cleared to come out of the bullpen Friday to protect the Reds' one-run lead in the ninth. He needed just 13 pitches (eight strikes) to get through the frame for his sixth save of the season, which is tied with Mason Miller and Paul Sewald for most in the National League. It was a good sign to see Pagan back on the mound, but his usage over the weekend will be worth monitoring.

Leahy (2-2) picked up the win Friday against the Astros, allowing three runs on five hits and no walks with six strikeouts across five innings.

Leahy served up a pair of solo homers in the third inning and loaded the bases with one out in the fourth, but he was able to strike out both Christian Vazquez and Isaac Paredes to escape further damage. He then allowed another solo shot in the fifth. Leahy's transition from reliever in 2025 to a starter this season has yielded subpar results, as he now owns a 5.21 ERA and subpar 13:8 K:BB through 19 innings. He doesn't possess swing-and-miss stuff and therefore doesn't carry much, if any, fantasy upside. Leahy's next start should come next week in Miami.

Junk did not factor into the decision in Friday's 7-5 extra-inning loss to the Brewers, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Junk was mostly done in by a three-run fourth inning before allowing another run in the sixth. After opening the season with consecutive two-run efforts, the 30-year-old has now allowed nine runs (seven earned) over his last two outings. He owns a 4.50 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 15:6 K:BB across 22 innings to open the year and lines up for a home matchup against the Cardinals next week.

The Nationals optioned Ribalta to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

The transaction comes one day after Ribalta recorded his first career save in Thursday's extra-inning win over the Pirates. Ribalta is clearing out to make room on the roster for Richard Lovelady, who was acquired via trade Thursday.

The Padres optioned Jacob to Triple-A El Paso on Friday.

He's clearing out to make room on the roster for Matt Waldron, who will start Friday's game versus the Angels after being activated from the injured list. Jacob had just been recalled earlier this week and turned in a scoreless outing in his lone appearance out of the bullpen.