MLB Player News

Hader struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning and earned a save over Washington on Sunday.

After blowing a save and coughing up his first two runs of the year in his last appearance, Hader got right back into a groove by punching out three straight Nationals on 15 pitches. He's now sporting a 33:6 K:BB and a 0.92 ERA through 21 appearances. The 28-year-old southpaw has gone five straight outings without issuing a walk.

Nelson issued a walk in a scoreless inning as the opener in Sunday's win over the Phillies.

Nelson got through a scoreless inning of work despite throwing just seven of 15 pitches for strikes. He lowered his ERA to 1.93 with a 19:3 K:BB through 18.2 innings this season. However, Sunday's outing snapped the 25-year-old's streak of 15 consecutive contests without issuing a walk.

Hudson (4-3) allowed six runs on nine hits, two walks and a hit batter with two strikeouts in seven innings, taking the loss Sunday versus the Reds.

Hudson kept the Reds off the board until the fourth inning, where they rallied for three runs. Those came on a bases-loaded hit batter, a double play and a single. They added another run in the fifth inning and two more in the seventh, leaving Hudson to take his first loss since May 3 despite going seven frames for his third straight start. The right-hander now has a 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 36:27 K:BB across 65.2 innings in 12 starts. Next up for Hudson is a road start versus the Red Sox next weekend.

Diaz allowed two runs on a hit and a walk with one strikeout in one inning, earning the save in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Cardinals.

Diaz gave up a two-run home run to Juan Yepez in the ninth inning, but the Cardinals couldn't manufacture a tying run. This was the fourth time in his last 10 outings Diaz has given up at least one run, surrendering seven in that span. He's posted a 2.48 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 35:16 K:BB across 29 innings overall. He's 2-0 with two saves and eight holds, so he should be expected to see more of a setup role within the Reds' broader closer committee.

Smith was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday.

Smith has been on the active roster for two brief stints this season, allowing six runs across two innings of relief work. He'll likely be limited to low-leverage work during his time with the team. Tyler Kinley (elbow) hit the injured list in a corresponding move.

Kinley hit the 15-day injured list with a right elbow ulnar nerve injury Sunday.

Kinley has had an excellent start to the season, cruising to an 0.75 ERA in 24 innings of relief. The move was backdated to Thursday, meaning Kinley will be eligible to return June 24, but it's unclear if a minimum-length absence is in play. Chad Smith was recalled to take his place in the bullpen.

Hicks (forearm) felt "great" after a 25-pitch bullpen session Sunday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Hicks has been sidelined with a flexor injury since late May. He doesn't have a precise return date, but he's trending in the right direction. He still has several steps to go before returning from the injured list, however, especially as he wasn't quite throwing at his full velocity for most of Sunday's session.

Alvarado was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

Alvarado was demoted in late May after posting a 7.62 ERA and 15.4 percent walk rate to start the season, but four scoreless minor-league appearances in which he walked just a single batter was apparently all the Phillies needed to see to bring him back. Cristopher Sanchez was optioned in a corresponding move.

Knehr was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Sunday.

He tossed 4.2 scoreless innings during mop-up duty Saturday against the Rockies, and he will head back down until the Padres have need of another fresh bullpen arm. Kyle Tyler takes Knehr's spot in the bullpen.

Thompson will make his first career start Monday against the Pirates, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Thompson made his big-league debut in early June against the Cubs, allowing one run across four innings of relief work. The extent to which Monday's opportunity is an audition for a permanent rotation role isn't entirely clear, as the Cardinals needed an extra starter ahead of Tuesday's doubleheader and will be getting Jack Flaherty back from his shoulder injury fairly soon. That said, the 2019 first-round pick comes with a fair amount of prospect pedigree and struck out 30.1 percent of the batters he faced across 10 starts for Triple-A Memphis this season, so it's very possible he makes his case to remain in the rotation.