As expected, the New York Mets have exercised left-handed reliever Brook Raley's $6.5 million option for the 2024 season instead of buying him out for $1.25 million and making him a free agent. It was a no-brainer move for the Mets after Raley posted a strong 2.80 ERA (3.68 FIP) and 1.26 WHIP with three saves, 25 walks and 61 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings over a career-high 66 appearances out of the bullpen in his first year in New York in 2023. The 35-year-old southpaw should once again be attractive in fantasy leagues that reward points for holds next year as he serves as a late-inning bridge to closer Edwin Diaz, who will be returning after missing all of 2023 due to a knee injury he suffered in the World Baseball Classic in the spring.

The New York Mets are expected to trade reliever Brooks Raley. According to 670 The Score's Bruce Levine, the Mets have made Raley available and it "looks like [they] will make this move." He has made 46 appearances this season, racking up an impressive 2.37 ERA, 10.18 K/9, and 7.1 HR/FB%. Levine mentions the Cubs as a possible landing spot for the 35-year-old southpaw.

New York Mets relief pitcher Brooks Raley earned his second save of the season on Thursday, closing out a 2-1 victory over the Washington Nationals. Raley allowed just a walk while striking out one in his inning of work. It is notable that he got the save tonight given the recent development of David Robertson being traded to the Miami Marlins. Manager Buck Showalter will likely use both Raley and Adam Ottavino in save situations depending on the matchup, with Raley getting lefty-heavy situations and Ottavino taking righties. Raley is worth a pickup in deeper leagues where saves are important.

New York Mets left-handed pitcher Brooks Raley tossed a clean inning to lock down his first save in a 2-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians in the second game of their Sunday back-to-backs. Interestingly, he also pitched in the first game and secured his 10th hold of the season. Adam Ottavino and David Robertson also both threw in game one, and also pitched Friday, which may have been the reason Raley was used in the second game over either of them. With his 3.52 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 10 holds, he is a useful option in saves plus holds leagues, as he appears to be one of Buck Showalter's go to options.

New York Mets left-hander Brooks Raley (elbow) threw an "impressive" simulated game last Wednesday at Citi Field and struck out three in one inning in a minor-league rehab appearance for Double-A Binghamton on Wednesday. Manager Buck Showalter said Raley is on track to return when he's eligible to come off the injured list on Saturday, May 13. Raley's placement on the 15-day injured list on April 29 was more of a maintenance issue than an actual injury, which is why the team never sent their only southpaw for an MRI exam. The 34-year-old has a 4.76 ERA over 11 1/3 innings this year, but he also has eight holds in 14 appearances out of the bullpen for the Mets. Raley is definitely useful in leagues that count holds.

New York Mets relief pitcher Brooks Raley (elbow) was placed on the 15-day IL with inflammation in his throwing elbow. Raley's stint will be back-dated to April 28. It's a tough blow for the Mets and fantasy managers that use Raley for holds will have to look elsewhere for the time being. He had racked up eight holds so far this season while registering a 4.76 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts to one walk over 11 1/3 innings.

With New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz (knee) potentially suffering a season-ending right knee injury in the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday night, relievers David Robertson and Brooks Raley will likely become the team's primary options in save situations. Raley returned from the WBC with a hamstring injury, but the Mets expect him to be ready for Opening Day or shortly thereafter. New York could also choose to sign another left-hander such as Zack Britton after scouting him in February. Robertson saved 20 games for the Cubs and Phillies last year and has 157 career saves over 14 big-league seasons, so he seems like the logical favorite for the majority of save chances if Diaz is out for a significant period of time.

New York Mets relief pitcher Brooks Raley (hamstring) should be ready for Opening Day, according to manager Buck Showalter. The left-hander recently dropped out of the World Baseball Classic due to a low-grade left hamstring strain. The organization doesn't seem too concerned and believes he could return as early as Tuesday. It sounds like Raley has avoided serious injury, which is great news. He should be good to go by the end of March at the latest, assuming he doesn't suffer any setbacks. Raley isn't likely to have much fantasy value as a middle reliever.

New York Mets relief pitcher Brooks Raley (undisclosed) has dropped out of this year's World Baseball Classic For Team USA due to an undisclosed injury. Los Angeles Angels reliever Aaron Loup will replace him on the roster. It remains to be seen what Raley's exact injury is or whether it puts him in danger of missing Opening Day later this month, but we should have updates soon. The 34-year-old left-hander comes to the Mets in 2023 after posting a career-best 2.68 ERA (2.74 FIP), 0.97 WHIP, career-high six saves, 22 holds and 61 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings over 60 relief appearances in 2022 for the Tampa Bay Rays. He's set to serve in a middle-relief role for the Mets, so saves probably won't be there, but despite not throwing hard, Raley induces a lot of weak contact.

The New York Mets have reportedly acquired relief pitcher Brooks Raley from the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, according to a tweet from The New York Post's Jon Heyman. Heyman tweeted on Wednesday: "Mets acquire Brooks Raley from the Rays for Keyshawn Askew." Raley made 60 appearances for the Rays last season, logging 53 2/3 innings and posting a 2.68 ERA and a 2.74 FIP. He also turned in six saves, six holds and a win while striking out 61 batters and walking just 15 hitters. He'll give the Mets another late-inning, high-leverage option in manager Buck Showalter's bullpen.

The Tampa Bay Rays reinstated left-handed reliever Brooks Raley from the restricted list on Friday and optioned right-hander Kevin Herget to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. Raley was unable to pitch this week in Toronto against the Blue Jays because of his vaccination status, but he'll be back in the Rays' bullpen this weekend for a three-game series against the Texas Rangers. The 34-year-old southpaw has been excellent for Tampa this year, posting a 2.03 ERA (2.04 FIP), a 0.90 WHIP, six saves and 58 strikeouts in 48 2/3 relief innings. He has 10 holds and a 0.92 ERA in 19 outings since the All-Star break. Fantasy managers need to get him back into their lineups in holds leagues.

The Tampa Bay Rays placed relievers Brooks Raley and Ryan Thompson on the restricted list on Thursday, and they will not be joining the team in Toronto for a five-game series this weekend due to Canada's COVID vaccination requirement. The Rays bullpen will be a bit short-handed this weekend against the Blue Jays. The left-handed Raley has been great for Tampa so far this year in 24 1/3 innings pitched, picking up four saves while allowing six earned runs on 14 hits while striking out 32 and walking only eight in 27 relief appearances. Thompson hasn't been nearly as good, posting a 5.33 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 22 K's, three saves and 10 walks in 25 1/3 innings pitched.

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Brooks Raley fired a scoreless ninth inning during Sunday's victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He retired the first two batters before issuing a two out walk to Jack Suwinski. The 33-year-old recorded the next out and picked up his fourth save of the season. The Rays are expected to continue going closer by committee, which means Raley will be in the mix for saves. However, it's uncertain when his chances will come, so it's tough to count on him as a fantasy option.

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Brooks Raley closed out the team's 4-2, 10-inning victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. He pitched a scoreless 10th inning, allowing no hits and one walk while striking out one. The 33-year-old is now 3-for-3 in save opportunities on the year and he has a 1.80 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP. While fellow reliever Andrew Kittredge leads the team with four saves, he has been struggling lately and Raley has earned each of the team's last two saves. Kittredge was charged with a blown save in Wednesday's game, though he pitched in the eighth inning, allowing two earned runs over a 2/3 of an inning. The Rays are notorious for shuffling up their ninth inning options and this season may just be more of the same. Both players should be rostered in leagues where saves are highly-coveted, but the situation may be frustrating all year.

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Brooks Raley got the call in the ninth inning to seal the club's 4-1 lead over the Mariners, and he did just that to collect his second save of the season. The left-hander needed just 12 pitches to retire the side in order as he picked up one strikeout in the process to give him 10 punchouts on the year through seven innings. Raley is now tied with Ryan Thompson for second on the team in saves behind Andrew Kittredge's four as the closing carousel seems to be turning between these three arms in the first month of the season. Kittredge remains the favorite to finish the year with the most saves, making Raley a player to keep on watchlists for now.

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Brooks Raley was asked to save the day on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles. Andrew Kittredge is expected to be the favorite for saves, but ended up pitching the eighth in this one. J.P. Feyereisen replaced Kittredge in the ninth, but didn't last too long. He recorded two outs, but was pulled after allowing a runner to reach base. Manager Kevin Cash then went to Raley with two outs in the ninth and he closed the door. It was his fourth career save, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect many more on the horizon. The Rays are likely to mix and match in the ninth inning.

The Tampa Bay Rays signed left-hander Brooks Raley to a two-year deal worth $10 million on Monday. The deal includes an option for a third season. Raley will give the Rays a much-needed left-handed bullpen arm after the team parted ways with Ryan Sherriff, Cody Reed, Adam Conley and Dietrich Enns in the last month. Raley had a 4.78 ERA but struck out 65 hitters and walked only 16 in 49 innings over 58 appearances for the Houston Astros last year, and he also had two saves. The southpaw had just a 21.5% hard-hit percentage, and left-handed hitters batted only .195/.262/.221 with 35 strikeouts, four walks and two extra-base hits in 85 plate appearances against him. The 33-year-old doesn't throw hard, but he finished with scoreless outings in 11 of his last 12 outings of the season and had a 1.93 ERA in 21 games after July 28.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Astros left-handed reliever Brooks Raley was suspended for three games and fined Friday by Major League Baseball for intentionally throwing at and hitting Seattle's J.P. Crawford on Monday night. Raley appealed the penalty announced by MLB on Friday, when Houston opened a weekend series at San Francisco — where Astros manager Dusty Baker was set to manage against his former club but sat out with a one-game suspension. The penalties were made public after the pregame media availability for Baker, who watched his team take batting practice behind the cage wearing dress clothes not his usual uniform. Raley plunked Crawford in the back on a 3-1 pitch after surrendering Dylan Moore's grand slam that helped the Mariners rally to an 11-8 comeback win. ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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]

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa has been placed on the injured list due to health and safety protocols. Friday's move came a day after Correa announced that he would not play in next week's All-Star game so he could spend time with wife Daniella, who is expecting the couple's first child. Manager Dusty Baker spoke of Correa being out of the lineup before the move was announced, but didn't provide many details aside from saying he was not at the ballpark for the game against the New York Yankees. “If he says he's out sick, for this guy not to play, especially against the Yankees and (not) be in the starting lineup, then you know he's sick," Baker said. Correa is the second Houston player to recently be put on the injured list because of health and safety protocols. Reliever Brooks Raley landed on the list on Thursday. Correa is batting .288 with 16 homers, 20 doubles and 52 RBIs in 82 games this season. The Astros recalled infielder Taylor Jones from Triple-A Sugar Land to take his spot on the roster. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports