MLB Player News

Maton picked up the save over the Mets on Saturday, pitching a scoreless ninth inning while issuing one walk.

Maton entered the contest with a two-run lead in the top of the ninth and needed six pitches to retire the leadoff batter before surrendering a walk to Harrison Bader. However, the right-hander was able to record the final two outs following the free pass to secure his first save of the season. Maton has now pitched two scoreless innings over his last two appearances after being tagged with the loss against the White Sox a week ago. However, he also needed 19 pitches to get through each of those two outings.

Topa (knee) reached 94 mph during a rehab assignment Friday at Triple-A St. Paul and will make another appearance May 5, MLB.com reports. He's given up two runs in three innings with five strikeouts and no walks in three rehab outings.

Topa began the season on the shelf with left patellar tendinitis and it's taken him longer than initially expected to return. He had lower-than-usual velocity in his first two outings, so he may finally be ready to be activated from the injured list in a few days.

Alexander (ribs) started Single-A Stockton's loss to Visalia on Friday, allowing an earned run on two hits over one inning. He struck out one.

Alexander located 12 of his 16 pitches for strikes and came away from his first game action in nearly two months feeling good, per MLB.com. The veteran left-hander is due for another rehab appearance with the Ports on Tuesday against San Jose, and if he remains free of setbacks, his rehab assignment will move to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Banks struck out the only batter he faced to record the final out of Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Cardinals and collect his first save of the season.

The 32-year-old southpaw faced Ivan Herrera with the bases loaded and two outs after a rain delay that lasted over three hours interrupted the 10th inning, and Banks got the job done on four pitches. John Brebbia had originally gotten the call in the save situation before the delay, while Michael Kopech pitched the ninth, so Banks' usage was more due to the unusual circumstances than his prominence in the White Sox bullpen. On the season, Banks has a 5.65 ERA and 1.88 WHIP through 14.1 innings, but his 18:4 K:BB suggests he's been unlucky so far.

The Blue Jays acquired Kuhnel from the Astros on Saturday in exchange for cash considerations, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Kuhnel had been designated for assignment by the Astros and now finds himself in a new organization. The big righty holds a career 6.30 ERA at the major-league level and will head to Triple-A Buffalo where he'll give the Jays experienced relief depth.

Sands struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his second save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Red Sox.

Jhoan Duran surprisingly worked the eighth and got the hold against the heart of Boston's order, leaving Sands to face the 7-8-9 hitters. With Brock Stewart (shoulder) on the shelf, Sands could be moving up in the bullpen pecking order for the Twins, but Griffin Jax and Caleb Thielbar had also both pitched Friday and were likely only available in an emergency. Sands has pitched well enough to earn a high-leverage role, posting a 2.93 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 22:2 K:BB through 15.1 innings.

Duran gave up a hit and struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning Saturday to record his first hold of the season in a 3-1 win over the Red Sox.

The right-hander got the call to face the heart of Boston's order in the eighth rather than being held back for the save chance, and he got the job done without issue. Cole Sands then worked the ninth inning for the save. Duran had only one hold last season along with his 27 saves, and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli typically favors set roles in his bullpen over playing matchups in high-leverage spots, so there's no reason yet to assume this is a sign Duran will see less ninth-inning work than expected. He's appeared in three games since making his season debut Tuesday, posting a 5:0 K:BB over three scoreless frames and collecting saves in the other two contests.

Cano allowed one walk but retired the final two batters of Saturday's game against the Reds to earn his first save of the season.

Craig Kimbrel was pulled from the game after allowing two hits and a walk in the bottom of the ninth. Cano entered and walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, but the 30-year-old ultimately worked his way out of it with a strikeout and a flyout. Kimbrel earned the save in Friday's game but had back-to-back blown saves to end April and has been nursing a back issue recently. If Kimbrel needs some time to get right, Cano would presumably step into the closer's role after he recorded eight saves and 31 holds a season ago.

Holmes gave up a hit and struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings Saturday to record his 11th save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Tigers.

The right-hander is tied with the Cardinals' Ryan Helsley for the league lead in saves. Holmes kept his ERA a pristine 0.00 with Saturday's performance, although he did give up three unearned runs in his one blown save, and through 15 innings he's delivered a 0.92 WHIP and 18:1 K:BB.

Kimbrel was pulled from a save situation in the ninth inning of Saturday's game against the Reds. He allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out one batter in one-third of an inning.

The Cincinnati offense had been quiet all night until Kimbrel gave the home team some life in the bottom of the ninth. He allowed three of the four batters he faced to reach base, prompting the hook from manager Brandon Hyde. Yennier Cano took over and closed the door to earn his first save of the season. Kimbrel earned the save Friday in his return following a brief absence due to back tightness, but he had squandered back-to-back save chances before that and Saturday's slip-up puts him on notice with a high-end arm in Cano representing a viable alternative to Kimbrel in the ninth.