MLB Player News

Poulin (1-0) pitched a perfect eighth inning Friday to record his first win of the season in the Nationals' 7-3 victory over the Brewers.

The game was tied 3-3 when Poulin took the mound, and the southpaw kept it that way with three groundouts before Washington erupted for four runs in the top of the ninth off Milwaukee closer Trevor Megill. Poulin has been seeing fairly consistent high-leverage usage early in the season but has been erratic at best, posting a 4.70 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 6:7 K:BB over eight appearances and 7.2 innings while picking up three holds in addition to Friday's win.

Bradford (elbow) was scheduled to pitch for Double-A Frisco on Wednesday, but the Rangers opted to give him additional recovery time, Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Bradford made an initial rehab start April 2, but the left-hander apparently hadn't recovered quick enough by Wednesday. "We'll make sure he feels 100% recovered before he makes his next outing," Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said. "It's just normal soreness. It's part of your buildup, it's part of rehab." The organization does not want him to push through the soreness. Bradford is in the final stages of his recovery from an internal brace procedure.

The Mets selected Kimbrel's contract from Single-A St. Lucie on Saturday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Kimbrel reported to Single-A to begin the regular season after failing to win a roster spot out of spring training. He struck out two batters over two shutout frames at St. Lucie, and he'll now claim a spot in the Mets' bullpen. The 37-year-old's days of working as a closer are likely behind him, especially with Devin Williams on the roster, but Kimbrel could still be an effective middle reliever after putting up a 2.25 ERA across 12 innings between Houston and Atlanta last season.

Finnegan worked around a walk to toss a scoreless inning of relief and earn a hold in Friday's 2-0 win over the Marlins.

Finnegan worked the eighth inning in front of new Detroit closer Kenley Jansen, and the former continued his unblemished start to the season. Finnegan has strung together six straight scoreless appearances, though he has walked seven batters versus only three strikeouts across 5.1 innings. Finnegan may not record many saves with Jansen around, but he has two holds so far and should remain a consistent contributor in that category.

Ferguson (oblique) threw a bullpen session Thursday that went well and he is scheduled for another one Sunday, MLB.com reports.

If all goes well in Sunday's session, Ferguson could progress to facing live batters Tuesday. The next step beyond that would be a rehab assignment.

Sewald gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his fourth save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Phillies. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.

The veteran right-hander has looked good to begin his second stint as the Diamondbacks' closer. Sewald has converted all four of his save chances so far, and through 5.1 innings he sports a 3.38 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 7:0 K:BB.

Jansen struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his second save of the season in a 2-0 win over the Marlins.

The veteran closer continued a solid start to his Detroit tenure. Friday's appearance marked the first time this season that Jansen actually relied on his defense for outs, and through 2.2 innings he's posted a 3.38 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 6:1 K:BB while converting two of three save chances.

Diaz (1-0) allowed three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out two over one inning, earning the win after taking a blown save versus the Rangers on Friday.

Diaz was sloppy in the ninth despite throwing 19 of 23 pitches for strikes. He allowed a two-run home run to Evan Carter and an RBI single to Ezequiel Duran, which tied the game. Max Muncy was the hero for the Dodgers, walking it off with a solo shot to give Diaz the win despite his poor showing. Over six innings this season, Diaz has allowed four runs with a 10:4 K:BB, but he's also converted four of five save chances. As long as outings like this don't become the norm, his role as closer is safe.

Woods Richardson did not feel well and vomited before trying to pitch through it during Friday's loss to the Blue Jays, Bobby Nightingale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Woods Richardson apparently didn't eat fresh enough before the game, and while he rolled through the first three innings, a five-run fourth left him with a sour line for the game to go with his sour stomach. We suspect SWR will be fine by the time he's expected to make his next turn in the rotation, which lines up for next week against the Red Sox.

Soto walked two but turned in a scoreless eighth inning to earn a hold Friday against the Cubs.

Soto worked the eighth inning with the Pirates up 2-0, setting up Dennis Santana for the save. While Soto has allowed five walks across 8.1 innings, he has allowed only one earned run while racking up 13 strikeouts. Though it looked like he could challenge Santana for saves to begin the season, Soto has now worked in a setup role in consecutive appearances.