MLB Player News

Hader walked one batter in a scoreless ninth inning Sunday, striking out three and earning a save over the Pirates.

Despite issuing a walk for the first time since May 24, Hader had no problem finishing off the Pirates to secure Sunday's win. The Brewers swept Pittsburgh in the weekend series and Hader secured a save in all three games, meaning he'll likely be unavailable out of the bullpen Monday. The flamethrowing southpaw now owns a terrific 0.68 ERA and 46:9 K:BB while converting all 17 of his save chances.

Crowe allowed two runs on two hits and a walk over five innings in Sunday's loss to the Brewers. He struck out eight and did not factor in the decision.

After allowing an RBI double to Daniel Vogelbach in the first inning, Crowe settled in for a solid outing. He later walked the leadoff batter in the sixth inning and was charged with a run when that batter scored against David Bednar. The 26-year-old struck out a career-high eight batters and allowed fewer than three runs in an outing for the first time since May 8. Crowe now owns a 6.75 ERA and 36:18 K:BB in nine appearances this season.

Betances (shoulder) began a rehab assignment at Low-A St. Lucie on Sunday, tossing a scoreless inning in a 21-pitch appearance. He gave up no hits and one walk and struck out two.

According to Jacob Resnick of SNY.tv, Betances' fastball topped out at 94 miles per hour, roughly in line with his average velocity during his 15 appearances in 2020. The rehab outing was Betances' first game action since April 7, so he'll likely complete several more appearances at multiple affiliates before the Mets consider bringing him back from the 60-day injured list.

Smith struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Sunday's 6-4 win over Miami.

Smith hadn't pitched since his first blown save of the year Wednesday, when he allowed two runs versus Philadelphia. His return to action was a clean inning to protect a two-run lead. He's now 12-for-13 in save chances with a 4.56 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 36:10 K:BB across 25.2 innings. The footing hasn't always been smooth, but the 31-year-old remains Atlanta's preferred closer.

Reyes fired a scoreless seventh inning during which he issued a walk and recorded two strikeouts in a loss to the Cubs on Saturday.

The talented closer had logged only two appearances since June 1, so manager Mike Shildt opted to get him some work in a non-save situation Saturday. Reyes' fantasy value has been hurt by a lack of save opportunities recently, but he's still sporting an elite 0.87 ERA and 32.8 percent strikeout rate across 29 appearances.

Weathers will move to the bullpen during the upcoming week with the Padres set to scale back their rotation from six to five starters, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Weathers has fared well in a starting role this season, posting a 2.78 ERA over 32.1 innings. However, he has taken a small step back over his past two starts, allowing seven earned runs across 10 frames. In addition, the southpaw has yet to reach 100 innings in a professional season, so the move out of the rotation for now may help him contribute more later in the campaign.

Crowe will start Sunday's series finale against the Brewers, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Crowe will take over the rotation spot vacated by Mitch Keller, who was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday. The Pirates brought up Crowe in a corresponding move, and after he went unused out of the bullpen in Saturday's loss to the Brewers, he'll now get the chance to pick up his eighth start of the season. Fantasy managers should temper expectations for Crowe after he posted a 7.26 ERA and 1.77 WHIP in 31 innings with the Pirates prior to being demoted to Triple-A for a brief spell.

Santillan will start Sunday's game against the Rockies in Cincinnati.

As expected, the 24-year-old right-hander will temporarily slot into the rotation as a replacement for Sonny Gray (groin), who is expected to miss at least two starts while he's on the injured list. Santillan excelled over his six starts at Louisville this season, posting a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 45:12 K:BB in 32.1 innings. He'll draw a favorable matchup Sunday for his big-league debut against a Rockies offense that ranks last in the majors with a team-wide 58 wRC+ away from Coors Field this season.

Kimbrel recorded the final out of the game Saturday to earn the save in the win over the Cardinals.

Kimbrel picked up his 17th save of the season after entering with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth inning with a 7-2 lead. He retired the only batter he faced in Edmundo Sosa to end the game. The 33-year-old has resurfaced as one of baseball's best closers after dropping off the last two years. His 0.68 ERA is his best since his rookie season and his 0.68 WHIP is a career best. In addition, he has a 14.4 K/9 in 26.1 innings.

Neris allowed three runs on one hit and two walks during the ninth inning to get tagged with his fourth blown save in Saturday's 8-7 win over the Yankees.

Neris entered with the Phillies up 7-4 in the ninth. The right-hander retired the first batter he faced but then gave up consecutive walks before allowing a game-tying, three-run homer to DJ LeMahieu. It marked the reliever's second blown save in as many opportunities, but he should keep his closer job for the time being, considering he has a solid 3.16 ERA and 33:11 K:BB to go along with nine saves on the campaign. With that said, it won't be surprising if manager Joe Girardi decides to stay away from Neris in Sunday's series finale given that he threw 30 pitches Saturday.