MLB Player News

Duffey (0-1) gave up two runs on three hits while striking out one over one inning in a 4-3 loss Saturday against the Mariners.

Duffey blew the save when Adam Frazier doubled home two runs in the ninth. The Twins did not name a closer to start the season and Duffey was the first reliever given the opportunity to record a save. Despite his poor showing in his 2022 debut, the 31-year-old should continue to receive late-game opportunities as he has been one of the best bullpen arms for Minnesota over the past three years.

Fulmer pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in Saturday's loss to the White Sox.

Fulmer got the ninth inning but the Tigers were down 5-2 at the time -- closer Gregory Soto wasn't needed. Soto led the club with 18 saves last season, though Fulmer wasn't that far behind with 14 of his own. The former should see the bulk of the chances in 2022 with Fulmer typically getting high-leverage work in the eighth inning. His fantasy value would increase, of course, if he supplanted Soto as the closer.

Bummer tossed a scoreless ninth inning, allowing two hits and striking out three on the way to a save in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Tigers.

With Liam Hendriks unavailable after blowing the save in Thursday's loss to the Tigers, the left-hander was called upon to get the save Saturday. Bummer allowed back-to-back singles to Miguel Cabrera and Jonathan Schoop to open the bottom of the ninth inning, but he was able to dance out of trouble and strike out the next three batters he faced to end the game and pick up the save. The 28-year-old has allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five batters in 1.2 innings so far in 2022.

Kittredge tossed the ninth inning and secured the save, surrendering one run on two hits while striking out two in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Orioles.

Kittredge picked up the win Friday against the Orioles, but he was called upon to protect a 5-2 lead in the ninth Saturday. Ramon Urias opened the inning with a ground-rule double and later scored on a two-out Jorge Mateo double, but Kittredge was able to limit the damage to just one run, striking out DJ Stewart to end the contest. With the Rays once again expected to challenge for an AL East title, the 31-year-old will likely be leaned on heavily once again in 2022 after posting a sparkling 1.88 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over 57 appearances last year.

Ponce de Leon signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Saturday, Tacoma Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto reports.

Ponce de Leon was a non-roster invitee with the Angels this spring but was ultimately released by the organization Monday. The right-hander will start the second game of a doubleheader at Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday.

Oller is scheduled to start the Athletics' fifth game of the season Tuesday in Tampa Bay.

Heading into the final week of spring training, Oller looked set to miss out on a spot in the Athletics' Opening Day rotation, but he'll end up stepping in as Oakland's fifth starter after Sean Manaea was dealt away to the Padres on Sunday. The starting assignment in Tampa Bay will mark the MLB debut for Oller, who struck out nine over 6.1 Cactus League innings but was lit up for seven earned runs on 11 hits and two walks. The 27-year-old right-hander turned in a 2.45 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over a larger sample of 44 innings at Triple-A Syracuse in the Mets organization a season ago, but fantasy managers will still want to temper expectations for Oller as he begins his big-league career. Even with a two-start week on tap -- he's tentatively scheduled to face the Blue Jays in Toronto on April 17 -- Oller looks like an unreliable lineup option outside of AL-only leagues.

Pearson (illness) will be built up as a starter after he resumed throwing Saturday, Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star reports.

Pearson recently dealt with mononucleosis, and he's expected to require several weeks to build up before he's cleared to return to game action. The Blue Jays don't have a clear rotation spot available, so it's still possible that the team will ultimately utilize Pearson out of the bullpen once he's back in action.

Sewald was credited with his first hold in a win over the Twins on Friday, firing a perfect eighth inning.

Sewald made quick work of the Twins in a 13-pitch eighth inning that saw him impressively dispose of the potent trio of Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa and Jorge Polanco. The veteran right-hander put together a diverse resume in 2021 that included 11 saves and 16 holds, and he could have a similarly fluid high-leverage role this season.

Barnes (back) is hopeful that he'll be available to pitch Saturday against the Yankees, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Barnes was unavailable for Friday's loss to the Yankees after he hurt his back in a workout Thursday, but he'll play catch ahead of Saturday's matchup to test his injury. If the right-hander is available, he's a prime candidate to serve as Boston's closer.

Herget allowed four runs on four hits in the Angels' Opening Day loss to Houston on Friday, registering his only out via strikeout.

Herget was part of a disastrous outing by an Angels bullpen that yielded 11 runs over five innings. The right-hander relieved Mike Mayers -- who allowed three straight batters to reach base to begin the seventh frame -- and kicked off his appearance by striking out Jose Altuve. However, things fell apart for Herget from there, as each of the following four batters produced a hit and eventually came around to score. Herget was one of the final relievers to make Los Angeles' Opening Day 28-man roster, so he'll need to perform much better or risk losing his big-league spot when rosters are reduced to 26 on May 1.