MLB Player News

Kimbrel (elbow) could come off the 10-day injured list Thursday or Friday against the Cardinals, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

He threw a 16-pitch simulated game Tuesday, and it sounds like he is a day or two away from being ready to face big-league hitters. Kimbrel has only given up runs in five of his 21 appearances, but when he gives up runs he typically gives up a few, which is why his ERA is 5.68. If he does indeed come off the injured list early in this four-game series against the Cardinals, Kimbrel could notch another handful of saves before season's end.

Iglesias struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his 32nd save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Cubs.

The Reds closer has been almost flawless in September, converting all five of his save chances with a 0.00 ERA, 0.29 WHIP and 10:1 K:BB through seven innings. Iglesias has already set a new career high in saves, but his 4.12 ERA and 3-11 record on the year indicate how much of a struggle it's been, despite his dazzling current form.

Hudson gave up a hit and struck out two over two scoreless innings Tuesday to record his fourth save of the season in a 6-2 win over the Cardinals.

It's his first save since Aug. 13, and the first by any Nats pitcher in September. Hudson has a 2.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 17:3 K:BB through 18 innings since the trade that brought him over from Toronto, and with Sean Doolittle still trying to find his form, the right-hander could remain the team's top option in the ninth inning down the stretch.

Pomeranz struck out four over two perfect innings Tuesday to record his second save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Padres.

The veteran southpaw did his best Josh Hader impression, firing 18 of 24 pitches for strikes after Milwaukee had claimed the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Hader (the genuine article) has seen heavy usage lately, pitching four times in five days to close out last week, but Pomeranz seems to be emerging as Craig Counsell's top alternate high-leverage option given his 2.16 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 16:1 K:BB through 8.1 innings in September.

Jansen picked up the save against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings and striking out two.

Jansen was called upon to get the final four outs and delivered with little resistance, tossing 14 of 19 pitches for strikes and whiffing two of the four hitters he faced. The 31-year-old seems to have found his groove in September, allowing only one run while picking up three saves and posting a 7:2 K:BB over 6.1 innings. Despite some indications of reduced effectiveness this season, Jansen remains one of the most feared closers in baseball, racking up 30 saves in 37 chances while posting a 3.57 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 75:14 K:BB over 58 innings.

Young threw five innings in a no-decision against the Marlins on Tuesday, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits, striking out four and walking four as the Diamondbacks eventually fell 12-6.

Young emerged with a solid final stat line, but any chance he had of getting his eighth win of the season evaporated after he exited the contest, with his bullpen getting hit for 10 earned runs following his departure. The 26-year-old continues to perform respectably for the Diamondbacks, posting a 3.27 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 14 starts on the season.

Neris allowed one earned run on one hit and two walks while striking out one in the ninth inning to earn the save Tuesday against the Braves.

Neris entered the game in the ninth inning with a two-run lead and narrowly escaped with his 27th save of he season. He began his appearance by allowing a solo home run to Adam Duvall, then walked two of the next three batters he faced. However, he managed to strand the game-tying run at third. Neris has now converted his last four save chances successfully, though he had taken the loss in his prior outing and had surrendered an earned run in consecutive appearances. Still, he has maintained a 3.03 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 85 strikeouts across 65.1 innings for the season.

Ferguson will start Tuesday's game against the Rays, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Ross Stripling was announced as Tuesday's starter late last week, but the Dodgers have since changed their plans. Considering Ferguson hasn't tossed more than 2.2 innings in an appearance this season, he figures to only pitch one or two frames before handing things off to the bullpen.

Kimbrel (elbow) threw 16 pitches during Tuesday's simulated game at Wrigley Field, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Kimbrel fired mostly fastballs, but he did mix in a few offspeed pitches, per Bastian. Following Tuesday's throwing session, skipper Joe Maddon stated that his veteran closer could be ready to return by the weekend, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com.

Bolanos worked out of the bullpen in Monday's 5-1 loss to the Brewers, covering three innings and giving up two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out two.

After making two underwhelming turns through the Padres' rotation earlier this month, Bolanos surrendered his starting role to Garrett Richards (elbow), who was activated from the 60-day injured list ahead of the series opener. Since Richards was limited to 61 pitches in his 2019 debut, Bolanos was still tabbed for multiple innings behind him in what essentially amounted to a piggyback arrangement. Richards should push up his count in his next scheduled turn Sunday versus Arizona, which will likely result in Bolanos taking on smaller workloads in his subsequent appearances out of the bullpen.