MLB Player News

Kimbrel struck out two but gave up a solo home run in the ninth inning Saturday to record his seventh save of the season in a 2-1 win over Atlanta.

After Zack Wheeler fired eight scoreless frames, Kimbrel was entrusted to close out the combined shutout, but instead his full-count fastball to Sean Murphy caught too much of the inner half of the plate and got driven over the left-field wall. It's the fifth long ball Kimbrel has served up in 20 innings, leaving him with a 5.85 ERA, but he also sports a 32:11 K:BB and has yet to blow a save chance this season. The 35-year-old righty will likely return to a secondary role in the Phillies' closer committee when Jose Alvarado (elbow) gets healthy.

Harris didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Astros, allowing one hit and one walk over five scoreless innings of relief. He struck out five.

The rookie lefty was brilliant in a bulk relief role, tossing 54 of 77 pitches for strikes, but unfortunately for the A's, opener Austin Pruitt dug a quick 2-0 hole and the team's offense never closed the gap. Harris had just been called up from Triple-A Las Vegas earlier in the day, and while this was an impressive performance, he was just as impressively bad in his big-league debut back on April 14 against the Mets (six runs in one-third of an inning.) It's not clear what Oakland's plan is for Harris, but he's likely to get shuffled back to Vegas for a fresh arm with Paul Blackburn (finger) expected to rejoin the rotation Monday.

The Rays optioned Kelley to Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

Tampa Bay was in need of a fresh relief arm heading into Sunday's series finale with the Dodgers, and Kelley found himself as the odd man out of the bullpen after he was needed to cover two innings in Saturday's 6-5 loss. The Rays selected lefty Joe LaSorsa's contract from Durham in a corresponding move.

Double-A Somerset reinstated Gomez (shoulder) from the 7-day injured list Sunday.

Gomez will make his season debut Sunday after missing six-plus weeks with a shoulder injury. The 23-year-old has shown the ability to miss bats in the minors and registered a 2.49 ERA over 47 innings in the 2022 campaign, but he carries durability and command concerns that might make him better suited for a relief role at the highest level.

Pressly struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his 10th save of the season in a 6-3 win over the A's.

The 34-year-old righty continued a stellar run that has seen him hold the opposition scoreless in 15 of his last 16 appearances, a stretch in which Pressly has a 1.13 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 16:1 K:BB through 16 innings. His ability to stay healthy for a full campaign remains a bit of a question mark, but he has yet to blow a save chance in 2023 and remains locked into the top spot in the Astros bullpen.

The Rays selected LaSorsa's contract from Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

In order to clear room for LaSorsa on the 40-man roster and the 26-man active roster, the Rays designated right-hander Chris Muller for assignment and optioned right-hander Trevor Kelley to Triple-A. Over his nine outings (three starts) with Durham this season spanning 21 innings, LaSorsa pitched to a 3.86 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 13:8 K:BB. He should work as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen while he's up with the Rays.

Angels manager Phil Nevin said after Saturday's 8-5 loss to Miami in 10 innings that Moore is set to be placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to an oblique strain, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

According to Nevin, Moore suffered the injury in question while throwing on the field prior to Friday's 6-2 win. After an MRI on Saturday confirmed that he had suffered a strain, Moore will now be shelved for at least the next two and a half weeks, though the Angels haven't offered up a precise timeline for his return. The Angels will promote top relief prospect Ben Joyce from Double-A Rocket City to take Moore's spot in the bullpen.

Angels manager Phil Nevin said Joyce will be promoted from Double-A Rocket City ahead of Sunday's game against the Marlins, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

The 22-year-old right-hander will be joining the Anaheim bullpen as a replacement for Matt Moore, who is headed for the 15-day injured list due to an oblique strain. The 2022 third-round pick is a pure relief prospect, but thanks to a big fastball that routinely reaches the triple digits, he has a chance to become one of the top bullpen arms in baseball once he reaches his peak. After a rough start to the season at Double-A, Joyce has been much sharper over the past month, logging a 3.27 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 17:6 K:BB in 11 innings over his last nine appearances. He could immediately step into a key setup role in front of closer Carlos Estevez as he matriculates to the big leagues.

Finnegan picked up the save in Saturday's 4-2 win over Kansas City, allowing one hit over a scoreless ninth inning. He recorded two strikeouts and didn't issue a walk.

After allowing a one-out single to Nicky Lopez, Finnegan struck out Nick Pratto and Vinnie Pasquantino to end the game. The right-hander is now 11-for-13 in save opportunities this season and appears to have separated himself from Hunter Harvey, who's just 2-for-6 in save chances. Across 11 May appearances, Finnegan has six saves while sporting a 1.64 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB, but his overall ERA (4.29) is still marred by a five-run outing versus Tampa Bay on April 4.

Doval picked up the save during Saturday's 3-1 victory over the Brewers, tossing a scoreless ninth inning in which he allowed one hit. He recorded one strikeout and didn't issue a walk.

After allowing a leadoff double to Brian Anderson, Doval retired three straight batters to record his 14th save. The right-hander is 11-for-11 in save opportunities during May, sporting a 0.71 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 20:4 K:BB during that stretch (12.2 innings). Doval is now second in the MLB in saves behind Emmanuel Clase (17) and remains an elite fantasy option given his stellar strikeout numbers.