MLB Player News

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.

Cronin (hip) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Cronin has been shelved since late March with a left hip strain but has been cleared for game appearances. It's not clear how many rehab outings the Marlins will ask him to make, but Cronin should eventually return to high-leverage work in the Miami bullpen.

The Pirates will recall Nicolas from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The 26-year-old righty will come up from the minors to give the Pirates' bullpen another fresh arm to work with, replacing Thomas Harrington. Nicolas has been hit around quite a bit in Triple-A this year, allowing nine earned runs in just 6.1 innings, so he'll likely only see action in low-leverage situations while in Pittsburgh.

Miller (1-0) picked up the win in Wednesday's 8-6 extra-inning victory over the Reds, pitching a scoreless inning while striking out one.

The left-handed reliever threw seven of his eight pitches for strikes in an efficient performance, working around the automatic runner in the 10th frame. Miller has yet to surrender a run in the 2025 campaign, allowing six hits across seven games. The 27-year-old owns a 0.00 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and a 4:3 K:BB over 5.1 innings so far this season.

Rogers struck out the side in a scoreless inning during Wednesday's 8-6 extra-inning win over the Reds.

Rogers entered the game in the eighth frame, throwing nine of his 12 pitches for strikes during an extremely efficient inning. The right-handed reliever has yet to allow a run in seven appearances and has surrendered just one hit over his last four trips to the mound. Rogers owns a 0.00 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and a 6:2 K:BB, along with a win and four holds, over seven innings so far this season.

Leahy is set to see more high-leverage relief appearances for the Cardinals, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Leahy is off to an excellent start, having allowed just one run and one hit with a 10:3 K:BB over 7.2 innings. He looks to have leapfrogged Ryan Fernandez -- who has a 10.80 ERA -- in the pecking order among righty relievers for St. Louis, at least for the time being. While he's unlikely to garner any save chances, Leahy could be worth a look in leagues that count holds.

Yates (1-0) earned the win over the Nationals on Wednesday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning of work.

Yates was called upon in the sixth inning with Los Angeles down a run. He retired the side in order on 12 pitches, fanning the final two batters he faced. Yates was then put in line for the victory when the Dodgers scored twice in the bottom of the frame. The veteran reliever hasn't notched a hold since his first outing of the campaign, but he's been effective in his first season with the club, holding the opponent scoreless in six of his seven appearances to date. Yates holds a 2.84 ERA and 0.79 WHIP along with a dominant 13:1 K:BB through 6.1 frames.

The Cardinals optioned Roycroft to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.

St. Louis is off Thursday and will likely wait until shortly before Friday's game against the Phillies to announce a replacement for Roycroft on the 26-man active roster. After winning a bullpen role out of spring training, Roycroft made seven relief appearances and collected two holds through the first two weeks of the season while allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits and six walks over 5.2 innings.

Halvorsen allowed six runs (three earned) on two hits and three walks while striking out one over one-third of an inning in Wednesday's loss to the Brewers.

Halvorsen entered the game to start the ninth inning with the Rockies down by eight runs, likely just to get work because he hadn't appeared in a game since Friday. It was a disastrous outing all around, as he walked the first two batters he faced, then was charged with an error that allowed two runs to score before serving up a homer to the next batter he faced. Halvorsen and Victor Vodnik each have one save this season, and they appear set to share the closer role for the time being.

Adam earned a hold against the Athletics on Wednesday, issuing one walk and striking out two batters over one scoreless inning.

Adam was called upon in eighth inning of a tight 2-1 game. The right-hander successfully protected San Diego's lead, working around a two-out walk and subsequent stolen base by fanning Brent Rooker to close out the frame. Adam has been very impressive to begin the campaign, posting an 11:4 K:BB over 7.1 scoreless innings. He leads the majors with five holds.