MLB Player News

Young was removed in the eighth inning of Sunday's game against the Nationals with an apparent injury, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Young entered the contest in the top of the eighth and was expected to work for the entire inning, but he was pulled from the contest after issuing a leadoff walk and then striking out a batter. He appeared to suffer an injury on his final pitch of the day, but the Reds haven't provided a diagnosis yet.

Kay was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Kay had his contract selected by the Cubs in mid-June, but he'll return to Triple-A after he posted a 6.35 ERA over 13 outings with the big club. Caleb Kilian was recalled from Iowa in a corresponding move.

The Nationals optioned Willingham to Triple-A Rochester following Saturday's 7-3 win over the Reds, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Washington reinstated right-hander Trevor Williams (personal) from the bereavement list Sunday to fill the opening on the 26-man active roster. Willingham was up with the big club for one week and made three relief appearances, covering 3.2 innings and striking out five while allowing one earned run on five hits and one walk.

Kilian was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

The 26-year-old made a spot start for the Cubs in late April but was sent back to Triple-A after he surrendered seven runs across 3.1 innings. Kilian has continued to work as a starter at Iowa and has a 3.97 ERA over 88.1 innings, but he'll likely work out of the bullpen for Chicago.

Walker (4-1) allowed a run on a hit and a walk in one-third of an inning to take the loss Saturday versus the Athletics.

Walker put two of the three batters he faced on base, and Scott Alexander allowed one of them to score the decisive run. This was Walker's first loss of the year, made all the more impressive considering he's made seven of his 27 appearances as an opener. He's now at a 2.56 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 41:10 K:BB through 38.2 innings while most often serving in a low-leverage role.

Andrews was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.

Andrews was called up to the big club Saturday and will return to the minors without appearing in a game. He made his MLB debut earlier this year and has given up five earned runs across 1.2 innings.

Martinez improved to 5-4 on the season in Saturday's 8-3 win over the Dodgers, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one batter over two scoreless innings. After the game, Padres manager Bob Melvin said in an interview with 97.3 The Fan San Diego that Martinez could start again Tuesday versus Seattle, despite the fact that he would be pitching on two days' rest.

After making a three-inning spot start in Colorado on Wednesday, Martinez returned to the bullpen Saturday and came through with two effective frames, earning the victory when the Padres rallied for seven runs in the eighth inning. The right-hander had been limited to 38 pitches in his start versus Colorado, as he was filling in for an injured Joe Musgrove (shoulder) and wasn't built up to anywhere near a full workload. After throwing 22 pitches in relief Saturday, Martinez would presumably be working in a short-inning opener capacity again if he does start Tuesday against the Mariners. The veteran hasn't thrown more than 50 pitches in any appearance since a seven-inning, 97-pitch start way back on April 19 against Atlanta.

The Reds optioned Duarte to Triple-A Louisville on Sunday.

Duarte was sent out to make room on the 26-man active roster for right-hander Lyon Richardson, who is scheduled to start Sunday's series finale against the Nationals in his MLB debut. After being recalled from Louisville on Wednesday, Duarte made three appearances out of the Cincinnati bullpen, covering three innings and striking out four while giving up an earned run on two hits and no walks.

Assad allowed two runs on five hits across 3.2 innings and didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 8-6 win over Atlanta. He walked two and recorded three strikeouts.

Assad pitched decently in his second start of the season, keeping the Cubs competitive before they went on to take the second game of the series. The righty snapped a stretch of five straight scoreless appearances, though he still has a strong 3.35 ERA this season. Though he was filling the spot in the rotation that previously belonged to the injured Marcus Stroman (hip), Assad is likely to head back to the bullpen in the near future. The Cubs have three off days coming up in the next two weeks and should be able to get by with a four-man rotation during that time.

Law allowed one hit over 2.1 scoreless innings in Saturday's 7-3 loss to Washington.

Law, who entered with the Reds down 6-0, ate up seven outs between the sixth and eighth innings. The right-hander has worked largely in middle relief for the Reds and has posted a 3.68 ERA in 14.2 innings since his return from the injured list in early July. Control has been an issue, as it has been throughout his career; Law's issued 20 free passes over 35.2 innings (5.0 BB/9) this season.