MLB Player News
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Kenley Jansen RP | DET
Angels' Kenley Jansen: Makes appearance in loss
Jansen allowed one hit in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning during Friday's 4-1 loss to the Orioles. He did not record a strikeout or a walk.
Jansen entered in the top of the ninth with the Angels facing a three-run deficit and got some work in after battling an illness earlier this week. This was his first appearance since May 3. With his ailment seemingly in the rearview mirror, Jansen should soon add to his total of 454 career saves (fourth all time).
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Jeff Hoffman RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Earns eighth save Friday
Hoffman struck out three without giving up a hit or a walk in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 6-3 win over the Mariners.
Hoffman allowed one batter to reach on a wild pitch, but the Blue Jays' lead was never in danger. The right-hander had allowed three runs in back-to-back appearances, and he took a blown save and a loss in Wednesday's game versus the Angels. This was a bounce-back effort, and it's encouraging the Blue Jays went right back to him after Chad Green picked up a spot save Thursday with Hoffman resting. Hoffman's recent struggles have his ERA up to 4.00 with a 1.00 WHIP and 27:3 K:BB over 18 innings, and he's added eight saves in nine chances as Toronto's main closer.
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Sam Long RP | KC
Royals' Sam Long: Ramping up bullpen sessions
Long (elbow) threw a bullpen session on May 8 at 85 percent intensity and has another bullpen session scheduled for May 11, MLB.com reports.
Long had imaging on his elbow April 14 which showed inflammation and no structural damage. He'll likely need to throw a few bullpen sessions at full strength before going out on a rehab assignment.
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Felix Bautista RP | BAL
Orioles' Felix Bautista: Continues impressive run
Bautista picked up the save in Friday's 4-1 win over the Angels after throwing a clean ninth inning. He struck out two.
Since giving up two runs in an appearance back in March, Bautista has strung together a nine-inning scoreless streak. The hard-throwing right-hander has posted an excellent 1.64 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 14:6 K:BB while converting each of his seven save opportunities over 11 innings this season. Bautista struggled with his control in the early going -- he issued six free passes in his first five frames -- but he hasn't allowed a walk in his last six innings.
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Sam Bachman RP | LAA
Angels' Sam Bachman: Kicks off rehab assignment
Bachman (shoulder) began a minor-league rehab assignment with Single-A Inland Empire on Tuesday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning of work.
Bachman opened the season on the major-league 15-day IL due to thoracic outlet syndrome. The issue prevented the right-hander from getting into any spring training games, so his rehab stint will presumably last at least a few weeks. Bachman had been slated to build up as a starter during Cactus League play, though it's unclear what his role will be when he eventually returns to the big-league club. All 11 of the 2021 first-round draft pick's MLB appearances to date have come as a reliever, but all of those outings came in 2023. He spent much of 2024 recovering from shoulder surgery.
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Danny Coulombe RP | TEX
Twins' Danny Coulombe: Registers rare save Friday
Coulombe picked up the save in Friday's 3-1 win over the Giants after throwing a clean ninth inning. He struck out two.
With closer Jhoan Duran and setup man Griffin Jax both having worked both of the past two days, Coulombe was summoned to safeguard Friday's victory and he ended up extending his scoreless streak to 15.1 innings to open the campaign. The left-hander boasts a 17:1 K:BB with two holds and two saves this season, although he remains behind Duran, Jax and perhaps even Cole Sands in Minnesota's bullpen hierarchy when it comes to high-leverage work on most occasions.
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Will Vest RP | DET
Tigers' Will Vest: Captures fourth save
Vest struck out one batter without allowing a hit or a walk in a scoreless ninth inning in Friday's win against Texas.
With Tommy Kahnle holding down the eighth inning following Tarik Skubal's seven-inning masterpiece, Vest was brought in for the ninth to protect the Tigers' one-run lead. He needed only 10 pitches (nine strikes) to get through the inning, finishing things off by getting Adolis Garcia to fly out to center field. It was Vest's fourth save of the season, and his low pitch count Friday should make him available out of the bullpen for Saturday's game. He has a 2.12 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 19:7 K:BB across 17 innings this season.
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Walter Pennington RP | BAL
Orioles' Walter Pennington: Outrighted to Triple-A
Pennington cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
The 27-year-old was designated for assignment by the Orioles earlier this week but will stick in the organization after passing through waivers unclaimed. Pennington spent just over a week in the big leagues but didn't see action for Baltimore.
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Ben Joyce RP | LAA
Angels' Ben Joyce: Shifts to 60-day IL
The Angels transferred Joyce (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Friday.
The Angels shut down Joyce's throwing program last week after he reported shoulder discomfort following a round of catch. Now on the 60-day IL, the right-hander won't be eligible for activation until June 10, and it's still unknown how far away he is from throwing again. Shaun Anderson was selected to the active roster from Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday to take Joyce's place on the 40-man.
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Ryan Johnson SP | LAA
Angels' Ryan Johnson: Sent down to High-A
The Angels optioned Johnson to High-A Tri-City on Friday.
The decision to let Johnson pitch in the majors before playing in a minor-league game hasn't quite turned out the way the Angels had hoped, as the 22-year-old righty owns a miserable 7.36 ERA and 1.98 WHIP through 14.2 innings. He'll now look to hone his craft in the lower levels of the Angels' farm system and could potentially be stretched out as a starter. Shaun Anderson was selected from Triple-A Salt Lake to fill the void in Los Angeles' bullpen.