MLB Player News

Astros manager Joe Espada said that Pressly (finger) will be available out of the bullpen Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Pressly has been off limits for a few days while dealing with soreness in a finger on his right hand, but it seems he's fully recovered now. The veteran reliever has struggled this season, collecting a 5.51 ERA and 1.78 WHIP through 16.1 innings.

The Royals activated Brentz (hamstring) from the 15-day injured list Monday and optioned him to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The hamstring injury that landed Brentz on the IL before the season is no longer an issue, but what is a problem is the 17 walks he issued over six rehab innings. Brentz will stay in the minors to work on ironing out his command problems.

The Rays optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Rodriguez holds a 2.79 ERA in nine relief appearances with the Rays this season, although that's come with a 1.55 WHIP. Richard Lovelady is taking his spot in the bullpen.

The Yankees placed Hamilton on the 7-day COVID-19 injured list Monday.

Hamilton should be away for about a week while recovering from the illness. He's been one of the Yankees' better relievers since the beginning of last season but has struggled in May with a 3.68 ERA and 2.05 WHIP over eight appearances.

The White Sox activated Leone (back) from the 15-day injured list Monday.

Leone wound up needing just a minimum stay on the IL with lower-back tightness and will skip a rehab assignment and go right back into the bullpen. The veteran reliever holds a 6.75 ERA and 14:11 K:BB over 14.2 innings this season.

Devenski (knee) threw two innings and allowed three earned runs on four hits while striking out five in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

Sunday's outing marked Devenski's second rehab appearance in three days. Per MLB.com, the Rays plan to bring him back as a long reliever, so it's possible that he makes some additional appearances with Durham to continue to build up his workload. Devenski is expected to return from the 15-day injured list before the end of May.

Clase (3-1) allowed an unearned run and struck out one batter in one inning of work Sunday against the Twins. He was charged with a blown save but earned the win.

Clase gave up the game-tying run on an error in the ninth inning, but Cleveland walked it off in the bottom half of the frame. It was his first blown save since April 16, and he's now 13 for 16 in save chances this season. He's fired 16.1 straight innings without allowing an earned run, dropping his season ERA to 0.39 with a 24:2 K:BB.

Duran (0-2) took the loss Sunday against the Guardians, giving up a game-ending home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. He allowed three runs on one hit and two walks with no strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning.

It was the second home run that Duran allowed in the late innings in a tied game in the three-game series during which the Twins were swept. Duran hadn't walked a batter in eight innings before Sunday, so this is probably a minor setback. The bigger worry for fantasy managers is that he's been used in the eighth inning against the heart of the opposing team's order several times since his return from the injured list, ceding the save chance to another arm (usually Griffin Jax) in the bullpen. While Duran as the top choice for saves, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli isn't afraid to use him earlier in games or in tied games on the road.

Romano picked up a save Sunday against Tampa Bay, striking out the only batter he faced during the 5-2 win.

Romano was pushed into the save chance after Zach Pop surrendered a two-run home run and then gave up a single to Richie Palacios with two outs in the ninth. Romano got Jonny DeLuca to go down swinging to close out the victory and notch his seventh save of the campaign. Across 11.0 innings, Romano owns a 4.91 ERA with one blown save and a 10:3 K:BB.

Kimbrel pitched a clean ninth inning, striking out two to pick up a save Sunday against the Mariners.

It appears Kimbrel has found his groove again, and he was rewarded with a save opportunity while posting his fourth consecutive appearance without allowing a hit or a walk. It was the first save since May 3 for Kimbrel, who had posted a 16.20 ERA and 4.50 WHIP over 3.1 innings in the six outings prior to this most recent four-game stretch.