MLB Player News

Kimbrel earned a save against the Brewers on Wednesday, allowing one hit and one walk in a perfect inning.

As has been the case often this season, Kimbrel didn't slide by easily. After retiring the first two batters he faced, the right-hander allowed a single and a walk to put the tying and winning runs on base. However, he was able to get Luis Urias to ground into a fielder's choice to end the contest. This was an important outing for Kimbrel after he allowed an earned run in each of his previous three appearances and blew a save his last time on the mound. Despite the recent hiccups, manager Dave Roberts has expressed a commitment to stick to Kimbrel as the team's closer, and it's worth nothing the veteran pitcher has converted an acceptable 84 percent of his save chances on the campaign.

Pressly earned a save against the White Sox on Wednesday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning.

Houston held a 3-2 lead after four innings, and the score hadn't changed by the time Pressly took the mound in the bottom of the ninth. The closer kept things that way, punching out the final two batters he faced to complete a perfect inning. Pressly has bounced back from a blown save against Seattle on July 31 to convert each of his subsequent two opportunities, tossing 3.2 scoreless frames and posting a 7:0 K:BB across his past four appearances.

Winckowski will start Thursday's game against the Pirates, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

The 24-year-old was expected to piggyback Rich Hill in Wednesday's contest, but he'll instead start Thursday's series finale since Nathan Eovaldi (neck/shoulder) is banged up. Winckowski has made 11 starts for Boston this year and has a 4.69 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 34:20 K:BB across 55.2 innings.

Oller (2-5) earned the win Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk over six innings against the Rangers. He struck out four.

Oller cruised through six innings on just 77 pitches, as Texas could not get much going against him. The quality start is Oller's first on the season and is a welcome sight after he allowed a combined 16 runs over his previous 25.1 innings. He'll carry a 6.63 ERA into his next start, which figures to be next week against the Marlins.

Chafin (0-2) allowed three runs on two hits while retiring just two batters to take the loss Wednesday against the Guardians. He struck out three.

Chafin had a weird outing, as he struck out the first three batters he faced in the eighth inning. However, the final strikeout got away from catcher Eric Haase, going down as a wild pitch and allowing Luke Maile to reach first base. Chafin then allowed a single and a double before getting the hook. Alex Lange came on and allowed both inherited runners to score, which made Chafin's line look pretty rough for a guy who struck out the side. The lefty still has a solid 3.18 ERA and has been a good relief option for the Tigers this season.

Norris allowed just one run on four hits across five innings but did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Guardians. He walked two and struck out four.

Norris arguably had his best outing of the year, going a season-high five innings and putting the Tigers in a position to win. The lefty left the game with his team up 3-1, but the bullpen imploded to allow seven runs in three innings, and Cleveland prevailed 8-4. Norris still has a high 5.45 ERA, though he's allowed just one run across 9.2 innings in his last two appearances. With Eduardo Rodriguez (personal) on track to return from the restricted list Sunday, Norris could get bumped from the rotation, but he might stick in a long-relief role.

Rodriguez (elbow) gave up an earned run on two hits while striking out two in an inning of relief Wednesday in his rehab appearance for Triple-A Iowa.

Rodriguez has been sidelined nearly all season with a right elbow strain, which he developed in mid-April during his second appearance of the 2022 campaign with Iowa. In a procedural move, the Cubs called Rodriguez up June 1 and placed him on the 60-day injured list the same day, so he'll need to be added back to the 40-man roster once his 30-day rehab window ends. Rodriguez started the rehab assignment Aug. 9 and made two appearances in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League before he was transferred to Iowa, so he could remain on the IL until the second week of September.

Betances announced his retirement from professional baseball Wednesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Betances was released from his minor-league contract with the Dodgers earlier Wednesday, and he won't pursue any additional opportunities. The veteran right-hander has appeared in only 17 big-league games since 2018, as his career has been derailed by injuries over the past few years. Betances was one of the best relievers in baseball during his time with the Yankees, and he'll finish his career a 2.53 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 633 strikeouts across 394.1 innings.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Peters (back) should be ready to start a throwing program soon, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Peters has already resumed plyometric work since landing on the 15-day injured list Aug. 4 with left elbow inflammation, and he looks on the cusp of moving on to the next phase of his recovery program. The Pirates view Peters as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen, so once he starts throwing again, he could need around two weeks to complete his progression before he's deemed ready to return from the IL.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Bednar (back) should be ready to begin a throwing program later this week or early next week, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Bednar was recently cleared to begin plyometric work, and if his back continues to respond well over the next couple of days, he should be ready to start playing catch. He'll then gradually ramp up the intensity and distance of his throwing before eventually graduating to bullpen sessions and then live batting practice. As a reliever, Bednar won't require an extensive buildup program, but Pittsburgh's closer is still probably at least a week away from making his return from the 15-day injured list.