MLB Player News

Alexander (shoulder) is expected to be activated from the injured list Monday or Tuesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Alexander was one of the Dodgers' better relievers in April, posting a 2.31 ERA in 11.2 innings of work before getting injured at the start of May. Once activated, he's likely to play a considerable role as one of the bullpen's best left-handed options.

Uceta will be reinstated by the Dodgers ahead of Sunday's game against the Nationals, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers plan to have a bullpen game in Sunday's series finale, and Uceta should play a role during the contest. The right-hander has posted a 6.28 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 14.1 innings across eight appearances (one start) with the major-league club this year.

Helsley, who fired a scoreless two-thirds of an inning during which he allowed a hit and a walk in a win over the Rockies on Friday, now owns a 1.69 ERA across the 5.1 innings covering his last six appearances.

The right-hander has also had some control issues, as he's handed out five free passes during that aforementioned span. Nevertheless, Helsley has largely bounced back from a rough stretch during the latter half of May, as he's now coaxed his ERA down from the season-high 6.85 figure it reached on June 5 to 5.18.

Hartlieb was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Saturday.

Hartlieb was sent to Triple-A Indianapolis in late June, and he'll now be cast off the 40-man roster after the Pirates acquired John Nogowski from the Cardinals on Saturday. The right-hander has posted a 1.86 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 9.2 innings across nine relief appearances in the minors this year, but he could remain in the organization if he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Graterol tossed 1.2 innings against Washington on Friday, allowing an unearned run on one hit. He did not walk or strike out any batters.

The fireballing right-hander was recalled from the minors Friday to take the spot of Trevor Bauer (not injury related) on the active roster. Graterol closed out the contest for Los Angeles, allowing only a double to Josh Bell that was cashed in due to a two-out, ninth-inning error. The reliever threw 15 of 21 pitches for strikes in his first big-league appearance since April 26. He could remain a fixture in the Dodgers' bullpen if he's able to show that he's over the issues that caused his early season wobbles.

Adams (2-2) was tagged with the loss against Philadelphia on Friday. He pitched one-third of an inning, giving up an unearned run on one hit and one walk while striking out one.

The Padres rallied with two runs in in the ninth inning to send the game to extra frames but were unable to push another run across the plate in the top of the 10th. Adams was summoned to face the Phillies in the bottom of the frame and intentionally walked the first batter he faced before striking out Didi Gregorius. However, Brad Miller followed with a double to score the inherited runner, and Adams walked off the mound with his second loss of the season. The run he allowed was unearned, and the right-hander has surrendered only one earned run over his past 32 appearances covering 25.1 innings. He has racked up a 39:13 K:BB over that span.

Reyes (5-2) picked up the win in Friday's 9-3 extra-inning victory over the Rockies, walking one and striking out one over two scoreless innings.

The right-hander worked more than one inning for the second time in his last three appearances, something he hadn't done since May 11 prior to that. Reyes has been all but unhittable this year, giving up 18 hits and a .198 BABIP over 39.2 frames, and it's led to some lopsided ratios -- his 0.91 ERA and 31.3 percent strikeout rate are excellent, but his 18.7 percent walk rate and 1.24 WHIP are far from elite.

Smith gave up one hit and walked two in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 17th save of the season in a 1-0 win over the Marlins.

After loading the bases with one out, Smith was able to escape the jam by getting Jon Berti to pop out and Sandy Leon to fly out. The Atlanta closer was working for the second straight day, which might explain why he issued multiple free passes for the first time since April 16. Since the beginning of June, Smith has posted a 3.07 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 19:4 K:BB through 14.2 innings while converting eight of 10 save chances.

Bukauskas allowed four unearned runs on one hit and three walks in Friday's 11-4 loss to the Giants.

This was Bukauskas' first outing after being activated off the 10-day injured list Thursday, and he threw just 16 strikes among his 30 pitches. After a walk, a double play and another walk, he nearly got out of the inning unscathed, but Nick Ahmed's throwing error kept the inning alive. One walk later, Thairo Estrada took Bukauskas deep for a grand slam. The young reliever is expected to remain with the Diamondbacks, who need to evaluate him as a possible high-leverage reliever going forward.

Pagan hasn't pitched since Tuesday due to neck tightness, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Pagan's tight neck developed while he was sleeping recently, and he hasn't been available recently as a result. However, manager Jayce Tingler is hopeful that the right-hander could be available out of the bullpen as early as Saturday. Across his last two outings, Pagan has recorded two holds while striking out five in two perfect innings.