Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes was sent out on a rehab assignment to Double-A Portland on Wednesday. He pitched the first inning of Wednesday's game and was happy with the results. Speaking to the media after the game, Barnes said, "That is the best that I've felt in probably a month." He also added, "I had a good fastball down and away, good breaking ball, I was able to bounce one when I needed to." Barnes has been out since August 29 after testing positive for COVID-19. He is expected to be activated by the team on Friday, at which point he will likely take on a setup role in front of the team's current closer Adam Ottavino.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes is set to make a rehab appearance at Double-A Portland on Wednesday. Assuming the appearance goes well, he is expected to be activated from the COVID-19 related injured list this weekend. Barnes tested positive for COVID-19 on August 30 and he has been following league protocols ever since. The 31-year-old right-hander was the team's primary closer for much of the season before faltering to the tune of a 13.50 ERA in August. Adam Ottavino has taken over as the team's closer and should remain in that role upon Barnes' return.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes (COVID) was placed on the COVID-19 injured list, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported on Monday. Barnes is the fourth Red Sox player to be sidelined in less than a week, joining Christina Arroyo, Kike Hernandez, and Martin Perez. While a stint on the IL isn't ideal for a depleted Boston team, the time off might do Barnes some good given he has struggled so much late in the season he has lost the closing job. The 31-year-old righty registered a whopping 14.54 ERA over his last seven outings, allowing 10 hits and seven earned runs over just 4 1/3 innings.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes added fuel to his dumpster fire of a month Tuesday, failing to record an out in the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins. Barnes came on with a three-run lead, but was pulled after yielding a solo home run and two consecutive walks. Hansel Robles managed to close the door without either of those runners scoring. With an 18.69 ERA and 3.46 WHIP over his last seven games, Barnes is at the low point of his season. He almost certainly won't receive the next opportunity, and Robles and Adam Ottavino are the leading candidates to step in.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes was as automatic as any closer in the majors for the first half of the season, but that seems like a very long time ago now. Barnes blew his sixth save of the season against the Texas Rangers Monday, giving up two runs on four hits while recording just one out. Barnes now has two blown saves and three losses in August, and he's recorded an 18.69 ERA over his last seven games. Fantasy managers simply cannot have Barnes active at this point, and Boston may need to make a change at closer if he can't get things in order quickly.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes will get a couple of days off, manager Alex Cora told the press on Wednesday. The 33-year-old closer capped off a tough stretch of games by taking the loss on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing four runs on two hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Cora said he doesn't expect Barnes to be out for long or for him to lose the closing job, so fantasy managers should consider benching him until he gets back on track.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes took the loss Tuesday, yielding four runs on two hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning against the Tampa Bay Rays. He struck out two batters. This was another rough one for Barnes, who's going through a tough stretch lately. He now has a 12.60 ERA over his last seven games and five innings with three saves and three losses. There may be some fatigue involved here, as Barnes has thrown in four games over his last four days. Fantasy managers should keep him rostered, as he's not in danger of losing his job, but could opt to bench him until he gets back on track.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes blew his fifth save of the year Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays, yielding two runs on one hit and a walk while striking out one in a third of an inning. It wasn't a banner day for Barnes, who blew a save on his second consecutive day, though he's now pitched in three consecutive games over those same two days, so there may have been some amount of fatigue involved. Barnes seems likely to regain his form going forward, and it isn't expected that fantasy managers have too many better options available to them at this point.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes pitched in both ends of Saturday's doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays, and had very different results each time. In the first game, Barnes took the blown save, allowing a walk-off home run to the first batter he faced, Marcus Semien. In the nightcap, Barnes managed to escape with a scoreless seventh inning, striking out one batter along the way before Adam Ottavino saved the game in the 10th. It's clear from his usage that Barnes remains a highly trusted member of the Boston pen, and he should continue to return strong value once the Red Sox start picking up some more wins.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes locked down his 24th save of the year Wednesday evening, setting down the Detroit Tigers he faced one-two-three. He recorded two strikeouts in the outing. He now has secured 24 of his 28 save opportunities, with a 2.25 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP, and 68 strikeouts in 44 innings. That's a superlative season, and fantasy managers simply couldn't ask for much more.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes tested negative for COVID-19 Tuesday evening, and he is expected to be activated from the COVID list in advance of Wednesday's game against the Detroit Tigers. Barnes had been placed on the list Tuesday due to symptoms consistent with the virus, though he never returned a positive test. His fantasy managers will breathe a sigh of relief that his services will be available going forward, as he's delivered an outstanding season thus far.

Boston Red Sox closer Matt Barnes was placed on the COVID-19 injured list on Tuesday. While he hasn't tested positive for COVID-19, he has been battling symptoms of a non-COVID-related illness. There's a good amount of speculation from various Red Sox beat writers that Barnes' stint on the COVID-19 injured list won't be long. Barnes has had a great year as Boston's closer, converting 23 of his 27 save opportunities. Adam Ottavino is the most likely candidate for saves while Barnes is out, though Hansel Robles, who was just acquired from the Minnesota Twins, could also be a candidate.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Judge went from being a late scratch to hitting a tiebreaking single in a two-run 10th inning to help the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays for the second straight day, 3-1 on Wednesday night. Judge was taken out of the lineup about 30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Although no announcement was made about why, the All-Star right fielder struck out in the fifth pinch-hitting for Estevan Florial. Judge returned to the team Tuesday after going on the COVID-19 injured list July 16. New York also had a big night off the field. The Yankees reached a deal to get All-Star slugger Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers, a person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not yet been announced and was subject to approval of medical records of the players involved. Greg Allen was hit by a pitch from Pete Fairbanks (3-4) leading off the 10th, putting runners on first and second. Judge... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Judge went from being a late scratch to hitting a tiebreaking single in a two-run 10th inning to help the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays for the second straight day, 3-1 on Wednesday night. Judge was taken out of the lineup about 30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Although no announcement was made about why, the All-Star right fielder struck out in the fifth pinch-hitting for Estevan Florial. Judge returned to the team Tuesday after going on the COVID-19 injured list July 16. New York also had a big night off the field. The Yankees reached a deal to get All-Star slugger Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers, a person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not yet been announced and was subject to approval of medical records of the players involved. Greg Allen was hit by a pitch from Pete Fairbanks (3-4) leading off the 10th, putting runners on first and second. Judge... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Judge went from being a late scratch to hitting a tiebreaking single in a two-run 10th inning to help the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays for the second straight day, 3-1 on Wednesday night. Judge was taken out of the lineup about 30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Although no announcement was made about why, the All-Star right fielder struck out in the fifth pinch-hitting for Estevan Florial. Judge returned to the team Tuesday after going on the COVID-19 injured list July 16. New York also had a big night off the field. The Yankees reached a deal to get All-Star slugger Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers, a person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not yet been announced and was subject to approval of medical records of the players involved. Greg Allen was hit by a pitch from Pete Fairbanks (3-4) leading off the 10th, putting runners on first and second. Judge... [More]

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes recorded his 23rd save of the year in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays. He struck out one batter and did not allow a baserunner. Barnes now has seven consecutive scoreless outings. With a 2.30 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts in 43 innings, he's been outstanding this year and a bargain for fantasy managers. The only acquisition that could displace him from his closer role is Craig Kimbrel, but even in such an event he would maintain some value.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Judge went from being a late scratch to hitting a tiebreaking single in a two-run 10th inning to help the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays for the second straight day, 3-1 on Wednesday night. Judge was taken out of the lineup about 30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Although no announcement was made about why, the All-Star right fielder struck out in the fifth pinch-hitting for Estevan Florial. Judge returned to the team Tuesday after going on the COVID-19 injured list July 16. New York also had a big night off the field. The Yankees reached a deal to get All-Star slugger Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers, a person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not yet been announced and was subject to approval of medical records of the players involved. Greg Allen was hit by a pitch from Pete Fairbanks (3-4) leading off the 10th, putting runners on first and second. Judge... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Franmil Reyes homered twice, the first a second-inning blast that bounced out of Progressive Field and almost dinged a bicyclist pedaling on a street, and the Cleveland Indians beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-2 on Wednesday. Reyes’ leadoff homer in the second glanced off the pedestrian bridge in left field and landed on the plaza area between the ballpark and Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The ball traveled an estimated 446 feet. Reyes wasn’t done. He finished off Cleveland’s three-homer inning in the third with his 19th of the season, a 421-foot drive to center. César Hernández and José Ramírez also homered in the inning for Cleveland. Kwang Hyun Kim (6-6) gave up all four homers and lost for the first time since June 20. Zach Plesac (6-3) gave up two runs in five innings. Dylan Carlson homered for St. Louis. BLUE JAYS 4, RED SOX 1, 1ST GAME RED SOX 4, BLUE JAYS 1, 2ND GAME BOSTON (AP) — Rookie starter Tanner Houck struck out seven over four innings and Boston beat Toronto... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Franmil Reyes homered twice, the first a second-inning blast that bounced out of Progressive Field and almost dinged a bicyclist pedaling on a street, and the Cleveland Indians beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-2 on Wednesday. Reyes’ leadoff homer in the second glanced off the pedestrian bridge in left field and landed on the plaza area between the ballpark and Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The ball traveled an estimated 446 feet. Reyes wasn’t done. He finished off Cleveland’s three-homer inning in the third with his 19th of the season, a 421-foot drive to center. César Hernández and José Ramírez also homered in the inning for Cleveland. Kwang Hyun Kim (6-6) gave up all four homers and lost for the first time since June 20. Zach Plesac (6-3) gave up two runs in five innings. Dylan Carlson homered for St. Louis. BLUE JAYS 4, RED SOX 1, 1ST GAME RED SOX 4, BLUE JAYS 1, 2ND GAME BOSTON (AP) — Rookie starter Tanner Houck struck out seven over four innings and Boston beat Toronto... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Verdugo hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning and the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox rallied late for the second straight game, beating Toronto 5-4 on Monday night in the opener of an important series for the Blue Jays. Boston star Rafael Devers added a solo homer on the four-year anniversary of his first major-league shot. Bo Bichette hit a two-run homer for fourth-place Toronto, which fell to 10½ games behind in the East. Adam Ottavino (3-3) worked a scoreless inning for the win. Matt Barnes got the final three outs for his 22nd save. Toronto starter Thomas Hatch made just his second big-league start after being sidelined with a shoulder impingement since spring training. The 26-year-old right-hander gave up three runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Trevor Richards (1-1) took the loss. ANGELS 6, ROCKIES 2 ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani pitched seven strong innings and hit an early RBI single as Los Angeles beat Colorado. Ohtani (5-1) gave up one run and five... [More]