MLB Player News

Brasier allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one over a scoreless eighth inning to earn his first hold in Thursday's 6-3 win over Detroit.

Brasier made his third consecutive scoreless appearance following an Opening Day meltdown, during which he allowed three runs on two hits, two walks, a hit batsman and threw a wild pitch. This was the first time a save opportunity was presented to Boston, and manager Alex Cora signaled his confidence in Brasier by using him in a setup role.

Cimber struck out one and did not allow a baserunner in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Thursday against the Royals.

He took advantage of a rare save chance, as Jordan Romano was unavailable after pitching each of the last two days. Cimber had little trouble protecting a three-run lead, inducing two groundball outs before striking out MJ Melendez to end the game. Cimber has turned in four scoreless innings to begin the season, though he has walked two and also hit a batter.

Englert, who tossed 1.1 scoreless innings in Thursday's loss to the Red Sox, now has a 1.69 ERA and 0.94 WHIP this season.

It's a small sample size of just 5.1 innings, but Englert has looked good out of the bullpen. The righty only has one strikeout, however, so he may not be able to sustain his success if he doesn't miss more bats. Englert is locked into a middle-relief role for now, which limits his fantasy appeal, though he could see higher-leverage work down the road if he continues to pitch well.

Jansen didn't allow a hit or run in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Thursday against the Tigers.

Jansen was called upon to protect a three-run lead, and he got little resistance to record his first save of the season. It was his first appearance since Saturday, when he allowed two baserunners but escaped with a scoreless outing and a win. Though Jansen has lost some dominance in recent seasons, he should comfortably serve as Boston's closer throughout 2023.

Brash, who fired a scoreless sixth inning during which he issued two walks and recorded two strikeouts Wednesday against the Angels, has already logged four appearances in 2023.

The one-time starter has allowed just one earned run over his 3.1 innings, and he'd encouragingly refrained from issuing a free pass through his first three trips to the mound. However, Brash's trademark control issues surfaced in Wednesday's outing in the form of the two walks, though he was able to escape without any damage. Brash could eventually be stretched back out as a starter, but the hard-throwing right-hander has found some solid success as a reliever since transitioning to the bullpen following an uneven start last season.

Jackson (0-1) was charged with the loss in Wednesday's extra-inning loss to the Guardians, allowing two runs (one earned) on a hit, a walk and a wild pitch over one inning. He struck out one.

Tasked with preserving a 4-4 tie when he entered in the 10th inning, Jackson immediately issued a walk to Myles Straw and then uncorked a wild pitch that moved both him and inning-opening runner Andres Gimenez up a base. After subsequently surrendering an RBI groundout and RBI single to Will Brennan and Steven Kwan, respectively, Jackson was on the hook for the loss he was eventually charged with. The right-hander's struggles Wednesday notwithstanding, Jackson should remain a trusted member of the manager Mark Kotsay's late-inning bullpen arsenal and had opened the season with three straight scoreless appearances before the hiccup.

Kahnle (biceps) played catch on the field at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, per MLB.com.

Prior to Wednesday, Kahnle last played catch March 16, so he has a ways to go before he's able to return to the mound. That said, the session was a positive step forward for the veteran reliever, who is currently on the 15-day IL. Kahnle will likely need to go on a rehab assignment before he's ready to join the Yankees' bullpen.

Swanson struck out one in a perfect eighth inning to record his second hold of the season in Wednesday's win over the Royals.

The former Mariner is showing his 2022 breakout was no fluke, posting a 4:1 K:BB through his first 3.1 innings with the Blue Jays. Swanson joins Yimi Garcia and Tim Mayza as the main late-inning options ahead of closer Jordan Romano, and in that role he should easily top last year's career high of 14 holds.

Ort allowed two runs on two hits while striking out one over one inning during Wednesday's 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh.

Ort was partially victimized by shoddy fielding. He allowed a leadoff double to Jason Delay, who eventually scored on a sacrifice fly that wouldn't have happened without the fielding miscues. In between, there was a poor decision by first baseman Triston Casas, and another one by outfielder Masataka Yoshida which was compounded by third baseman Rafael Devers failing to cut off a misguided throw to plate. Ort's allowed four runs over five innings for a 7.20 ERA, which is an improvement on his spring ERA of 9.58.

Schreiber allowed one run on three hits and one walk over one inning during Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Pirates.

Boston manager Alex Cora surprisingly removed starter Corey Kluber after five innings and 67 pitches, turning the game over to a bullpen that's been good early in the season. Schreiber allowed a couple of quick hits, before the Red Sox were caught off guard by a safety-squeeze bunt single that produced the first run off the reliever in three outings. Schreiber, who posted a 2.22 ERA last season, is a key piece of the bridge to closer Kenley Jansen.