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Brian Ellington RP | BOS
Marlins' Brian Ellington: DFA'd by Miami
Ellington (biceps) was designated for assignment by the Marlins on Sunday.
Ellington was sent to Triple-A just days before the season, which was more of a formality because he has been shut down due to biceps tendinitis. The team will now require his spot on the 40-man roster to make room for an extra arm, and chose to DFA him as opposed to moving him to the 60-day DL. He appears to be a likely candidate to continue his rehab within the organization.
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Brent Suter RP | ATL
Brewers' Brent Suter: Carried to win by offense Saturday
Suter (1-0) picked up the win in Saturday's 7-3 victory over the Padres, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out four over five innings.
While he only issued the one free pass, Suter wasn't particularly sharp in his first outing of the season as he threw only 49 of 83 pitches for strikes, resulting in an early exit. The left-hander will look to tighten things up when he next takes the mound Thursday at home against the Cubs.
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Clay Holmes SP | CHC
Pirates' Clay Holmes: Will act as 26th man Sunday
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.
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Kenley Jansen RP | DET
Dodgers' Kenley Jansen: Throws bullpen to work on mechanics
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.
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Akeel Morris RP | SF
Braves' Akeel Morris: Designated for assignment
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.
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Shelby Miller RP | CHC
Diamondbacks' Shelby Miller: Aiming for June return
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.
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Alex Reyes RP | LAD
Cardinals' Alex Reyes: Transferred to 60-day DL
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.
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Brad Hand RP | ATL
Padres' Brad Hand: Blows big lead Friday
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.
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Kenley Jansen RP | DET
Dodgers' Kenley Jansen: Velocity dip in loss
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.