MLB Player News

Hoffman (forearm) has been cleared to resume throwing, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Hoffman felt soreness in his forearm while throwing last week, but he apparently was not dealing with anything out of the ordinary. It remains to be seen when he will be ready to rejoin Cincinnati's bullpen.

Sulser (lat) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Sunday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Sulser is in the midst of a rehab assignment, but he has already been out more than 60 days, so the Marlins were able to free up a spot on the 40-man roster without delaying his return. He will likely be ready to rejoin the big club at some point before August comes to a close.

Nance was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Nance allowed just a lone earned run while tossing three innings and striking out six batters in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader, but he likely would have been unavailable for a couple days after throwing 56 pitchers, so the Marlins decided to send him down and open up a spot for a fresh arm.

Bender was placed on the injured list Sunday with a right elbow strain, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The extent of the injury that forced Bender from the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against Atlanta is uncertain, but he will be out at least a couple weeks.

Bickford (2-1) allowed one hit while striking out two batters over 1.1 innings to pick up the win over Kansas City on Saturday.

Starter Andrew Heaney departed early after being hit on the left arm by a line drive, and Los Angeles trotted out five different relievers to finish off the game. Bickford was arguably the most effective of the group, throwing 19 of 25 pitches for strikes and allowing just one hit while punching out two batters. The win was his first decision of any kind since mid-July, as he's been working mostly in lower-leverage situations. Bickford has a 5.05 ERA this season due largely to allowing eight home runs over 41 innings.

Diaz issued two walks but did not give up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in a 1-0 win over the Phillies on Saturday.

Diaz issued a couple of free passes and allowed the winning run to get into scoring position on a successful double steal by the Phillies, but he turned to his slider on a 2-2 count to get Nick Castellanos to chase and end the close game with a dramatic strikeout. The save gives Diaz 27 on the year, which is tied for third-best in the majors. The 28-year-old closer has not given up an earned run dating back to June 18 and boasts a sparkling ERA of 1.33.

Edwards notched a save against the Padres on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning.

Kyle Finnegan appeared to emerge as Washington's closer of choice in July, but he handled the seventh inning Saturday and pitched a scoreless frame to pick up the win. It was Edwards who was chosen to close the contest, and he worked around a two-out single to record the save. It may be premature to assume that Finnegan is out as closer, but it's certainly worth noting that Edwards has picked up the past two Washington saves. He's posted a 3.24 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 40:20 K:BB over 41.2 innings on the campaign.

Iglesias allowed a walk but retired the final two batters of the game to earn the save in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Marlins.

Iglesias was called upon to protect a four-run lead with runners on first and second, which he did successfully to record his 17th save of the season and first since joining Atlanta. Kenley Jansen was unavailable after earning the save in the first game of the twin bill, and Kirby Yates allowed two of the first three batters he faced to reach base prior to giving way to Iglesias. Since July 14, Iglesias has turned in scoreless efforts in 10 of his 11 appearances. Overall, he has a 3.70 ERA with a 55:10 K:BB across 41.1 innings on the campaign.

Jansen walked one but threw a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Marlins.

Jansen was called upon to protect a three-run lead and worked around a two-out walk to record his 26th save of the season. He has allowed at least one earned run in five of his last 14 appearances, good for a 3.95 ERA. Overall, Jansen has a 3.32 ERA and 58:15 K:BB across 43.1 innings this season and has shown no signs of losing his grip on the closer role in Atlanta.

Doval walked one and struck out one in a scoreless inning, earning the save in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Pirates.

Offense was at a premium Saturday, and Doval made sure the Giants' lead held with a solid performance. He's pitched six consecutive scoreless innings in his last six appearances, and he's picked up saves in his last four outings. The closer owns a 2.81 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 60:20 K:BB with 17 saves in 19 chances through 48 innings this season.