MLB Player News

Rainey earned the save during Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Pirates with a scoreless ninth inning. He allowed a hit and a walk and had one strikeout.

The right-hander surrendered a one-out walk and a two-out single but kept Pittsburgh off the board with a strikeout to end the game. Rainey has now picked up saves in his past four appearances without giving up a run, and overall he has a 2.88 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 30:11 K:BB over 25 innings while going 11-for-14 in save chances.

Minter struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his first save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Phillies.

With Kenley Jansen out of commission due to an irregular heartbeat, Atlanta will turn to its top two setup men in Will Smith and Minter to handle closing duties. The latter got the first crack at an opportunity, but it's not yet clear whether he will be the primary option for saves as Smith had pitched on four of the prior six days, and Minter may have simply been the fresher arm. The 28-year-old has done nothing this season to suggest he can't handle high-leverage spots, however, riding his high 90s fastball and plus cutter to a 1.64 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 44:5 K:BB through 33 innings.

Junis (hamstring) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Junis was ruled out 4-to-6 weeks after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain in mid-June, and he's creeping closer to embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment. However, the 29-year-old will first need to advance to facing live batters, and it's unclear when he's expected to do so.

Kinley is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery in Dallas this week to repair the flexor tendon in his right elbow, Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette reports.

The Rockies were initially fearful that Kinley's elbow injury would require the second Tommy John surgery of his career -- he previously had the operation in 2009 as a senior in high school -- but he'll instead opt for a less intensive arm procedure. According to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, Kinley will still miss the remainder of the season, but because his upcoming procedure entails an 8-to-12-month recovery period, he'll have an outside shot at being available for the start of the 2023 campaign. Before the elbow injury surfaced, Kinley had been the Rockies' top reliever. He'll conclude the campaign with an 0.75 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 27:6 K:BB in 24 innings to go with one win and 10 holds.

Antone (elbow) was throwing at about 85 miles per hour during his most recent flat-ground sessions at the Reds' extended spring training facility in Arizona, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The 28-year-old's average fastball velocity typically sat around 95 to 97 mph in 2021, so he still has a considerable amount of ramping up to do in the months to come. After Antone underwent Tommy John surgery in late August of the last season, the Reds likely aren't counting on him pitching in the minors or majors in 2022.

Hicks (forearm) is scheduled to make one-inning rehab appearances Tuesday and Wednesday with Triple-A Memphis, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Pitching on back-to-back days likely represents the final checkpoint Hicks will need to hit in his recovery from a right forearm strain before the Cardinals bring him back from the 15-day injured list during this weekend's series in Philadelphia. Hicks had started or served as a bulk reliever in each of his first nine appearances of the season with the big club prior to landing on the shelf May 26, but he's slated to work as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen once he's activated.

Bednar is dealing with a lower-back issue and is unavailable Tuesday against the Nationals, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Manager Derek Shelton said they are hoping to avoid an injured list stint for the back issue that Bednar has been dealing with, which had gone unreported until now. Two of Bednar's three blown saves have come in his last three appearances, and he has given up three runs while striking out seven in 3.2 innings over that stretch. It's unclear who would be next up behind Bednar, but Wil Crowe and Chris Stratton seem like potential options.

The Brewers optioned Kelley to Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday.

Kelley and utility man Pablo Reyes were sent back to the minors to clear room on the 26-man active roster for starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff (hand) and second baseman Kolten Wong (calf), who were reinstated from the injured list ahead of Tuesday's series opener with the Rays. During his month-long stay with the Brewers, Kelley appeared in 13 games out of the bullpen and logged a 7.31 ERA and 1.31 WHIP across 16 innings.

Jansen will still be able to throw bullpen sessions even after landing on the 15-day injured list Tuesday due to an irregular heartbeat, leaving Atlanta optimistic that he'll be ready to return around the minimum amount of time, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Jansen was first diagnosed with the irregular heartbeat in 2011 and missed time that season, as well as during the 2012 and 2018 campaigns after experiencing recurrences of the cardiac issue. When he was most recently sidelined with an irregular heartbeat in 2018, Jansen missed the minimum amount of time when MLB had a 10-day IL in place, and since he'll be able to keep throwing while he's on the shelf, Atlanta is hopeful the 34-year-old has a similarly brief absence this time around. While Jansen is out, Atlanta will likely turn to either A.J. Minter or Will Smith for save situations.

Minter and Will Smith are viewed as the top candidates to pick up saves for Atlanta after closer Kenley Jansen was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday due to an irregular heartbeat, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Jansen has previously missed action during the 2011, 2012 and 2018 seasons on account of cardiac issues, so he'll likely need medical clearance from doctors before making his return from the IL following his latest recurrence of an irregular heartbeat. According to Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jansen will still able to throw bullpen sessions while he's on the shelf, leaving Atlanta optimistic that he'll be sidelined for only a brief period of time. However long Jansen is out, Minter could be thrust into the closer mix, even though Smith has more experience in the role and is coming off a 37-save campaign in 2021. However, with Smith's effectiveness having waned as he's moved into more of a setup role in 2022, manager Brian Snitker could be inclined to give a look in the ninth inning to Minter, who has arguably been Atlanta's best reliever this season. The lefty sports an outstanding 1.69 ERA and supports it with strong peripherals (31.7 K-BB%, 1.92 SIERA). He's also held his own against right-handed hitters, who have slashed a collective .238/.279/.338 against him while striking out 30 times in 87 plate appearances (34.4 percent).