Kimbrel signed with the Astros on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Kimbrel was granted his release by the Rangers on Thursday and inked his new deal the same day. He's made only one appearance in the majors this season, which came with Atlanta. The Astros are in need of bullpen help with Josh Hader (shoulder) sidelined, but Kimbrel is unlikely to factor into the saves picture.
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Craig Kimbrel: Becomes free agent
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Kimbrel was granted his release at Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Kimbrel signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers in June, but he never made it to the big club in Texas. He remained at Round Rock, where he had a 3.86 ERA across 21 innings, until his release Thursday.
Kimbrel signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Kimbrel elected free agency Monday after being pushed off Atlanta's 40-man roster, but it didn't take long for him to find his next gig with Texas. It's worth noting that the 37-year-old is only on a minor-league deal, so another move will need to be made for him to join the active roster. However, he owns a 2.00 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in Triple-A this season, so there's a decent chance he'll get another shot in the majors at some point.
Kimbrel elected free agency Monday after declining an outright assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Kimbrel had his contract selected from Triple-A on Friday and was designated for assignment by Atlanta on Saturday after pitching one inning in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Giants. Kimbrel faced three batters and gave one hit, walked one and struck one out. The 37-year-old will seek a new opportunity.
Braves' Craig Kimbrel: Clean inning in return to Atlanta
Rotowire
Kimbrel gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning during Friday's extra-inning loss to the Giants. He struck out one.
Making his first appearance for Atlanta since the end of the 2014 regular season, the 37-year-old right-hander gave up a single and a walk but saw both baserunners erased on a caught stealing and a pickoff, before he struck out old NL East foe Wilmer Flores to end the seventh inning. It was a fairly high-leverage spot for Kimbrel in his season debut, but he's a long way from his peak as the game's most dominant reliever -- per David O'Brien of the Athletic, Kimbrel averaged just 91.5 mph with his fastball Friday. Still, with Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias struggling badly and no one else in the bullpen stepping up as a viable replacement, there may be a path for Kimbrel to add to his career total of 440 saves.
Atlanta designated Kimbrel for assignment Saturday.
Kimbrel was called up from the minors Friday for a return to the big-league club that drafted him in 2008, but the reunion may end up being short-lived. The veteran reliever looked fine in pitching a scoreless inning against the Giants on Friday, though he allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one batter and averaging only 91.5 mph on his fastball. Atlanta filled Kimbrel's bullpen spot by recalling lefty reliever Austin Cox from the minors.
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Braves' Craig Kimbrel: Call-up made official
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Atlanta selected Kimbrel's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.
Kimbrel is set for his 2025 MLB debut, joining Atlanta's bullpen after logging a 2.45 ERA in 14.2 innings with Gwinnett this season. His role within the bullpen is unclear, but the 37-year-old will look to reclaim his previous form after logging a 5.33 ERA in 2024 with Baltimore.
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Braves' Craig Kimbrel: Joining big club
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Atlanta plans to select Kimbrel's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Kimbrel signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta shortly before the regular season began and has made 15 appearances at Gwinnett, logging a 2.45 ERA and 1.13 WHIP alongside a 17:8 K:BB across 14.2 innings. With Atlanta in need of bullpen help after giving up seven runs in the ninth inning of Thursday's 11-10 loss to Arizona, they'll now turn to the 37-year-old veteran for assistance. Kimbrel has accumulated 440 saves across his 15 years in the majors -- good enough for fifth most in MLB history -- though it's unclear what role he'll have in Atlanta's bullpen.
Kimbrel is still building up his velocity at Triple-A Gwinnett, and there's no timeline for him to be added to Atlanta's 26-man roster, Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Atlanta's bullpen needs help behind closer Raisel Iglesias, but it's not clear when Kimbrel might be able to bolster the team's relief corps. The 36-year-old has thrown 7.1 innings over seven appearances between Gwinnett and Double-A Columbus, posting a 2.45 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB, but his fastball velocity has mainly been sitting in the low 90s, a step back even from the 93.9 mph he averaged in 2024. "I learned last year when it comes to velocity, the velocity itself doesn't really matter as much as how I use my pitches, masking my pitches," Kimbrel said Wednesday. "I don't throw 100 mph anymore, so I can't just go out there and try to throw it by everybody. So it's taking the mindset of a pitcher and using my pitches to get guys out." Kimbrel sits fifth on MLB's all-time save list with 440, with the first 186 coming in an Atlanta uniform, but he's unlikely to add much to that total in his second stint with the team.
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Braves' Craig Kimbrel: Joins Double-A roster
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Kimbrel has been assigned to the Double-A Columbus roster, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Signed to a minor-league contract in mid-March, Kimbrel had been getting ramped up at Atlanta's spring training complex in Florida and is now ready to appear in games. The veteran reliever should eventually move up to Triple-A Gwinnett and, if all goes well, the plan is for him to join the big-league roster sometime in May.
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Braves' Craig Kimbrel: Not yet facing hitters
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Manager Brian Snitker said Thursday that Kimbrel is still ramping up at the team's complex in Florida but hasn't begun facing hitters yet, Grant McAuley of 92.9 The Game Atlanta reports.
Kimbrel got off to a late start preparing for the season, as he didn't sign with Atlanta until close to the end of spring training. There's no telling when he might begin facing live opponents, but the plan is still for him to join the big-league club sometime in May if he proves to be effective in the minor leagues.
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