MLB Player News

Nelson (back) began a rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Reno and retired two batters while working around a hit and two walks in his first appearance.

Nelson was placed on the 15-day injured list Aug. 2 with lower-back spasms and will likely require at least one more rehab appearance before being activated. Prior to being shelved with the back injury, Nelson posted a 1.57 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 27:8 K:BB in 34.1 innings with Arizona while picking up one win and eight holds.

Williams pitched a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout to earn the save in a 9-7 win over the Cubs on Sunday.

Williams was called in to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning and he did just that by recording three outs on eight pitches without allowing a runner to reach base. Williams has been slotted into Milwaukee's closer role since the trade deadline when Josh Hader was sent to San Diego. He gave up an earned run in each of his last two appearances, so he appears to be right back on track after handling the Cubs with no problems to earn his ninth save of the season. Williams has an excellent 1.84 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 49 innings this year.

Hader gave up six earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one over one-third of an inning in a 15-7 loss to the Royals on Sunday.

Hader was recently removed from the closer role in San Diego after he struggled since coming over at the trade deadline. Manager Bob Melvin decided to give Hader a chance to pitch in a lower-leverage situation Sunday, as the Padres were trailing by three runs in the eighth. Hader was promptly tagged for six runs and could only get one out. The poor showing means he likely still has much to figure out before he can return to higher-leverage work.

Manaea (7-7) gave up six earned runs on 10 hits and no walks while striking out four over four innings to take the loss in a 15-7 defeat against the Royals on Sunday.

Manaea's struggles in the month of August continued with an abysmal appearance that saw him picked apart by hits and chased after 79 pitches. It was Manaea's worst start since Aug. 8, when he was pounded for eight runs by the Dodgers. He has now given up 21 earned runs over five starts this month and his season-long ERA has crept up to 4.90. The left-hander is tentatively expected to make his next start at the Dodgers.

Dominguez (triceps) is feeling 'way better' but hasn't yet begun a throwing program, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Dominguez was planning on starting to throw either Sunday or Monday.

Dominguez is still hopeful to return as close as possible to his first eligible date, which is Sept. 2. But the Phillies won't have a real target date until that throwing program starts.

Helsley (9-1) was charged with one run on one hit and struck out three over 1.1 innings, blowing a save but earning the win Sunday versus Atlanta.

Helsley was brought in for a high-leverage chance after Adam Wainwright faded in the seventh inning. Dansby Swanson took Helsley deep for a three-run home run, but the Cardinals rallied ahead again in the eighth after a clean top half of the frame from the righty. While typically the closer, each of Helsley's last three appearances have seen him pick up a win, and his nine victories puts him second among major-league relievers this year behind Toronto's Adam Cimber. Helsley has added 12 saves, four blown saves and six holds while pitching to a 1.04 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 77:13 K:BB. He's given up at least a run in three of his last six appearances, which has opened the door for Giovanny Gallegos to regain a larger share of the closing duties. Both of the Cardinals' top relievers have three saves in August.

Gallegos allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn a save in Sunday's 6-3 win over Atlanta.

Regular closer Ryan Helsley was brought in for a high-leverage situation in the seventh inning and allowed a three-run home run. He also pitched the eighth and picked up the win when the Cardinals rallied ahead. That left the save opportunity to Gallegos, who delivered with his fifth consecutive scoreless appearance. Both Gallegos and Helsley have picked up three saves this month, which suggests manager Oli Marmol has started to lean on a matchup-based approach to his bullpen usage again. Gallegos owns a 3.04 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 57:12 K:BB through 47.1 innings while adding 13 saves, eight holds and six blown saves this year.

Assad is listed as the Cubs' starting pitcher for Monday's game in Toronto, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Assad will get a chance to build on a strong MLB debut last week, when he struck out three over four scoreless frames in the first game of a doubleheader with the Cardinals. The rookie should be able to maintain a spot in the rotation until the Cubs get one of Keegan Thompson (back), Wade Miley (shoulder) and Adbert Alzolay (lat) back from the injured list.

Finnegan struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning and earned a save over the Reds on Sunday.

Finnegan tossed seven of 10 pitches for strikes as he quickly finished off the 3-2 victory. He's now tossed 7.1 consecutive scoreless frames while converting four straight saves since his last blown chance Aug. 9. Finnegan is sporting a 3.12 ERA and a 53:18 K:BB while converting eight saves in 12 chances this season.

Junis (4-4) took the loss Sunday in Minnesota, allowing six runs on nine hits while striking out two in 4.1 innings.

Junis failed to make it through five innings for the fifth time in seven starts since the All-Star break. The 29-year-old held the Twins scoreless through the first two frames but allowed a run-scoring double in the third, a two-run homer in the fourth and three more runs in the fifth. Five of the nine hits he allowed went for extra bases. Since the break, he's compiled a 5.68 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 31.2 innings. His next start will likely be next weekend against Philadelphia.