MLB Player News

Doval pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Doval was efficient, throwing eight pitches (six strikes) in the outing. He's tossed three scoreless innings over the last four days, which brings into question his availability for a potential save situation in Thursday's day game. Doval is 32-for-35 in save chances with a 2.52 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 67:19 K:BB through 50 innings as one of the top closers in the majors.

Alexander will start Thursday's game against Arizona, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Alexander has fallen into a somewhat regular role as an opener recently, as Thursday will mark his third start since July 24. The 34-year-old lefty holds a solid 3.13 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through 31.2 innings on the year but will likely only remain on the mound for an inning or two.

The Dodgers designated Miller for assignment Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Miller gave up two runs over two innings during his lone appearance with the Dodgers. He's fared much better in Triple-A this season with a 3.45 ERA and 1.40 WHIP through 28.2 frames, giving him a chance to be claimed off waivers by another club looking for bullpen depth.

The Reds recalled Duarte from Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday.

With Ben Lively (pectoral) landing on the injured list Wednesday, Duarte will come up from Triple-A one day after being demoted to clear a spot for Sam Moll. The 26-year-old righty has been unimpressive in middle relief, putting up a 4.30 ERA and 1.57 WHIP through 14.2 innings in the majors this season.

The Mets optioned Nittoli to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.

Nittoli was not called on to make an appearance during his three-day stint in the Mets' bullpen. The 32-year-old right-hander has logged only 4.2 career innings at the major-league level.

Arizona placed Adams on the 60-day injured list Wednesday with a fractured right ankle.

Adams suffered the injury in Tuesday's game against the Giants and can be ruled out for the remainder of the 2023 regular season. Slade Cecconi will fill his spot on the 40-man roster as he prepares to make his MLB debut in a start Wednesday night at San Francisco.

Heller was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett after Wednesday's win over the Angels.

The right-hander has been up with the big club since mid-June and posted a 4.40 ERA in 16 outings, but he'll head back to the minors with Max Fried (forearm) set to return from the injured list Friday. Heller could rejoin the major-league bullpen when Atlanta requires a fresh arm.

The Phillies designated Vasquez for assignment Wednesday.

He'll lose his spot on the 40-man roster with the Phillies needing to clear room for two of their trade-deadline pickups in right-hander Michael Lorenzen and infielder Rodolfo Castro. Vasquez has largely operated in a middle-relief role for Philadelphia this season, accruing no saves or holds while turning in a 2.27 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 34:14 K:BB in 39.2 innings. His solid ratios could prompt another team in need of a lefty reliever to scoop him up off waivers.

Helsley (forearm) faced hitters in live batting practice Wednesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The Cardinals will likely reassess Helsley heading into the weekend, but if he reports no setbacks with his strained right forearm, he could be cleared to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment. The right-hander is eligible to return from the 60-day injured list next week, and he may not need much longer than the minimum amount of time to get himself ready for game action. Once activated, Helsley should have a clearer path to the ninth-inning gig, as the Cardinals moved Jordan Hicks to Toronto ahead of the trade deadline. Giovanny Gallegos currently looks like Helsley's top challenger for save chances.

Cronin announced Wednesday via his personal Instagram account that he underwent season-ending surgery to address a herniated disc.

Cronin hadn't pitched for Triple-A Rochester since mid-May due to what was a previously undisclosed injury, but the 25-year-old left-hander took to social media to shed more light on his situation. In his post, Cronin noted that he had been dealing with left shoulder and arm pain for two years, but it wasn't until he had his spine examined last month that doctors were able to determine the source of his discomfort. Cronin, who occupies a spot on the Nationals' 40-man roster, is without a clear timeline to resume full baseball activities and may face an uphill battle to gain clearance for the start of spring training.