The Rays placed Kimbrel on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to a right wrist strain.
Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Kimbrel showed no sign of injury while tossing a scoreless inning of relief in his Rays debut Tuesday in Baltimore, but his wrist began bothering him Friday. After consulting with team doctors, Kimbrel and the Rays came to a mutual decision for the veteran right-hander to go on the shelf, though he could be ready for activation when first eligible June 12.
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Rays' Craig Kimbrel: Gets MLB deal from Rays
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The Rays signed Kimbrel to a one-year contract Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Kimbrel elected free agency Monday after being removed from the Mets' 40-man roster, and he's managed to quickly land another major-league contract. Slated to turn 38 on Thursday, Kimbrel posted a 6.00 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 15:6 K:BB over 15 innings with the Mets. The Rays are often able to work magic with pitchers and see something with Kimbrel they might be able to tap into, but he's nevertheless a long shot to produce fantasy value in Tampa Bay.
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Craig Kimbrel: Heads to free agency
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Kimbrel elected free agency Monday.
Kimbrel was designated for assignment by the Mets on Friday and was then sent outright to Triple-A. However, instead of accepting an assignment to the minors, the veteran right-hander will choose to search for a big-league opportunity elsewhere.
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Mets' Craig Kimbrel: Outrighted to Triple-A
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The Mets outrighted Kimbrel to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.
Kimbrel will presumably elect free agency rather than accept an outright assignment, but he doesn't seem to have officially done that yet. The veteran reliever was booted off the Mets' 40-man roster last week after posting a 6.00 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 15:6 K:BB over 15 innings.
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Mets' Craig Kimbrel: DFA'd by Mets
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The Mets designated Kimbrel for assignment Friday.
Kimbrel's brief stint with the Mets was unsuccessful, as he collected a 6.00 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 15:6 K:BB over 15 innings out of the bullpen. He is likely to pass through waivers before becoming a free agent. Kimbrel will turn 38 next week and could have to accept a minor-league contract if he wants to continue his playing career.
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Mets' Craig Kimbrel: Contract selected
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The Mets selected Kimbrel's contract from Single-A St. Lucie on Saturday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Kimbrel reported to Single-A to begin the regular season after failing to win a roster spot out of spring training. He struck out two batters over two shutout frames at St. Lucie, and he'll now claim a spot in the Mets' bullpen. The 37-year-old's days of working as a closer are likely behind him, especially with Devin Williams on the roster, but Kimbrel could still be an effective middle reliever after putting up a 2.25 ERA across 12 innings between Houston and Atlanta last season.
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Mets' Craig Kimbrel: Out of running for bullpen job
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Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday that Kimbrel won't be included on the Mets' Opening Day roster, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.
The nine-time All-Star has been attending spring training as a non-roster invitee and struck out five batters while allowing three earned runs on four hits and two walks over six innings in the Grapefruit League. Kimbrel's minor-league deal is believed to include multiple opt-out dates, but Mendoza told Goodman that the 37-year-old righty is "leaning" toward staying in the organization and reporting to Triple-A Syracuse to begin the season.
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Mets' Craig Kimbrel: Still chasing roster spot
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Kimbel did not exercise the first opt out in his minor-league contract with the Mets as he continues to pursue a spot on the Opening Day roster, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports.
New York's bullpen competition got a little bit narrower Friday with the club cutting Austin Warren, Kevin Herget and Robert Stock from big-league camp. Kimbrel has given up three runs with a 5:5 K:BB across six innings during spring training, but manager Carlos Mendoza has been impressed with the late life on Kimbrel's fastball. Bryan Hudson and Richard Lovelady are the remaining internal competition for a bullpen spot, but the Mets could bring in some outside arms as teams begin to trim the rosters for Opening Day.
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Mets' Craig Kimbrel: Still battling for bullpen spot
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Kimbrel is in the running the final spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen, Tim Britton and Will Sammon of The Athletic report.
Left-hander Bryan Hudson is also getting a long look, with Austin Warren and Richard Lovelady in the mix as well. Kimbrel is a shadow of the dominant closer he was a decade ago, but the 37-year-old righty has impressed Mets manager Carlos Mendoza with the late life on his fastball, which sits around 93 mph these days. "He's doing what he is supposed to be doing," Mendoza said Monday. Kimbrel does have a 2.25 ERA through four spring innings, but it comes with a 2:4 K:BB. If he does make the 26-man roster, he would have a base salary of $2.5 million.
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Mets' Craig Kimbrel: Nabs minor-league deal with Mets
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Kimbrel signed a minor-league contract with the Mets that includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Kimbrel spent time with Atlanta and Houston in 2025, appearing in 14 MLB games and posting a 2.25 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP and a 17:7 KBB across 12 innings. Entering his age-38 season, Kimbrel will get an opportunity with the Mets, but he may need a strong showing during spring training in order to earn a place on the Opening Day roster.
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Astros' Craig Kimbrel: Finds new home quickly
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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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Rangers' Craig Kimbrel: Lands with Rangers
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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.
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Craig Kimbrel: Elects free agency
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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.
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Braves' Craig Kimbrel: DFA'd by Atlanta
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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: Clean inning in return to Atlanta
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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.
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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: No timeline for promotion
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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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Braves' Craig Kimbrel: Headed to Atlanta on MiLB deal
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Kimbrel signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Kimbrel showed flashes of his old self with the Orioles last year, but inconsistency led him to finish the season with a 5.33 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 52.1 innings while converting 23 of his 29 save opportunities. Now entering his age-37 season, the right-hander will get another chance to prove he can still perform at a high level with the organization that drafted him back in 2008. Even if Kimbrel makes his way back into the majors, fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to perform anywhere near the level he was at when he last wore an Atlanta uniform.
