MLB Player News

Bard worked around a walk to throw a scoreless ninth inning and earn the save against the Reds on Friday.

Eugenio Suarez's two-run homer in the eighth inning created a save situation for Bard and the right-hander got the job done on 12 pitches. He has shut the door four times for Colorado, but he also has three blown saves and owns a 6.59 ERA. Clearly, he's still the No. 1 closer option, but Bard should be considered on thin ice in the role.

Alexander (shoulder) won't be ready to return for 2-3 more weeks, Michael J. Duarte of NBC LA reports.

Alexander went on the injured list due to left shoulder inflammation in early May. His stay on the IL was originally expected to be brief, but the left-hander appears to have hit a roadblock in his recovery. in 11.2 innings this season, Alexander has allowed three earned runs while registering a 5:1 K:BB.

Kimbrel struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his seventh save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Tigers.

The veteran closer's renaissance continued as he fired 10 of 12 pitches for strikes. Kimbrel is 7-for-8 in save chances to begin the year, but more impressively he's posted a 0.60 ERA through 15 innings, along with a 24:7 K:BB, after failing to get his ERA below 5.00 in either of the prior two seasons.

Brogdon (4-1) retired the only batter he faced and earned the win Friday versus Toronto.

The right-hander relieved starter Vince Velasquez with two outs in the sixth inning. Brogdon got Cavan Biggio to fly out to end the inning, and Philadelphia took the lead with a five-run rally in the top of the seventh. The 26-year-old has a 5.28 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 10:7 K:BB across 15.1 innings this year. He's given up three runs (two earned) in in 5.1 innings in May, and he typically hasn't seen much high-leverage work.

Castro (0-1) allowed a run on one hit and two walks in one-third of an inning to take the loss Friday against Tampa Bay.

Castro got Yandy Diaz to fly out to start the ninth inning, but he allowed the next three batters to get aboard. Reliever Aaron Loup entered the game and allowed a walkoff single to Brett Phillips, with the decisive run charged to Castro. Through 13.1 innings, Castro has a 3.38 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 20:8 K:BB and two holds in 14 appearances. The hard-throwing righty has been reasonably effective in a versatile role, although he's not likely to challenge Edwin Diaz for saves.

Gallegos has fired three scoreless innings and garnered a hold across his last two appearances after surrendering two earned runs on four hits over 1.1 innings to the Rockies last Saturday.

Gallegos saw a seven-appearance scoreless streak snapped with the aforementioned hiccup against Colorado, but the fact he's bounced right back is certainly encouraging for fantasy managers. The right-hander already has seven holds across his 18 appearances, and although he's just 1-for-3 in save chances, he could still get the occasional ninth-inning assignment when Alex Reyes is unavailable.

Hernandez (biceps) will begin a rehab assignment next week, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Reports from last week suggested that this could be the week Hernandez begins a rehab assignment, but he evidently needs a bit more time. He got through a 30-pitch live batting practice session Thursday but will need to build up his pitch count before returning to the big-league rotation.

Hicks (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The move means Hicks can't be activated before the start of July, though it already seemed unlikely that he'd be back before that point after a second opinion on his inflamed right elbow called for a longer absence than expected Sunday. He'll vacate his spot on the 40-man roster so the Cardinals can select Max Moroff's contract.

De Los Santos was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday.

De Los Santos made three appearances during his time with the team. He threw scoreless innings in two of them but gave up four runs without recording a single out in the other. J.T. Realmuto was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move.

Lawrence was called up to the big-league roster Friday, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Lawrence has already spent two separate stints on the big-league roster. In four appearances spanning 4.1 innings, he owns an 8.31 ERA and 2.08 WHIP. Matt Adams (shin) landed on the injured list in a corresponding move.