MLB Player News

Uceta was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Monday.

Uceta has moved up and down several times this season, and he will rejoin the big club with fellow reliever Kyle Nelson (back) landing on the injured list. He figures to hold down a spot near the back of the bullpen last time he was with the Diamondbacks.

Nelson was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday, retroactive to Aug. 5, with lower back spasms.

Nelson has been outstanding out of Arizona's bullpen this season, posting a 1.57 ERA and 0.90 WHIP over 34.1 innings, but the club will be without one of its most reliable relievers for at least the next couple weeks. Edwin Uceta was recalled from Triple-A Reno to take Nelson's place on the roster.

Hughes has collected one win while providing an 0.69 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 15:3 K:BB in 13 innings over his 14 appearances out of the Cubs bullpen since July 1.

Though Hughes hasn't yet been asked to handle a high-leverage role out of the bullpen, that could be in the forecast for the left-hander in the aftermath of Tuesday's trade deadline, which saw the Cubs ship out closer David Robertson and key setup men Scott Effross, Mychal Givens and Chris Martin. Manager David Ross hasn't outlined his plans for the bullpen since the deadline, and no save chances have opened up over the Cubs' last six games, but Hughes' recent form makes him a candidate to at least factor into the late-inning mix. Rowan Wick, who has recorded 15 career saves and has turned in eight straight scoreless appearances, is the likely the Cubs' top choice to handle closing duties if Ross doesn't choose to take a committee approach.

The Rockies optioned Smith to Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday.

Smith's latest stint in the big leagues lasted all of three days. He made one appearance out of the bullpen for Colorado, striking out three over two scoreless frames in a game Wednesday against the Padres.

Mantiply struck out one over a scoreless 1.1 innings in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Rockies.

Mantiply did not get a win, hold or save, but his pitching contribution was the most important. With Arizona leading 2-0 entering the sixth inning, reliever Kevin Ginkel failed to retire any of the six batters faced, so it was up to Mantiply to put out the fire. The high-leverage left-hander is in the mix for saves now that Mark Melancon is no longer the full-time closer, but he may be more valuable as a fireman. Mantiply has made six consecutive scoreless appearances and sports a 1.42 ERA over 6.1 innings since the break. He doesn't blow away hitters with a high-velo fastball (90.4 mph), but Mantiply gets outs, keeps the ball in the park (0.6 HR/9) and hasn't walked many (four over 43 IP).

Beede is listed as the Pirates' starting pitcher for Monday's game in Arizona.

Though Beede will be making his second straight turn through the rotation, the Pirates may be treating his start as another glorified bullpen day. The Pirates will likely allow Beede to progressively stretch out over his subsequent starts, but he probably can't be counted on to cover much more than three frames Monday after he threw 42 pitches and lasted just 1.1 innings (while giving up four earned runs) in his first start of the season last week versus the Brewers.

Helsley picked up the save Sunday against the Yankees. He allowed one run on one hit and zero walks while striking out one over 1.1 innings.

Helsley entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning and had little trouble recording the out. DJ LeMahieu tagged him for a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning, but Helsley set down the other three batters he faced to record the four-out save, his 11th on the season. The 28-year-old reliever now sports an incredible 0.79 ERA to go with a 0.64 WHIP, and he hasn't blown a save since June 29.

Abbott (0-1) allowed seven runs on seven hits and five walks over 3.2 innings Sunday, striking out two and taking a loss against the Phillies.

Abbott never really found a groove Sunday as he gave up four homers in the short start, including three in the fourth frame. It was his second MLB start of the season, and he'd allowed just one run in nine frames with the big-league club before the rough outing. The 26-year-old righty saw his ERA climb to 5.68 with an 11:8 K:BB on the year. Assuming he stays in the rotation, Abbott is projected to face the Padres at home next week.

Wilson (2-6) allowed a run on four hits and no walks while striking out five in five innings to earn the win over the Orioles on Sunday.

Wilson had one of his best performances of the season Sunday and was rewarded with his first win since July 2. The right-hander has picked up just two wins over 15 appearances (12 starts) this year, but he's been relatively effective since the start of July, posting a 3.34 ERA in 32.1 innings over his last six outings. He projects to make his next start on the road against San Francisco on Friday.

Melancon allowed a hit and two walks while striking out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Rockies.

Melancon was removed from the full-time closer gig after a blown save versus the Guardians last Monday. With Ian Kennedy unavailable after pitching the two previous days and Joe Mantiply having pitching earlier in the game, manager Torey Lovullo asked Melancon to close. He loaded the bases with two outs but got a fielder's choice to end the contest without surrendering a run for the first time in his last three appearances. Neither his recent work nor his season-long numbers -- a 4.54 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 27:15 K:BB -- should inspire much confidence in the 37-year-old's ability to lock things down. This was his 15th save in 18 chances, but expect Kennedy and Mantiply to get their chances in the ninth inning over the last two months of the season. Kennedy picked up the first two saves since the move to a committee approach, while Mantiply was deployed in the sixth inning Sunday.