MLB Player News
Top 300 Rankings
Videos
Columns
- American League East
- American League Central
- American League West
- National League East
- National League Central
- National League West
- American League East
  
  Baltimore Orioles
  
  Boston Red Sox
  
  New York Yankees
  
  Tampa Bay Rays
  
  Toronto Blue Jays
- American League Central
  
  Chicago White Sox
  
  Cleveland Guardians
  
  Detroit Tigers
  
  Kansas City Royals
  
  Minnesota Twins
- American League West
  
  Houston Astros
  
  Los Angeles Angels
  
  Athletics
  
  Seattle Mariners
  
  Texas Rangers
- National League East
  
  Atlanta Braves
  
  Miami Marlins
  
  New York Mets
  
  Philadelphia Phillies
  
  Washington Nationals
- National League Central
  
  Chicago Cubs
  
  Cincinnati Reds
  
  Milwaukee Brewers
  
  Pittsburgh Pirates
  
  St. Louis Cardinals
- National League West
  
  Arizona Diamondbacks
  
  Colorado Rockies
  
  Los Angeles Dodgers
  
  San Diego Padres
  
  San Francisco Giants
Stats

Craig Kimbrel picks up first save with Royals

New York Mets photo day

Craig Kimbrel

KC Relief Pitcher #46

Player Stats

Craig Kimbrel tossed a scoreless ninth inning and got the save against the Tigers on Saturday.

Kimbrel’s save was his first of the year and first with the Royals. Kansas City is the ninth franchise that Kimbrel has recorded a save with. He struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning to slam the door on the Tigers Saturday. Steven Cruz pitched in two of the last three games, which likely made him unavailable. Regardless of Cruz’ availability, Kimbrel has 441 saves in his career. He’s certainly in the mix for saves along with Cruz, who has five saves in his career, all coming this year with the Royals.

Recap

More Craig Kimbrel News

D-backs 'know they have a chance' to make playoffs

The Diamondbacks displayed a level of "fight" that could prove to be their path to the postseason as one of the NL's Wild Card teams, while the Reds look to stay afloat after a tough series loss.

Up Next

D-backs ‘know they have a chance’ to make playoffs

HLs: D-backs come back to down Reds, take series

Carroll praises bottom of Diamondbacks’ lineup

BOS maintains grip on Wild Card spot after sweep

Rafaela details two-strike approach at the plate

Highlights: Red Sox stay hot with sweep of Giants

Vargas gives Diamondbacks the lead with triple

D-backs’ Carroll laces 16th triple of the year

Koss hits little league home run in wild sequence

Stewart drives in De La Cruz to put Reds up early

Related Player News

Steven Cruz

KC Relief Pitcher #64

Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players

Steven Cruz allowed two hits and two runs in an inning of work on Wednesday against the Athletics.

The good news is that the Royals opted to use Cruz with a four-run lead in the ninth inning. Given that he’s earned four of the team’s last five saves, it feels like he has a strong hold on the closer’s role. Yet, Max Muncy hit a long two-run homer off him in this ninth inning to make his night a bit more stressful than it needed to be.
Steven Cruz

KC Relief Pitcher #64

Steven Cruz tossed a scoreless ninth inning and picked up the save against the Athletics on Monday.

Cruz’ save was his fifth of the season. Don’t look now, but it appears Cruz has wrestled away the closer’s job from Alex Lange for the time being. Cruz has three saves so far in August and should be rostered in most leagues.
Nate Pearson

KC Starting Pitcher #61

Nate Pearson took a loss to the Angels after giving up a run while working the eighth in a tie game Saturday.

Craig Kimbrel, on the other hand, got four outs between the sixth and seventh to keep the game scoreless. For one night anyway, that’s advantage Kimbrel in the Royals’ closer battle. Steven Cruz, who is still probably the favorite for saves at this point, didn’t work tonight after picking up a save Friday.
Steven Cruz

KC Relief Pitcher #64

Steven Cruz slammed the door on the Angels in the ninth inning on Friday night, protecting a one-run lead to earn his fourth save of the season.

Cruz came on with a one-run lead to protect in the ninth and made things interesting by allowing a one-out single to Jose Siri. Not to worry though, as he battled back to get Wade Meckler to ground into a fielder’s choice before retiring Mike Trout on strikes to end it. He appears to have supplanted Alex Lange as the team’s preferred option in the ninth inning and should probably be rostered in all mixed leagues at this stage.
Craig Kimbrel

KC Relief Pitcher #46

Royals signed RHP Craig Kimbrel to a one-year contract.

The deal is now official. Kimbrel joins Kansas City’s bullpen prior to Monday’s series opener against the Dodgers after posting a pedestrian 4.81 ERA across 33 2/3 innings of work between the Rays and Mets earlier this season. The 38-year-old former elite closer has totaled 440 saves dating back to 2010, which is the fifth-most in baseball history. He’ll add another chapter to his late-career journeyman odyssey with the Royals.
Craig Kimbrel

FA Relief Pitcher #46

Craig Kimbrel is signing a major league deal with the Royals, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman

There might be a chance for Kimbrel to add to his career total of 440 saves in Kansas City. They don’t really have anyone else for the ninth right now. Kimbrel was just let go by the Rays after posting a 3.86 ERA in 18 2/3 innings for the club. He also had a 6.00 ERA in 15 innings for the Mets earlier this season.
Craig Kimbrel

FA Relief Pitcher #46

Craig Kimbrel has elected free agency.

The 38-year-old right-hander was designated for assignment by the Rays on Sunday to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for Freddy Peralta. Kimbrel then passed through waivers unclaimed and refused an outright assignment to Triple-A Durham. He’s now free to explore opportunities elsewhere.
Steven Cruz

KC Relief Pitcher #64

Steven Cruz struck out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning to secure the save against the Twins on Wednesday.

There were some long at-bats, but Cruz managed to work a clean ninth inning for his third save of the season. All three of those saves have come in the last two weeks and he seems to have unseated Alex Lange for closing duties in Kansas City. Cruz seems up for the task with a 100 mph fastball and cutter that has some serious bite to it.
Craig Kimbrel

TB Relief Pitcher #46

The Rays plan to designate Craig Kimbrel for assignment.

It will open a spot on the 40-man and active roster for Freddy Peralta. The former All-Star closer has pitched decently with Tampa Bay with a 3.96 ERA over 19 appearances, but unfortunately he’s now a very expendable part of a roster. if he goes unclaimed or untraded, he can elect free agency or report to Triple-A.
Steven Cruz

KC Relief Pitcher #64

Steven Cruz tossed a scoreless ninth inning and got the save against the Tigers on Sunday.

Cruz’s ERA is 4.62, which isn’t great. Matt Strahm (6.75), Lucas Erceg (5.26) and Alex Lange (6.00) do make it look better by comparison. Lange got the save on Saturday. Cruz struck out two batters Sunday, including winning a battle with Riley Greene to end the game. Cruz has a legitimate claim to being the best closing option for the Royals and at worst he should be considered next in line behind Lange.

Rotoworld

Bryce Eldridge

SF Designated Hitter #8
Player Stats

Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players

Link copied to clipboard!

Bryce Eldridge will miss the series against the Reds starting Monday in order to attend his grandfather’s funeral.

Eldridge should be back in time for the start of a series against the D-backs on Thursday. Shay Whitcomb or Nate Furman could be called up to help fill in until then.
- Matthew Pouliot

Source: Shayna Rubin

More Bryce Eldridge News
Ildemaro Vargas

AZ 1st Baseman #6
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Ildemaro doubled and tripled while driving in two runs to help the Diamondbacks to a 5-3 win over the Reds on Sunday.

Triples are easier to come by in Arizona than other parks, but it’s still pretty impressive that Vargas now has five of them in 375 at-bats at the age of 36. The veteran infielder has put together easily his best season of his career with an OPS of .714 and an RBI total of 65 that doubles any previous campaign.
- Christopher Crawford

Recap

More Ildemaro Vargas News
Kevin Ginkel

AZ Relief Pitcher #37
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Kevin Ginkel got the final out to pick up a save against the Reds on Sunday.

Brandyn Garcia was given the first crack at the save, but after Garcia gave up a single and another runner reached via error, the Diamondbacks turned to Ginkel to get the final out, and he did just that. It’s just the second save for Ginkel, and it’s probably one of the last.
- Christopher Crawford

Recap

More Kevin Ginkel News
Andrew Abbott

CIN Starting Pitcher #41
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Andrew Abbott allowed four runs in six innings while picking up a loss Sunday against the Diamondbacks.

The boxscore here is a little misleading, at least in terms of how well Abbott pitched for most of the game. He blanked the D-backs for the first five innings, and gave up just a sac fly in the sixth. Unfortunately, the seventh was a disaster that saw Abbott charged for three runs without getting an out. The line is what the line is, but this was more encouraging than you might think if you just saw the stats. He’ll face the Cubs next weekend and take a 4.15 ERA into that outing.
- Christopher Crawford

Recap

More Andrew Abbott News
Mitch Bratt

AZ Starting Pitcher #60
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Mitch Bratt allowed three runs in three innings but did not qualify for a decision Sunday against the Reds.

Bratt looked like he was going to pick up a loss Sunday, but the Diamondbacks were able to score five unanswered to prevent that from happening. Another mediocre — at best — outing wasn’t prevented, however, and that’s the second straight outing that Bratt has gone three innings and given up as many runs. He has a friendly matchup on paper next weekend against the Giants, but he’s pretty hard to trust in redraft leagues right now.
- Christopher Crawford

Recap

More Mitch Bratt News
Brooks Lee

MIN 3rd Baseman #22
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Brooks Lee hit a solo homer in a loss to the Padres on Sunday.

Lee was responsible for the only run for the Twins as Minnesota was swept by San Diego over the weekend. The 25-year-old is now up to 21 homers on the season with 69 RBI and a relatively-solid .735 OPS.
- Christopher Crawford

Recap

More Brooks Lee News
Fernando Tatis Jr.

SD Right Fielder #23
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Fernando Tatis Jr. homered twice while going 4-for-5 and stealing a base in an 8-1 rout of the Twins on Sunday.

A monster game for Tatis, who also singled twice and drove in four runs in the blowout victory. After struggling — struggling is an understatement — to get the power going, the 27-year-old now has 17 homers on the season, and nine of those have come in August. The steal was his 29th, and Tatis now has an OPS of .814 on the year. These are all impressive numbers, but more impressive when you remember his scuffles to begin 2026.
- Christopher Crawford

Recap

More Fernando Tatis Jr. News
Walker Buehler

SD Starting Pitcher #10
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Walker Buehler went six innings and allowed just one run to get a win over the Twins on Sunday.

Buehler has now gone three-straight outings with six innings, and appears to be getting hot at the right time. The right-hander allowed just a solo homer to Brooks Lee, and outside of that was outstanding while limiting Minnesota to four hits and whiffing four without issuing a walk. Because Buehler no longer has elite stuff there’s as much risk as there is reward when being used, but it wouldn’t be crazy to ride the hot hand when he faces the Rays in Tampa Bay next weekend.
- Christopher Crawford

Recap

More Walker Buehler News
Bailey Ober

MIN Starting Pitcher #17
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Bailey Ober allowed just one run in five innings while not factoring in the decision Sunday against the Padres.

Ober did his job. The Twins’ bullpen did not, giving up seven runs after he exited the game. His only blemish in run prevention was a solo homer from Fernando Tatis Jr. — one of two that Tatis hit in the game — and he gave up just three singles outside of that roundtripper. Ober will take a 4.49 ERA on the year into a scheduled start next weekend against the White Sox.
- Christopher Crawford

Recap

More Bailey Ober News
Pete Crow-Armstrong

CHC Center Fielder #4
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Pete Crow-Armstrong homered and went 2-for-4 with three RBI in a blowout of the Mariners on Sunday.

The homer gives Crow-Armstrong 33 on the season, and nine of those have come in his torrid August. The 24-year-old MVP candidate also singled and walked while scoring a second run. A remarkable season for Crow-Armstrong that has shown that 2025 wasn’t just not a fluke, but a mere appetizer of what he’s capable of.
- Christopher Crawford

Recap

More Pete Crow-Armstrong News