MLB Player News

Estevez (2-2) was tagged with the loss in relief Sunday against the Dodgers after allowing one run on two hits across one inning.

Estevez hurled the eighth inning and was credited with the loss after allowing the decisive run of the game on a solo homer from star catcher Will Smith. Estevez has now allowed at least one run in three of his last five relief appearances and owns a 6.00 ERA across nine appearances this month.

Bickford (1-1) earned the win in relief Sunday against the Rockies after tossing a scoreless inning, allowing one hit.

Bickford pitched the eighth inning and while he allowed a single from Brendan Rodgers to begin the frame, he settled down quickly and needed just 11 pitches (eight strikes) to retire the side. This was Bickford's third straight scoreless outing, and he owns a 3.60 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP in 13 appearances (10 innings) this month.

Wilson was recalled as expected ahead of his scheduled start in the nightcap of Monday's doubleheader against the Mets.

Wilson will merely be the 27th man for the twin bill, so it's likely he heads right back to the minors following the game. He's still just 23 years old, but he's shown little reason to get excited this year or in any of his other three partial seasons in the big leagues, posting a 6.46 ERA in seven starts this season and a 6.14 ERA in 73.1 innings for his career.

The Padres optioned Knehr to Triple-A El Paso on Thursday.

Knehr returned to the minors one day after he was called up to make a spot start in the second half of a doubleheader with Atlanta. He has yet to be officially credited with any statistics from that start; he gave up three runs on one hit and two walks over 1.2 innings, departing with a 5-2 lead before the game was suspended in the bottom of the fifth due to inclement weather while the Padres held a one-run advantage. Atlanta and San Diego are expected to make up the contest during their series in late September, so Knehr's statistics won't appear on his season-long ledger until the suspended game is completed.

Clarke (shoulder) threw a 25-pitch simulated inning Saturday.

Clarke's been on the injured list since the middle of June with a strained right teres muscle. The right-hander is expected to next pitch in a "B" game at Salt River Fields, the site of the organization's training complex.

Rainey (lower leg) retired two of the five batters he faced in his first rehab outing with Triple-A Rochester on Sunday. He was charged with an earned run on one hit and two walks during the 24-pitch outing.

Pitching in a game for the first time since June 27, Rainey struggled to find the zone, as he pumped in only 11 pitches for strikes. The outing wasn't all bad for Rainey, who recorded both of his outs via strikeout. if Rainey shows improved control in his next outing with Rochester, it could be enough for the Nationals to activate him from the 10-day injured list.

The Padres are targeting early August for Lamet's (forearm) return from the 10-day injured list, and he's most likely to work out of the bullpen as a multi-inning reliever upon being activated, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. "At the end of the day, the rotation is some place I want to get back to, but I'm here to help the team. I'm here to help the team win," Lamet said, regarding a potential move to the bullpen. "So, if that's what my role is right now and that's what I need to do to help, of course I'm going to do it."

Though Lamet avoided offseason surgery to address the elbow/forearm injury that cropped up last September, he's incurred multiple setbacks in 2021 and has had his workloads monitored carefully when available, as he's covered more than four innings in only one of his nine starts to date. Lamet looks to be making good progress in his recovery from forearm inflammation, but the Padres don't seem inclined to have him ramp up for starting duty. Since Lamet would most likely be excluded from the three- or four-man rotation the Padres expect to roll out in the postseason, manager Jayce Tingler is incentivized to have the right-hander get acclimated to working out of the bullpen over the final few weeks of the regular season. Even if Lamet takes well to the role and quickly becomes a key part of the bridge to closer Mark Melancon, the 29-year-old's fantasy value would still take a hit if he does in fact transition from starting to relief duty.

Diaz struck out three batters and walked one in a scoreless ninth inning Sunday, securing a save over the Blue Jays.

Diaz issued a one-out walk to Vladimir Guerrero but still locked down his 21st save of the season. He converted two saves in the weekend series against Toronto after blowing his previous three chances. The 27-year-old now owns a 4.08 ERA with a 58:17 K:BB while going 21-for-25 in save opportunities this season.

Atlanta plans to call up Wilson from Triple-A Gwinnett to start the second game of Monday's doubleheader with the Mets, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Wilson will presumably be designated as Atlanta's 27th man for the twin bill, just as he was for last Wednesday's doubleheader with the Padres. He also started the second game of that doubleheader, working four innings in the outing while giving up five runs on eight hits and no walks. The depleted Atlanta pitching staff could surely use another capable arm, but Wilson still looks like he'll be the odd man out of the rotation when the team will be able to scale down to five starters following Monday's twin bill. He's submitted a 6.46 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across his seven starts in the majors in 2021.

Kelly tweaked his hamstring in the ninth inning of Sunday's win over the Rockies, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kenley Jansen had pitched on three of the last four days, so Kelly entered Sunday's game in the ninth inning for the save opportunity. The right-hander allowed one hit and no walks while striking out one in a scoreless inning to earn the fourth save of his career and his first since 2019. However, manager Dave Roberts revealed after the game that Kelly suffered a hamstring injury while fielding a grounder, and he'll be evaluated Monday.