MLB Player News

Holmes will be called up to serve as the Pirates' 26th man for Sunday's doubleheader, Pirates play-by-play announcer Joe Block reports.

Holmes will provide bullpen depth for the twin bill. The right-hander posted a 3.36 ERA at Triple-A Indianapolis in 2017 but struggled around the zone with a 99:59 K:BB in 112.2 innings.

Jansen threw a bullpen session Saturday to work on his mechanics and acknowledges he must improve the velocity on his cutter, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Despite taking the loss Friday after allowing a home run to the Giants' Joe Panik, the elite closer told Vassegh he was confident about regaining the typical heat on the pitch, which clocked at 93.3 mph on average last season. Fantasy players can breathe a bit knowing Jansen revealed he's planning to address this flaw, but they should watch how he works over his next few appearances to check if he's succeeding.

Morris was designated for assignment by the Braves on Saturday.

A roster spot was needed for the addition of Josh Ravin, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday, and Morris was the corresponding roster casualty. The 25-year-old righty posted a 3.09 ERA and 53:23 K:BB across 46.2 innings with Gwinnett in 2017. He'll take a spin through waivers to determine where he'll open the 2018 campaign.

Miller (elbow) threw his sixth bullpen session Friday since undergoing Tommy John surgery last May and is aiming to return from the 60-day disabled list this June, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Miller tossed 35 pitches Friday, estimating that he threw at about 80 percent effort. The righty noted that he's been pleased with how his curveball, fastball and cutter have looked during his sessions thus far, but he has yet to incorporate a splitter into his pitch mix. The Diamondbacks will shut Miller down from throwing for the next five days as part of a pre-planned rehab regimen, but he'll get back on the mound again late next week.

Reyes (elbow) was moved to the 60-day disabled list prior to Saturday's game, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

This move guarantees that Reyes won't return to the mound during a big-league contest until late May. The 23-year-old is steadily working his way back to full health after undergoing Tommy John surgery last February. In a corresponding move, the club officially signed Greg Holland and placed him on the active roster. Expect another update on Reyes' status in the coming weeks as he ramps up a throwing program.

Weiss was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

The Reds signed Yovani Gallardo to a big-league deal, so they needed to clear a spot on the roster and Weiss was the casualty. Weiss should provide organizational bullpen depth this season and is unlikely to get any high-leverage innings.

Hand gave up five runs (two earned) on four hits while striking out one over an inning in an 8-6 loss to the Brewers on Friday.

It was a rough night for the usually dominant closer, who squandered a three-run lead for the first time in a Padres uniform. Hand gave up three singles and allowed a fourth baserunner via his own error before making a mistake in location with an 0-2 fastball that Ryan Braun hit over the fence. The saving grace here is that a pitcher's own error keeps earned runs from being counted against him, so his owners' ERAs didn't take as big of a hit as they could have. Hand has built up enough goodwill over the last two seasons to have a few outings like this over the course of the year, so his closer job is safe for now.

Jansen -- who gave up Friday's only run -- reportedly saw his velocity dip to the 88-89 mph range, according to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register.

The dominant closer became Joe Panik's latest victim when he left one of his cutters over the plate in the ninth inning. Jansen averaged 93.3 mph on his big cut fastball last season, so the media questioned whether the dip in velocity was simply mechanical, or if there were another reason, to which Jansen replied, "who cares?" One group of folks who might care are the fantasy owners who paid a hefty cost to acquire one of the game's best closers. Jansen did have a hamstring injury that delayed his start to spring training, but the ailment was never considered serious, and he was able to finish the exhibition campaign with no reported setbacks. There isn't reason to panic quite yet, as pitchers -- especially ones that didn't get a full spring in -- sometimes need a few extra appearances to fully get their velocity to peak levels. That said, how the 30-year-old responds in his next few outings will determine whether there is any cause for concern or if this was just a blip on what should be another dominant year.

Garcia threw six scoreless innings of relief Friday, giving up only one hit and two walks while striking out six, but he didn't factor into the decision in a 2-1 extra-inning win over the Cubs.

Coming on to start the 10th inning in a game that eventually went to 17 innings, Garcia threw an efficient 67 pitches (43 strikes) to help prevent the Marlins' bullpen from being completely gutted to begin the season. The team originally wanted the 25-year-old to get stretched out as a starter in the minors, so this outing at least preserved the first part of that plan. As he has options remaining and Miami will need fresh arms, don't be surprised if Garcia is returned to Double-A Jacksonville before Saturday's contest despite his impressive effort.

Boxberger tossed a scoreless ninth inning and got the save in Arizona's win over Colorado on Friday, walking one and striking out two.

Boxberger was named the Diamondbacks' closer over Archie Bradley just prior to the start of the regular season and manager Torey Lovullo did indeed turn to the 29-year-old righty for ninth-inning duty in Friday's win. Bradley's presence could make Boxberger's leash shorter than usual should he run into any struggles, but for now he's the reliever to own in the Arizona bullpen.