MLB Player News

Mears (elbow) was activated off the 60-day injured list Saturday and optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Mears has been out all year after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow in early February. He's been pitching in the minors on a rehab assignment since late May, with a month-long disruption in the middle due to forearm tightness, and he'll remain in the minors for now.

Graterol (shoulder) is expected to be activated from the 15-day IL on Monday versus Milwaukee, Sarah Wexler of MLB.com reports.

There was originally a plan in place for Graterol to return to the Dodgers this weekend versus Miami, but he was first supposed to make back-to-back appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City. That didn't happen because Thursday's contest was rained out, so the fireballing reliever will instead be activated Monday. Graterol has made four rehab appearances with OKC, striking out four batters over 3.2 scoreless innings.

Martin (4-0) earned the win over Miami on Friday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning of work.

Dodgers starter Tyler Anderson was impressive with seven innings of one-run ball, but Los Angeles could manage only one run of their own while he was in the game. Martin took over on the mound in the eighth inning and threw 13 of 16 pitches for strikes to retire the side in order, and he was credited with the win as a result of the Dodgers scoring the go-ahead run in the bottom of the frame. Since joining Los Angeles in a July 30 trade, Martin has posted a 2.16 ERA, 0.48 WHIP and 10:0 K:BB over 8.1 innings while picking up three wins and one hold.

Thompson was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with lower-back tightness, Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

He gave up five earned runs in 3.2 innings Friday against the Brewers and was also chased early in his previous start against the Reds. However, Thompson had been quite effective for a stretch from mid-June until early-August, when he logged a 3.06 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 50 innings across nine starts. He is eligible to return Sept. 6.

Crowe (5-7) allowed one hit and struck out one across 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the win Friday against the Reds.

Crowe entered the game in the eighth inning with runners on first and second and allowed an inherited runner to score, which gave the Reds the lead. However, he threw a clean ninth inning and the Pirates rallied for a walk-off victory to give Crowe his fifth win of the season. Crowe has only one save since David Bednar (back) landed on the injured list, though he has picked up a pair of wins across his last five appearances. For the season, Crowe has maintained a 3.27 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with a 59:26 K:BB across 63.1 frames.

Hughes gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his second save of the season in an 8-7 win over the Brewers. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.

The 26-year-old moved into a high-leverage role this month, and Hughes has picked up saves in two straight appearances. Rowan Wick had worked in back-to-back games when Hughes got his first save Thursday, but Wick was the more rested pitcher Friday, so the fact that Milwaukee had Christian Yelich and Rowdy Tellez due up in the ninth in this one likely played into manager David Ross' thinking when he called for the lefty. Hughes has better overall numbers on the season as well with a 2.95 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 49:13 K:BB through 39.2 innings, so this looks like a closer tandem for now, and he could even take over the job completely from Wick if the latter stumbles.

Thompson didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 8-7 win over the Brewers, coughing up five runs on six hits -- including three home runs -- and three walks over 3.2 innings. He struck out three.

The right-hander is fading fast after putting up good results in the rotation earlier this summer. Thompson has failed to complete five innings in four of his last six starts, posting a rough 6.59 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and 17:12 K:BB through 27.1 innings over that stretch, and his 2.6 HR/9 is a big reason why his numbers are regressing rapidly.

Bard pitched a scoreless ninth inning with one walk and three strikeouts to earn the save in a 7-4 win over the Giants on Friday.

Bard racked up three more punchouts in a dominant inning of work to pick up his 25th save of 2022. The 37-year-old right hander is in the midst of his best season since 2010 and has the fifth-most saves in the National League. Even though Bard did not pitch in the majors between 2014 and 2019, he has redefined his career this season with an xERA/xwOBA in the 92nd percentile of MLB pitchers.

Gonzalez (elbow) joined Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday to continue his rehab, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Gonzalez actually kicked off his rehab stint in the Arizona Complex League, striking out two batters in a scoreless inning Tuesday. The left-hander was subsequently sent to OKC, though he's yet to pitch for the Triple-A squad. Gonzalez last pitched in the majors last August, so he'll likely be given ample time to ramp up.

Hader (2-5) allowed three runs (two earned) on a hit and a walk without recording an out Friday, taking the loss versus the Nationals.

Hader entered with the game tied at 3-3 and made a mess of it. One run came home on his own error, and he followed that by coughing up a two-run home run to Alex Call before Luis Garcia was brought in to complete the inning. Hader's struggles from the end of his Milwaukee tenure have followed him to San Diego -- he's given up six runs (five earned) while posting a 4:5 K:BB through 3.1 innings across five appearances as a Padre. For the season, he has a 5.06 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 63:16 K:BB while going 29-for-32 in save chances through 37.1 innings across 42 appearances.