Craig

Kimbrel

Kimbrel will rejoin the pen after missing time with a strained right wrist. He pitched a scoreless inning in his only appearance for the Rays before going on the injured list.

The 38-year-old right-hander threw a bullpen session on Saturday and noted that everything felt good. He’s expected to face live hitters for the first time in the coming days and may not require a minor league rehab assignment before rejoining the Rays’ bullpen.

Kimbrel made just one appearance with the Rays, striking out a pair of batters in a scoreless inning of work, before being shelved with a wrist injury. He’ll miss at least a couple of weeks. Trevor Martin was recalled from Triple-A Durham to take his place in the Rays’ bullpen.

It’s a major league contract and Kimbrel will be available to pitch tonight. This move comes with little fantasy value at the moment as Kimbrel has mostly been used as a mop-up reliever for the Mets this year. It’s possible the Rays could squeeze some magic out of him that the Mets couldn’t, though.

Kimbrel reportedly will be available to pitch tonight for the Rays. Kimbrel allowed 12 runs in 15 innings of the work with the Mets, walking six in 15 innings. The well-traveled Kimbrel has pitched for eight teams since the start of the 2021 season, and when he dons a Rays jersey, that’ll make it nine.

Kimbrel will presumably stick around as emergency organizational relief depth with the Mets after passing through waivers unclaimed. The 37-year-old tossed 2 2/3 innings during his final appearance for New York last week. He wound up allowing 12 runs — 10 earned — with a 15/6 K/BB ratio across 15 innings of work over 14 appearances.

Jonah Tong was recalled from Triple-A as the corresponding move. Newsday’s Laura Albanese notes that Kimbrel logged a career-high 2 2/3 innings on Tuesday, finishing his Mets tenure with a clean 6.00 ERA over 15 frames. Set to turn 38 next week, Kimbrel sits at 440 career saves, which ranks fifth all-time.

The 37-year-old hurler took over in a 2-2 ballgame in the bottom of the eighth inning, giving up singles to TJ Rumfield and Troy Johnston before issuing a walk to Willi Castro to load the bases. He then served up a grand slam to Jake McCarthy that blew the game completely open and sunk the Mets’ hopes. He now holds a miserable 7.56 ERA over 8 1/3 innings in nine appearances with the Mets this season.

The move is now official. Kimbrel was in Mets camp as a non-roster invitee this spring and will arrive in New York prior to Saturday’s game against the Athletics after spending a couple weeks in the minors. The 37-year-old veteran figures to pitch in middle relief situation considering his days as a flame-throwing closer are long gone. He made 14 appearances between the Braves and Astros last year. His last big-league save, the 440th of his career, came with the Orioles back in 2024.

It’s challenging to forecast Kimbrel making a significant impact for New York since the long-time former closer is throwing in the low-90’s these days. The 37-year-old veteran has achieved journeyman status the past couple years, bouncing around between several organizations. He made 14 appearances between the Braves and Astros last year. His last big-league save, the 440th of his career, came with the Orioles back in 2024.