MLB Player News

Kimbrel worked around a hit and two walks to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and secure the save in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Mets.

Kimbrel made things interesting, as he loaded the bases with just one out, but the veteran reliever then struck out Brandon Nimmo and induced a Francisco Lindor groundout to end the game. Kimbrel now has four saves this season and has yet to allow a run. He should have a pretty firm hold on the closer's role due to his strong start, but he'll need the 7-9 Cubs to start scoring more runs if he wants to see a significant uptick in save opportunities.

Morejon will require Tommy John surgery on his left elbow after undergoing an MRI, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The 22-year-old was initially diagnosed with a left forearm strain last week after exiting during the first inning of his second start of the season, but further examination revealed a worst-case scenario. Morejon will miss the rest of the season and will also be sidelined for at least the first half of the 2022 campaign. Ryan Weathers has joined San Diego's rotation for the short term while Dinelson Lamet (elbow) is set to come off the injured list for his season debut this week.

Martin (shoulder) has resumed playing catch but has yet to throw off a mound, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The fact that Martin is able to throw in some capacity represents a step forward for the righty, though he doesn't seem particularly close to returning to game action. In his absence, no righty has earned a save in Atlanta, with three going to Will Smith and one going to Sean Newcomb.

The Phillies aren't expecting Moore to be activated from the COVID-19 injured list ahead of his next scheduled turn in the rotation Friday against the Rockies at Coors Field, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Philadelphia is instead having Vince Velasquez stay prepared for a spot start Friday, and the right-hander could stick in the rotation for additional turns if Moore isn't able to clear MLB's health and safety protocol in expedient fashion. Moore is 0-1 with a 9.82 ERA and 2.36 WHIP through his first three outings, so fantasy managers holding him in deeper mixed leagues or NL-only formats won't fret too much about him missing out on a start at a hitter-friendly park.

Gott was designated for assignment by the Giants on Tuesday.

Gott's contract was selected on Monday, but he'll fall right back off the 40-man roster just one day later. He did not get into a game during his brief time with the team.

Ponce de Leon fired two scoreless innings to close out a win over the Nationals on Monday, allowing no hits or walks but hitting a batter while also recording a strikeout

The right-hander's plunking of Yan Gomes was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect line, as Ponce de Leon impressively fired 16 of 23 pitches for strikes in a much-needed confidence-building performance. The 29-year-old had opened the season in utterly forgettable fashion, giving up 10 earned runs across his first 7.1 innings over three appearances (two starts) prior to Monday's spotless outing.

Padres manager Jayce Tingler confirmed that Lamet (elbow) will be activated from the 10-day injured list to start Wednesday's game against the Brewers, Daniel Guerrero of MLB.com reports.

Lamet had been considered a candidate to make his season debut either Tuesday or Wednesday, but the Padres will opt to give him a full five days of rest after he most recently tossed a 75-pitch simulated game Thursday. The right-hander will be filling the rotation spot previously occupied by Adrian Morejon, who was placed on the injured list earlier this month with a left elbow strain. Coming off a dazzling 2020 campaign in which he posted a 2.09 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 93 strikeouts in 69 innings, Lamet will provide a boost to an already strong Padres rotation. That said, fantasy managers may want to temper expectations for Lamet to some extent as he returns from the UCL strain that's sidelined him since late September.

Peralta struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Monday to record his second save of the season in a 2-0 win over the Phillies.

After picking up his first career save in the 10th inning a couple weeks ago, Peralta's second came in more conventional fashion, as manager Gabe Kapler turned to the southpaw in a save situation with Jake McGee unavailable while recovering from the COVID-19 vaccine. Peralta hasn't pitched poorly this season by any means, posting a 3.86 ERA and 6:2 K:BB through seven innings with two wins in addition to his surprising saves. However, Kapler's track record when it comes to bullpen usage offers no clues as to whether Peralta is now a trusted part of the Giants' late-inning crew or won't see another save chance the rest of the year.

Hader pitched a scoreless ninth inning Monday, allowing a walk but striking out one for his second save of the year in a 3-1 win over the Padres.

Hader's only blemish in the inning was surrendering a walk to Fernando Tatis to give the Padres a slim chance to make some noise with Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer following him up in the order. However, the hard-throwing left-hander closed the door and continued his stellar start to the season, as he's now thrown 4.2 scoreless innings and a 9:2 K:BB.

Weathers has earned another start and will remain in the starting rotation for the time being, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Weathers worked 3.2 scoreless frames in his last outing Friday against the Dodgers, and even with the return of Dinelson Lamet (elbow) arriving later in the week, the club plans to keep the southpaw in the rotation moving forward. Lin notes that the Padres may elect to roll with a six-man rotation temporarily as a result of this decision.