MLB Player News

Pruitt was designated for assignment Thursday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The righty has appeared in one game for Miami since being acquired at the trade deadline, pitching a scoreless inning Friday against the the Yankees. It's unclear whether Pruitt's demotion is a long-term move, or if he's just temporarily off the 26-man and 40-man rosters to make room for Thursday's starter Braxton Garrett.

Smith earned the save over the Cardinals on Wednesday by pitching a perfect inning during which he struck out two.

It was a relatively stress-free save for the southpaw, who entered the contest in the ninth inning with Atlanta up by three runs. He made quick work of the Cards, sandwiching a groundout between a pair or punchouts. Since blowing a save against the Mets on July 1, Smith has converted six straight save opportunities while posting a 1.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 7:2 K:BB across nine one-inning outings.

May struck out two and did not allow a baserunner to earn the save Wednesday against the Marlins.

May was pushed into the ninth-inning role with Edwin Diaz currently on the paternity list. May had no trouble with the shift, as he needed only 16 pitches to grab his fourth save of the season. He now has a 3.21 ERA with 56 strikeouts and nine holds across 42 innings to this point in the campaign.

Rodriguez worked around a hit to pitch a clean ninth inning and earn the save in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Rockies. He struck out one.

With the Cubs trading Craig Kimbrel, Andrew Chafin and Ryan Tepera before Friday's deadline, there was room in the bullpen for Rodriguez to make his MLB debut, which he did Friday. The 24-year-old now has his first save in the majors, and he could see more save opportunities with the Chicago relief corps fairly unsettled at the moment. Rodriguez did miss the entire 2020 season with a biceps strain, so he may see his workload carefully monitored even if he's able to earn a high-leverage role the rest of the way.

Ponce de Leon (shoulder) was credited with the win in Double-A Springfield's victory over Tulsa on Tuesday, allowing three earned runs on two hits and a walk over 1.2 innings. He also recorded a strikeout.

Ponce de Leon gave up a three-run home run but was otherwise reasonably effective while throwing 39 pitches, 25 which found the strike zone. The right-hander has now made four rehab appearances without setbacks, and given that he's likely to return to the big-league club in a long-relief role, Ponce de Leon may be deemed ready for activation without the need for any further outings at the minor-league level.

Nelson was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with right elbow inflammation.

The righty made three scoreless appearances after returning from a back injury July 25, but he now goes back on the shelf for an indefinite amount of time. It will be Nelson's third IL stint of 2021, as also he dealt with a forearm issue earlier in the season. Details about the 32-year-old's condition should become clearer in the next week or so.

The Giants designated Menez for assignment Wednesday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

The lefty loses his 40-man roster spot to make room for Tommy La Stella. Menez has been with Triple-A Sacramento since June 20.

Hill (5-6) allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits without recording an out while taking the loss Wednesday versus Oakland.

San Diego was able to take a 4-3 lead in the top of the 10th inning, but Hill gave it away on a walkoff two-run double by Matt Olson. The 31-year-old southpaw has taken a pair of losses and blown saves each in his last five outings. He's still been fairly reliable with a 2.85 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 47:16 K:BB across 41 innings this season while collecting 13 holds and one save in 53 appearances.

Melancon allowed two runs on three hits and a walk with one strikeout in one inning, taking a blown save versus Oakland on Wednesday.

The 36-year-old failed to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning, and San Diego ultimately lost in the 10th. Melancon has made few mistakes this season -- he's 32-for-37 in save chances after Wednesday's hiccup. The veteran reliever has a 2.35 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 38:17 K:BB across 46 innings. He's given up six runs (five earned) in 11 innings since the start of July.

Stephenson (back) was activated from the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Stephenson had been sidelined by tightness in his upper back since late June, but he'll rejoin the Rockies after appearing in one rehab game. The 28-year-old has a 4.56 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 27:13 K:BB across 23.2 innings this season.