MLB Player News
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Jeff Hoffman RP | MIN
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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Robert Suarez RP | ATL
Padres' Robert Suarez: Puts out fire for 15th save
Suarez picked up the save in Friday's 13-9 win over Colorado after recording the final two outs of the game. He did not record a strikeout or a walk.
After falling into a 12-1 deficit earlier in the contest, the Rockies began to make things interesting by scoring seven runs in the final two innings. That prompted Padres manager Mike Shildt to call upon his closer to put out the fire, and Suarez threw three pitches before getting Sean Bouchard to ground into a game-ending double play. The hard-throwing right-hander collected his MLB-leading 15th save Friday, and he now boasts a 0.51 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 18:4 K:BB without a blown save over 17.2 innings.
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Danny Coulombe RP | BOS
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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Lucas Sims RP | CHW
Lucas Sims: Released by Nats
The Nationals placed Sims on unconditional release waivers Friday.
The decision to cut Sims comes after he allowed three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Cardinals on Friday. The 31-year-old righty now owns an abysmal 13.86 ERA and 2.27 WHIP through 12.1 innings this season, and he's unlikely to attract more than a minor-league deal in free agency at this point.
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Dennis Santana RP | PIT
Pirates' Dennis Santana: Nabs save despite two earned runs
Santana collected his fifth save of the season Friday against Atlanta, allowing two runs on three hits in the ninth inning. He did not record a walk or a strikeout.
It was a low-scoring affair Friday, and Santana was brought in to protect the Pirates' three-run lead in the ninth inning. He was on the back foot immediately after giving up a triple, and after yielding two runs on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single, he was able to close things out by getting Ozzie Albies to fly out to center field. This was far from a convincing performance from Santana, who is competing with David Bednar for saves in Pittsburgh. Santana has a 2.35 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB across 15.1 innings this season.
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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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Evan Phillips RP | LAD
Dodgers' Evan Phillips: No-throw for two weeks
Manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Phillips will be shut down from throwing for two weeks after MRI results revealed inflammation in his right elbow, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Phillips landed on the injured list Wednesday due to discomfort in his forearm, and it now seems like he's due for another extended stay on the IL after being sidelined for the first month of the year due to an injured shoulder. A timeline for the 30-year-old's return may emerge once he's cleared to begin throwing.