Craig Kimbrel Fantasy Stats

Veteran free-agent reliever Craig Kimbrel is signing an undisclosed deal with the Houston Astros on Thursday and will be joining the major-league roster, a source tells Jeff Passan of ESPN. The Texas Rangers granted Kimbrel his release on Thursday, and it didn't take long for the 37-year-old veteran to find a new team to pitch for down the stretch in 2025. He has only thrown one innning in the big leagues this year with the Atlanta Braves, and there's no guarantee he'll stick around with the Astros through the end of the season. But with left-handed closer Josh Hader (shoulder) expected to miss the the rest of the regular season, the Astros are turning to a veteran with 440 career saves for some depth for their bullpen. At best, Kimbrel might be a late-inning arm for Houston, and Bryan Abreu remains the best bet for saves the rest of the way.

Veteran right-handed reliever Craig Kimbrel signed a minor-league deal with the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, a source tells The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. The Atlanta Braves recently recalled Kimbrel up from the minors but then designated him for assignment after just one appearance out of their bullpen. He elected free agency and has quickly latched on with another team. The 37-year-old will likely start at Triple-A Round Rock, but there's a good chance he'll find his way back to the big leagues before long in some sort of high-leverage setup role. Kimbrel held a nice 2.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, three saves, 23 strikeouts and nine walks in 18 relief innings with Double-A Columbus and Triple-A Gwinnett in the Braves organization. The nine-time All-Star has saved 440 games in his 16-year MLB career, but he faces an uphill battle to get back into fantasy relevance the rest of the 2025 season.

The Atlanta Braves announced on Saturday that they designated right-handed reliever Craig Kimbrel for assignment and recalled left-hander Austin Cox from the minors in a corresponding move. Well, that didn't last long. The Braves shook up their bullpen after a meltdown in Thursday's loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks and brought Kimbrel back to the big leagues. He made his first appearance with the Braves since the end of the 2014 regular season on Friday night and tossed a scoreless inning in the extra-inning loss to the San Francisco Giants. If Kimbrel passes through waivers, which is likely, he can either accept an outright assignment back to Triple-A Gwinnett or try to sign with another club as a free agent. The nine-time All-Star has 440 career saves in 15 big-league seasons, but his velocity has fallen considerably in recent years, and he's unlikely to get another extended high-leverage role.

After the Atlanta Braves' ninth-inning collapse in a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Thursday's series finale in which the bullpen gave up seven runs to lose in the ninth inning, the Braves are calling up veteran right-handed reliever Craig Kimbrel from Triple-A Gwinnett, sources tell The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. The 37-year-old Kimbrel returned to the Braves on a minor-league deal after spending the first five seasons of his career in Atlanta. In 15 relief appearances for the Stripers before his call-up, Kimbrel held a 2.45 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 17 strikeouts and eight walks in 14 2/3 frames. The nine-time All-Star and former National League Rookie of the Year has 440 career saves in 15 big-league seasons, but he's unlikely to unseat Raisel Iglesias as the Braves' closer. However, he could be used in a high-leverage relief role and pick up some holds as a late-inning setup man.

According to Justin Toscano, a beat writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Braves right-hander Craig Kimbrel was assigned to Double-A Columbus on Monday. The Braves had signed Kimbrel to a minor-league deal, and he has spent that time ramping up at the team's complex in Florida, but he has yet to face any hitters. The assignment to Double-A suggests that Kimbrel and the Braves are taking the next step, hoping he still has something left in the tank and will help the Braves' bullpen in 2025. The 36-year-old struggled with the Baltimore Orioles in 2024 with a 5.33 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP, but he is still considered a future Hall of Famer and respected by many in the baseball community. Fantasy managers can continue to monitor his progress, as Kimbrel could hold value as a high-leverage reliever for the Braves. Still, Raisel Iglesias will likely continue to get the save opportunities, if and when Kimbrel arrives.

The Atlanta Braves have signed relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel to a minor-league deal on Tuesday. The future Hall-of-Famer is back with the Braves after spending the first five seasons of his career with the organization. Since then, Kimbrel has bounced around quite a bit, but currently sits fifth all-time in saves. He's coming off a rough year with the Baltimore Orioles last season. He registered a 5.33 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, with 23 saves in 57 appearances with the O's in 2024. Kimbrel figures to pitch in a high-leverage spot behind Raisel Iglesias in Atlanta. He should see the occasional save chances, but probably won't offer reliable fantasy value while Iglesias is healthy.

The Baltimore Orioles announced on Tuesday that they released veteran right-handed reliever Craig Kimbrel after recently designating him for assignment. Kimbrel opened the 2024 season as the Orioles' closer and saved 23 games for the second straight season, but the nine-time All-Star also struggled to a 5.33 ERA (4.18 FIP) and a 1.36 WHIP with 73 strikeouts and 31 walks in 52 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. Since the All-Star break, he posted an 11.50 ERA (7.44 FIP) with 21 strikeouts and 17 walks in 18 innings over 19 appearances to convince the Orioles to move on. The 15-year MLB veteran is 36 years old and is nearing the end of his career, but he should be able to latch on with another organization for the 2025 campaign if he wants to continue pitching. At this point, though, it's unlikely that Kimbrel will be used as a primary closer if he continues his career.

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel has been designated for assignment, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Kimbrel has carried a rough 13.94 ERA, 2.23 WHIP, and a 9:12 BB:K ratio since August 11 and has taken two losses during this period. In addition, he has not recorded a save since July 7 after tallying 23 through most of the first half. While he has still been able to generate strikeouts at an elite 31.5% rate, he has given up hard contact at a very high rate, with a 10.6% barrel rate and a 43.1% hard-hit rate. 29-year-old Seranthony Dominguez has established himself as the go-to option in the ninth inning in Baltimore, as he has tallied nine saves across his past 12 1/3 frames of work. Kimbrel will now be a free agent and could eventually find a new home on a team looking to add a veteran piece to their bullpen.

Baltimore Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel had a rough outing on Thursday, coughing up a 6-3 lead in the ninth inning against the Miami Marlins. Kimbrel gave up three runs (one earned) on two walks and two hits. To be fair to him, he probably should've been in a better situation, as Gunnar Henderson bobbled a routine grounder that would've led to the Marlins having two outs instead of one. Still, Kimbrel didn't have his control today, something that has popped up a few times this season. He now has two blown saves in his last three outings, and with the Orioles being a top contender, one has to wonder if they fully trust the veteran in the closer role when he has been streaky this season. There shouldn't be any worries yet for fantasy managers, but a few more bad outings might raise some red flags.

Baltimore Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel blew his fifth save of the season on Sunday against the division-rival New York Yankees but was bailed out and picked up his sixth win of the year in the team's 6-5 victory. Kimbrel allowed three earned runs on just one hit (a homer) while walking two and striking out one in an inning of work in the rough outing. All the damage came on a three-run homer off the bat of rookie Ben Rice after Kimbrel had walked a pair of hitters. The 36-year-old nine-time All-Star has had moments of frustration in 2024 in his first year in Baltimore, but overall he's been solid for the O's and will take a 6-2 record, 2.80 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 23 saves and a 53:16 K:BB into the All-Star break in 35 1/3 total innings. Although his walk rate of 11.4% isn't ideal, he's also sporting a 37.6% strikeout rate, his highest mark since 2021.