MLB Player News

Bummer tossed a scoreless ninth inning, allowing two hits and striking out three on the way to a save in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Tigers.

With Liam Hendriks unavailable after blowing the save in Thursday's loss to the Tigers, the left-hander was called upon to get the save Saturday. Bummer allowed back-to-back singles to Miguel Cabrera and Jonathan Schoop to open the bottom of the ninth inning, but he was able to dance out of trouble and strike out the next three batters he faced to end the game and pick up the save. The 28-year-old has allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five batters in 1.2 innings so far in 2022.

Thompson was ejected from Saturday's game against the Brewers after hitting Andrew McCutchen in the top of the eighth inning, Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Thompson threw inside on back-to-back pitches, with the second pitch hitting McCutchen. The incident caused the benches to clear, and Thompson was ejected from the game as a result. Prior to his departure, he allowed no hits and a walk while striking out four in 2.2 scoreless relief innings. While the right-hander was in the mix for a rotation spot this spring, he's taken on a bullpen role early in the year. It's not yet clear whether he'll face discipline from the league following Saturday's game.

Kittredge tossed the ninth inning and secured the save, surrendering one run on two hits while striking out two in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Orioles.

Kittredge picked up the win Friday against the Orioles, but he was called upon to protect a 5-2 lead in the ninth Saturday. Ramon Urias opened the inning with a ground-rule double and later scored on a two-out Jorge Mateo double, but Kittredge was able to limit the damage to just one run, striking out DJ Stewart to end the contest. With the Rays once again expected to challenge for an AL East title, the 31-year-old will likely be leaned on heavily once again in 2022 after posting a sparkling 1.88 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over 57 appearances last year.

Kahnle (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Kahnle underwent Tommy John surgery in August of 2020 and was rehabbing throughout spring training. While he's on the injured list to begin the 2022 season, he'll start and throw one inning for Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday. Manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Kahnle is expected to be ready to rejoin the Dodgers in 3-5 weeks.

Ponce de Leon signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Saturday, Tacoma Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto reports.

Ponce de Leon was a non-roster invitee with the Angels this spring but was ultimately released by the organization Monday. The right-hander will start the second game of a doubleheader at Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday.

Sims (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville this week, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Sims performed well in his live BP session Friday, and the right-hander will take another step in his recovery process this week. If all goes well in Louisville, manager David Bell is optimistic that Sims could rejoin the Reds as early as next weekend for the team's home series against the Cardinals.

Oller is scheduled to start the Athletics' fifth game of the season Tuesday in Tampa Bay.

Heading into the final week of spring training, Oller looked set to miss out on a spot in the Athletics' Opening Day rotation, but he'll end up stepping in as Oakland's fifth starter after Sean Manaea was dealt away to the Padres on Sunday. The starting assignment in Tampa Bay will mark the MLB debut for Oller, who struck out nine over 6.1 Cactus League innings but was lit up for seven earned runs on 11 hits and two walks. The 27-year-old right-hander turned in a 2.45 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over a larger sample of 44 innings at Triple-A Syracuse in the Mets organization a season ago, but fantasy managers will still want to temper expectations for Oller as he begins his big-league career. Even with a two-start week on tap -- he's tentatively scheduled to face the Blue Jays in Toronto on April 17 -- Oller looks like an unreliable lineup option outside of AL-only leagues.

Hill tossed two-thirds of an inning against the Diamondbacks on Friday, allowing two hits but no runs.

For the second straight game, Hill was brought into the contest after a Padres starter held Arizona scoreless. In both instances, the southpaw coughed up the combined no-hitter by yielding a single to the first batter he faced. Further, Hill ended both outings having surrendered a pair of hits but has yet to be charged with any runs. As one of only two left-handers currently in San Diego's bullpen (closer Taylor Rogers is the other), Hill figures to see plenty of action again this season after getting into a career-high 78 contests in 2021.

Pearson (illness) will be built up as a starter after he resumed throwing Saturday, Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star reports.

Pearson recently dealt with mononucleosis, and he's expected to require several weeks to build up before he's cleared to return to game action. The Blue Jays don't have a clear rotation spot available, so it's still possible that the team will ultimately utilize Pearson out of the bullpen once he's back in action.

Sewald was credited with his first hold in a win over the Twins on Friday, firing a perfect eighth inning.

Sewald made quick work of the Twins in a 13-pitch eighth inning that saw him impressively dispose of the potent trio of Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa and Jorge Polanco. The veteran right-hander put together a diverse resume in 2021 that included 11 saves and 16 holds, and he could have a similarly fluid high-leverage role this season.