MLB Player News

King's velocity was down in Tuesday's loss to Philadelphia, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

King allowed four hits over 1.1 innings in the outing, with the first two knocks driving in a pair of runs that were charged to Domingo German. King's fastball topped out at 95.2 mph in the contest, about a tick below his average velocity on the pitch last season. Overall, King's average four-seamer is clocking in at 94.1 mph this season as opposed to 96.4 mph in 2022. While the right-hander said he believes the reduced velocity to be mechanical, manager Aaron Boone suggested that the reliever may be in the midst of a "dead-arm period." It's not yet certain if the issue will affect King's availability moving forward.

Leclerc picked up the save after striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning during Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Orioles.

Leclerc got the call in the ninth after Will Smith, who picked up the Rangers' first save opportunity Sunday against Philadelphia, worked 1.1 innings following Jacob deGrom's start. It appears Leclerc and Smith are going to split closing opportunities to open the season, which would seem to limit both players' overall fantasy upside. Leclerc now has two strikeouts across two scoreless innings to start the year.

Kelley is recovering from a fractured left foot and should be ready to go at High-A Winston-Salem by the end of the month, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

Kelley saw time late last season at Double-A, but he has never pitched at High-A, so that's an obvious starting spot for him once healthy. The hard-throwing righty logged a 3.34 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 59:40 K:BB in 64.2 innings at Single-A last year.

Phillips retired two of the three batters he faced en route to notching his first save of the season in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Rockies.

With one out and runners on first and second in the top of the ninth, Phillips was summoned from the bullpen to put out the fire. Though he hit the first batter he faced to load the bases, Phillips coaxed a run-scoring sacrifice fly off the bat of Mike Moustakas and then induced a groundout by Charlie Blackmon to extinguish the threat. Phillips' save was the Dodgers' second of the season, and the first in a more traditional fashion after long reliever Andre Jackson picked up the team's first save by pitching three innings at the tail end of a 10-1 win over the Diamondbacks last weekend. Phillips looks like he'll be a part of a committee approach to closing situations, with Brusdar Graterol and Alex Vesia also being candidates to scoop up the occasional save chance.

Pressly (illness) tossed a scoreless frame Monday in the Astros' 7-6 loss to the Tigers in 11 innings.

After taking the loss in relief on Opening Day last Thursday, Pressly wasn't available for any of the Astros' games against the White Sox this past weekend while he was feeling under the weather. Fortunately, Pressly seems to have quickly moved past the ailment, as he retired the side in 12 pitches during his appearance Monday.

Mayza struck out all four batters he faced to record his first hold of the season in Tuesday's win over the Royals.

The southpaw cut through the bottom of Kansas City's order after entering the game with one out and one on in the seventh inning, fanning Vinnie Pasquantino, Jackie Bradley, Nate Eaton and Nicky Lopez on only 19 pitches (13 strikes). Mayza has collected at least 16 holds in three straight seasons, and he figures to be comfortably in double digits again in 2023 as the top lefty in the Toronto bullpen.

Sousa was designated for assignment by the Reds on Wednesday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Sousa was the 40-man roster casualty when the Reds selected the contract of fellow relief pitcher Kevin Herget. The left-hander appeared in 25 games with White Sox in 2022, struggling to a 8.41 ERA and 1.72 WHIP with 12 strikeouts over 20.1 innings.

Kuhnel was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Kuhnel will head to Louisville after cracking the Reds' Opening Day roster last week. The right-hander appeared in Tuesday's loss to the Cubs, surrendering three runs on five hits and a walk over two frames. Considering the fact that he opened the season on the active roster, Kuhnel seems likely to get another shot in the majors before long. In his place, the Reds selected the contract of Kevin Herget.

The Reds selected Herget's contract from Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Herget will provide the Reds with some additional bullpen depth as the 32-year-old makes his way to a major-league roster for just the second time in his career. The right-hander appeared in three games with the Rays in 2022, producing a 7.71 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with four strikeouts over seven innings. To make room for him on both the 40-man roster and the active roster, Bennett Sousa was designated for assignment and Joel Kuhnel was optioned to Louisville on Wednesday.

Pivetta (0-1) took the loss Tuesday, as the Red Sox were downed 4-1 by the Pirates, giving up three runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out six.

The strikeouts, as well as a passed ball by Reese McGuire that kept the second inning alive, helped salvage his night from a fantasy perspective, but Pivetta also served up homers to Ji Hwan Bae and Bryan Reynolds. The right-hander allowed a career-high 27 long balls last year, and his issues keeping the ball in the park are a large part of the reason why he's never had an ERA below 4.50 in his big-league career. Pivetta lines up for a two-step next week, as Boston heads to Tampa Bay before hosting the Angels on the weekend.