Belisle (knee) was activated from the 10-day DL on Friday.
Belisle has missed the last 22 games due to right knee chondromalacia. He's been terrible since he joined the Twins with a 9.15 ERA in 19.2 IP. The Twins are likely keeping him on the roster to mentor several younger players in the bullpen.
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Twins' Matt Belisle: Tosses another live BP session
Rotowire
Belisle (knee) threw another live batting practice session, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Belisle said everything went well during his third live BP session. The reliever, who has been out since Aug. 7 with sore cartilage in his knee, is on track to be activated in early September.
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Twins' Matt Belisle: Throws live batting practice
Rotowire
Belisle (knee) threw live batting practice Saturday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Belisle has been out since Aug. 7 with sore cartilage in his right knee. His return date is not yet clear, but he appears to be making progress in his recovery.
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Twins' Matt Belisle: Heads to disabled list
Rotowire
Belisle was placed on the 10-day disabled list with right knee chondromalacia (sore cartilage) Tuesday.
It's unclear how much time the issue will cause Belisle to miss. In a corresponding move, Matt Magill was reinstated from the paternity list.
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Twins' Matt Belisle: Signs with Twins
Rotowire
Belisle signed a major-league contract with the Twins on Tuesday.
It's somewhat of a surprise that Belisle was able to land a major-league deal, as he's 38 years old and posted a 5.06 ERA with a paltry 9.1 percent strikeout rate in 10.2 innings before being released by Cleveland. He'll head back to Minnesota, where he tossed 60.1 innings with a 4.03 ERA last season. He picked up nine saves for the Twins late in the year after closer Brandon Kintzler was traded, but it would be surprising to see him in a high-leverage role right away upon arrival.
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Matt Belisle: Leaves Cleveland again
Rotowire
Belisle was released by Cleveland on Monday in order pursue another pro opportunity.
Belisle became a free agent in early May after declining an outright assignment to Triple-A, though he signed back with the Indians eight days later. He's now been released again in order to take a job elsewhere. What exactly that job is has not yet become clear. The 38-year-old has a mediocre 4.20 ERA over 15 big-league seasons.
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Indians' Matt Belisle: Re-signs with Cleveland
Rotowire
Belisle agreed to a minor-league deal with the Indians on Wednesday.
Belisle will report to Triple-A Columbus. He was recently designated for assignment by the organization, but refused an outright assignment to the minors and became a free agent just over a week ago. Over eight appearances with the big-league club in 2018, the right-hander logged a 5.06 ERA and four strikeouts in 10.2 innings of relief.
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Matt Belisle: Heads to free agency
Rotowire
Belisle became a free agent after declining his outright assignment to Triple-A on Tuesday.
Belisle was designated for assignment Wednesday after producing a 5.06 ERA in 10.2 innings for Cleveland to start the season. His vast big-league experience should help him land a minor-league deal.
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Indians' Matt Belisle: Designated for assignment
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Belisle was designated for assignment by Cleveland on Wednesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Belisle appeared in eight games for the Indians during the first month of the 2018 season, accumulating a 5.06 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with a 4:1 K:BB over 10.2 innings of relief. The 38-year-old will be subjected to waivers, though he will report to Triple-A Columbus if he goes unclaimed by another organization. In a corresponding move, Cleveland recalled Ben Taylor from the Clippers.
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Indians' Matt Belisle: Earns spot on Opening Day roster
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Belisle earned a roster spot in the Indians' bullpen, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.
Belisle signed a minor-league deal with the club last month and was able to impress the organization throughout spring training, securing a low-leverage relief role to open the 2018 season. During 62 appearances with the Twins last year, he logged a 4.03 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with a 54:22 K:BB over 60.1 innings.
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Indians' Matt Belisle: Joins Indians on minor-league deal
Rotowire
Belisle agreed Sunday to a minor-league contract with the Indians, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com reports.
Belisle will have to settle for a minor-league deal this season after posting a 4.03 ERA and recording nine saves with the Twins in 2017. Per Heyman, the veteran reliever will earn $1.5 million if he reaches the majors in 2018 and would be eligible for further incentives. In a deep Tribe bullpen, it's difficult to envision Belisle finding fantasy relevance, even in most AL-only settings.
Twins' Matt Belisle: Strikes out pair for ninth save
Rotowire
Belisle struck out two in a perfect ninth inning for his ninth save Friday against Detroit.
Belisle has blown two saves in his 17 games as Twins closer since the Brandon Kintzler trade. A solid 17:3 K:BB supports his 2.70 ERA, and he has been solid enough in a new role for the Twins to trust him as closer as they head into the playoffs. With Minnesota clinching a postseason berth Friday night, it wouldn't be surprising if he rests the last two regular-season contests to stay fresh for the upcoming wild-card game.
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Twins' Matt Belisle: Notches save with clean inning
Rotowire
Belisle picked up his eighth save Tuesday by tossing a spotless ninth against the Indians.
Starter Bartolo Colon left the game after one inning with an illness, so this rapidly turned into a bullpen game, with Belisle the 10th pitcher deployed by manager Paul Molitor. A long-time middle-relief piece and occasional setup man, Belisle had just five saves in 13 seasons before 2017. However, he's been effective as the Twins' closer since the trade deadline, converting eight of 10 opportunities while allowing only five runs and 13 total baserunners in 16.2 innings. Belisle is set to close out the season with the ninth-inning role, but the 37-year-old righty probably won't carry it over to next year.
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Twins' Matt Belisle: Could be unavailable Friday
Rotowire
Manager Paul Molitor said it is "probably a good bet" that Belisle will be unavailable Friday, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Belisle threw 12 pitches Thursday after throwing 16 the day before, neither of which are extreme numbers. However, he did throw 1.2 innings Wednesday and blew a save Thursday, so it seems Molitor will avoid using him Friday if possible. Most of the Twins' top setup men also pitched both of the last two days, so there a number of ways Molitor could go if the Twins wind up in a save situation Friday night.
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Twins' Matt Belisle: Blows fourth save in win over Jays
Rotowire
Belisle allowed a solo home run to blow his fourth save of the season Thursday against Toronto.
The Twins ended up winning in extra innings to bail out their closer. Belisle has converted seven of nine save opportunities with a 3.29 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 11.2 K/9 through 13.2 innings since taking over the closer job. With the Twins fighting for a playoff berth, Belisle should have a few more chances to pad the saves column over the final weeks of the season.
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Twins' Matt Belisle: Grabs win in extra innings
Rotowire
Belisle (2-2) pitched 1.2 scoreless innings without allowing a baserunner and was credited with the victory in Wednesday's win over San Diego.
Dating back to securing his first save of the season Aug. 6, Belisle has been a valuable fantasy asset with two wins, seven saves, a 2.84 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 11.4 K/9. Those are strong numbers in all settings, and it helps his value that the Twins are making a strong push for a playoff berth.
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Twins' Matt Belisle: Notches seventh save against Royals
Rotowire
Belisle struck out two in a clean ninth inning Friday for his seventh save.
Belisle has a mediocre 4.36 ERA on the season, but he has performed admirably since taking over as closer in the wake of the Brandon Kintzler deal. He is now 7-for-8 in save opportunities with a 3.27 ERA and a nifty 16:3 K:BB over 11 innings, as he has stepped up just when the surging Twins needed him.
