MLB Player News

Duran gave up two hits including a home run Wednedsay against the White Sox, but held on to record his third save of the season.

Duran entered the game with a 3-0 lead in the ninth, but gave the White Sox a glimmer of hope after allowing a solo homer to Lenyn Sosa. The 25-year-old closer now improves to 3-for-4 in save chances this season, but he has also allowed two home runs in as many days.

The Nationals released Perez on March 24.

Perez attended big-league spring training with Washington as a non-roster invitee, but he ended up parting ways with the organization shortly after being reassigned to minor-league camp. The 25-year-old lefty appeared in 10 games with Washington in 2022, logging a 7.27 ERA and 2.54 WHIP across 8.2 innings.

Holmes collected his fourth save of the season Wednesday against the Guardians, allowing zero hits and two walks over one scoreless inning with a strikeout.

After getting hit around in his first appearance of the season against the Giants on April 1, Holmes has now responded by throwing five consecutive shutout innings while earning a save in each of his last four appearances. It's a promising return to form for the 30-year-old closer, who boasts a 2.34 ERA since joining the Yankees in 2021.

Kelly left Wednesday's game against Tampa Bay with an apparent arm injury, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Kelly immediately collapsed to the ground after hitting Yandy Diaz with a pitch. He appeared to be in quite a bit of pain and was grabbing at his arm/elbow. He should be considered day-to-day for now, but early signs don't look promising for the 28-year-old reliever.

Ottavino walked one in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his first save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Padres.

David Robertson got the call with two outs and two on in the seventh inning and kept San Diego off the board through the eighth, leaving the save chance to Ottavino. Robertson remains the favorite for saves in the Mets' bullpen, but if manager Buck Showalter is flexible about using him in highest-leverage spots, there will be ninth-inning opportunities left over for Ottavino and Brooks Raley. Through six appearances and five innings this season, Ottavino has a 1.80 ERA and 7:1 K:BB with one hold in addition to Wednesday's save.

Antone said Wednesday his elbow is "feeling great" and he will resume throwing next week.

Antone has been sidelined since undergoing Tommy John surgery in August of 2021 and then suffering a flexor strain in January. There remains no timetable for when the 29-year-old reliever could rejoin Cincinnati's bullpen, but this is a step in the right direction.

Jameson did not factor into the decision Wednesday, tossing four scoreless innings on three hits and zero walks during a 7-3 win over Milwaukee. He struck out four.

Jameson was filling in for Zach Davies, who was recently placed on the 15-day injured list with an oblique injury, and despite looking sharp through four innings, he was pulled after just 54 pitches. The second-year right-hander would seem to be an intriguing streaming option while Davies is out, especially as he stretches out further after a brief stint in the bullpen. He's tentatively scheduled to pitch again versus St. Louis next week.

Helle was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento by the Giants on Wednesday.

Hjelle gets the boot from the major-league roster to make room for Darin Ruf after Ruf's contract was selected by the Giants. The 6-foot-11 right-hander will likely be an up-and-down option for the San Francisco bullpen for the remainder of 2023.

Helsley picked up the save in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Rockies, striking out two over a perfect ninth inning.

After blowing his first save opportunity of the season, Helsley has been lights out. He hasn't allowed a run in four straight appearances (4.2 innings) and has at least two strikeouts in each of those games.

The Athletics have named Oller their starting pitcher for Thursday's game in Baltimore, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Oakland will move to a six-man rotation this week, adding Oller to the mix in order for rookie Shintaro Fujinami to continue making Saturday starts as he transitions from Nippon Professional Baseball to the majors. As a rookie last season, Oller made 19 appearances (14 starts) and struggled to a 6.30 ERA and 1.63 WHIP over 74.1 innings. Since Oller covered five innings and 80 pitches in his most recent relief appearance April 7, he should provide Oakland with a decent amount of length in his first start, but he'll still be tough to trust as a streaming option while he's supported by one of MLB's worst lineups.