MLB Player News

The Padres placed Strahm on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with right knee inflammation.

Given that Strahm required patellar tendon surgery on the same knee last October and didn't debut for the Padres until Aug. 3 while recovering from the procedure, it's not an encouraging sign that he's back on the IL two weeks later with a related injury. Though the fact that Strahm is dealing with inflammation rather than a sprain of his right knee suggests his injury isn't too significant, the Padres are still expected to proceed cautiously with him and could hold him out for longer than the 10-day minimum. In a corresponding move, the Padres activated newly signed starting pitcher Jake Arrieta, who will take the hill Wednesday against the Rockies for his San Diego debut.

The Padres plan to place Strahm on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to an unspecified issue, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

San Diego will confirm the transaction shortly before Wednesday's series finale with the Rockies that begins at 3:10 p.m. ET, at which time more information about Strahm's injury should become available. The right-hander had spent most of the season on the 60-day IL while recovering from the right knee surgery he required last October, but it's unclear if he suffered a related setback. Strahm made his first five appearances with San Diego as a reliever before he was deployed as an opening pitcher in Tuesday's contest. He was the pitcher of record in the Padres' 7-3 loss, giving up a run on four hits and no walks over 1.1 innings before turning the game over to the bullpen.

Jansen picked up the save Tuesday against the Pirates after allowing one run on two hits and a walk across one inning, fanning one.

Jansen might have clinched his 25th save of the season, but he was far from crisp on the mound and needed 24 pitches to get the job done. The veteran reliever is in no danger of losing the closer role any time soon, but it's worth noting he has given up runs in five of his 13 appearances since the All-Star break. He owns a 7.62 ERA across 13 innings while going 4-for-7 in save chances during that span.

Crowe didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Dodgers after allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while fanning four across four innings.

Crowe has pitched less than five innings in his last three outings, but at least he's found a way to limit the damage and hasn't given up more than three runs in any of those starts. In fact, he's now gone five straight appearances without allowing more than three earned runs. Pitching deep into games remains a problem for him, but he has still posted a decent 3.72 ERA across 38.2 innings over his last eight contests.

Alzolay (hamstring) threw a light bullpen session Wednesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Alzolay has continued to participate in light activities since he landed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain Saturday, and he was able to slightly increase his throwing intensity by playing long toss and doing some mound work Wednesday. Right-hander Adrian Sampson will take his place in the rotation Wednesday against the Reds, but manager David Ross is hopeful that Alzolay will be able to return after a minimum stay on the injured list.

The Cubs are expected to call up Thompson from Triple-A Iowa to start Saturday's game against the Royals, Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Though he has worked out of the bullpen in all but one of his 27 appearances with the Cubs this season, Thompson has been pitching exclusively as a starter since being optioned to Iowa in late July. He built up to 62 pitches in his most recent start for Iowa on Sunday, spinning 4.1 no-hit innings while striking out seven. Expect the Cubs to cap Thompson around 70-to-80 pitches in Saturday's start, assuming he does in fact get the call back to the big leagues. So long as Thompson doesn't completely implode in that outing, he could have a spot in the Chicago rotation for the rest of the season as the rebuilding club auditions the 26-year-old for a full-time starting role in 2022.

Leone earned the save Tuesday against the Mets after striking out the only batter he faced.

Leone had the task of recording the final out of the game after Jarlin Garcia retired two batters and allowed a hit in the top of the ninth. The right-hander struck out Kevin Pillar on three pitches and earned his first save of the season as a result, though he's only gone 1-for-3 in save opportunities. He also has 10 holds while posting an excellent 1.72 ERA across 31.1 innings, so he should continue to see high-leverage work even if he's not going to have many save chances going forward.

Hader fired a scoreless ninth inning, working around a walk while striking out two to record the save in a win over the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Hader entered in the ninth inning with a two-run lead and allowed a one-out walk to Yadier Molina, but retired the other three batters to finish the game. The 27-year-old has a 1.70 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with an elite 15.7 K/9 in 42.1 innings. In August, he has four scoreless innings and nine punchouts in four appearances.

Strahm (0-1) allowed one run on four hits with one strikeout through 1.1 innings, taking the loss in Tuesday's 7-3 defeat to Colorado.

Strahm served as the opener for the Padres' bullpen game Tuesday and never found his groove at Coors Field. He needed 44 pitches to get four outs and worked himself into three consecutive 3-2 counts to start the game. The run he conceded came on a Charlie Blackmon groundout that scored Connor Joe. As this was just a spot start, the left-hander will likely settle back into a role in the bullpen.

Smith struck out two and did not allow a baserunner across a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Tuesday against the Marlins.

Smith successfully held a two-run lead, needing only 11 pitches to earn his 26th save of the season. Despite Smith blowing two saves in a three-game stretch from Aug. 7 to Aug. 11, Atlanta has shown no inclination to remove him from the closer role. He's rewarded the club's faith in him and has now turned in three consecutive scoreless outings. For the season, Smith now has a 3.62 ERA with 61 strikeouts across 49.2 innings.