MLB Player News

Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts to record the save in Sunday's win over the Pirates.

Kimbrel picked up his first save of 2021 and recorded his second consecutive scoreless outing to begin the season. It's a good start for the veteran reliever, who posted a 5.28 ERA last year and a 6.53 ERA in 2019. Fantasy managers will want to see Kimbrel string together a few more good appearances to really feel confident, but he's got fantasy value as long as he has the closer role in Chicago and is pitching well.

Neris was credited with the save after tossing a scoreless inning Sunday against the Braves. He walked two and struck out one.

Neris has made three appearances already this season and has yet to allow a run while fanning five. His two walks created a stressful situation, as the Phillies were holding a one-run lead in the ninth, but the veteran right-hander eventually closed the door to earn his first save of the campaign.

Alvarado (1-0) tossed a scoreless inning and struck out two in Sunday's win against the Braves.

Alvarado tossed an eventful inning in his previous appearance -- he allowed three baserunners and fanned three of the six batters he faced -- but looked far more dominant this time around, tossing eight of his 10 pitches for strikes and making quick work of the Braves in the eighth inning. This was an encouraging outing for the talented but inconsistent lefty.

Martin said he was pulled early in his appearance Sunday in Atlanta's 2-1 loss to Philadelphia after he experienced a tingling sensation in his fingers, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports

Atlanta team trainers will presumably conduct more follow-up tests on Martin before providing a firm diagnosis of his injury. He recorded two outs and gave up a run on three hits before exiting Sunday.

Martin was removed from his appearance in the eighth inning of Sunday's game against the Phillies with an apparent injury, Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Martin retired two of the six batters he faced before departing, giving up an earned run on three hits. Atlanta has yet to provide an official explanation for his removal.

Hicks fired a perfect seventh inning in a loss to the Reds on Saturday. He did not record a strikeout.

Hicks required just 13 pitches to get his three outs, an encouraging display of efficiency in his first taste of regular-season game action since June 2019. Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports no ball hit off Hicks was harder than 72 mph, and adds that the right-hander's four-seamer and sinker averaged 97.5 mph and 98.1 mph, respectively, during his one inning.

The Dodgers recalled Santana from their taxi squad ahead of Sunday's game against the Rockies.

He'll be added to the bullpen as a replacement for Tony Gonsolin, who was placed on the 10-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. Santana is expected to work as a multi-inning reliever during his time on the 26-man roster.

Crowe was optioned to the Pirates' alternate site Sunday.

The team needed a spot for Kyle Crick (COVID-19 protocols), and Crowe was the roster casualty. Crowe was wild in his Pirates debut Saturday, issuing two walks and uncorking two wild pitches in just two-thirds of an inning against the Cubs.

Weathers earned the save Saturday against Arizona, throwing three scoreless innings and allowing one hit while striking out three.

The rookie looked superb in his regular-season big-league debut, throwing 25 of 38 pitches for strikes and allowing only one hit (a single). He entered the contest in the seventh inning with San Diego staked to a six-run lead and finished out the game to earn the save. Weathers figures to pitch in long relief to start the campaign, though he projects as a starter long term and could be among the first candidates to fill a rotation spot if the need arises.

Jansen picked up the save in Saturday's win over the Rockies. He tossed 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing a walk and striking out one.

Jansen faded away during the 2020 playoffs and there was a chance he could've lost his long-time role as closer, but it seems the organization is committed to him to remain as its ninth-inning guy -- and he responded in his first outing of the current campaign. Jansen recorded a five-out save and was quite sharp, tossing 14 of his 24 pitches for strikes and closing the door on the Rockies after they sniffed a potential comeback. Despite his postseason implosion in 2020, Jansen recorded a 3.33 ERA while going 11-for-13 in save opportunities last season.