MLB Player News

Helsley has tested positive for COVID-19, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The Cardinals had two players and one staff member test positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and Thursday, and Helsley was revealed as one of those players Friday. He's reportedly experiencing a low-grade fever as he deals with the virus. The team's weekend series against the Cubs was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak among team members, but Giovanny Gallegos could see save chances once the Cardinals return to play. Helsley will be eligible to return to the team once he produces two negative tests.

Martin was placed on the 10-day injured list with an esophageal constriction Friday.

Martin last pitched Wednesday and delivered a scoreless inning, and it's unclear when and how he suffered the injury. The 34-year-old has no official timeline for his return.

Howard remains the likely candidate to start Sunday's game against the Braves, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

The 24-year-old is expected to make his major-league debut in Sunday's series finale, though Philadelphia continues to list the probable starter as TBD. Howard needs to be added to the 40-man roster, so the the Phillies are unlikely to make the roster move until after Saturday's contest. The right-hander began the season off the 30-man roster -- which helped the team secure an extra year of service time -- or he otherwise may have been included in the Opening Day rotation. Howard is one of baseball's top pitching prospects and a strong debut performance could secure a longer-term spot in the rotation.

Guzman was optioned by the Marlins on Friday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Guzman will remain with the team as part of the taxi squad. Humberto Mejia was activated off the taxi squad in advance of his MLB debut in a corresponding move.

Gsellman (triceps) was activated from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Gsellman had been on the shelf since developing triceps tightness in mid-July, but the issue evidently wasn't a particularly severe one. The Mets' closer situation is somewhat unclear due to Edwin Diaz's poor start, and Gsellman does have 14 career saves, but his career 4.44 ERA and 18.7 percent strikeout rate are hardly closer material, making him seemingly unlikely to move ahead of Seth Lugo, Dellin Betances or Jeurys Familia.

Ponce de Leon won't start as scheduled Friday against the Cubs since the game was postponed following more positive COVID-19 test results from the Cardinals, Mark Saxon of The Athletic reports.

The Cardinals were set to resume their season Friday after their past two series were postponed following the team's COVID-19 outbreak last week, but it appears they aren't out of the woods yet and produced another positive test result. It remains unclear what this means for the rest of the series against the Cubs, but it's a troublesome development with the Cardinals already out of action since July 29.

Diaz's last two appearances have come with the Mets trailing. He has three strikeouts while allowing zero hits and one walk in two scoreless frames over that span.

Seth Lugo picked up the save Wednesday, and given Diaz's usage of late, it seems like Lugo is the guy to roster in that bullpen right now. There is no denying that Diaz has the stuff to close, but he also doesn't have the trust of manager Luis Rojas.

Davidson is built up to 80 pitches and could be an option in the rotation for Atlanta, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old southpaw has a mid-90s fastball that he developed at Driveline, along with a curveball and improved upper-80s slider. He logged a 10 percent walk rate at Double-A and an 11 percent walk rate at Triple-A last year, so throwing strikes will be the key swing skill for him if he gets a look in the rotation this season. Saturday's starter is still TBD, and that nod could go to Davidson, since he is trending up and is on the 40-man roster. It could also go to Bryse Wilson, who has had experience -- but not success -- as a big-league starter. Ian Anderson and Kyle Muller are also non-40-man candidates for Saturday's start.

Wilson is one of the top candidates to start Saturday in Philadelphia, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

O'Brien is only guessing here, as Atlanta is still undecided. He also notes that the team could go with an opener and make it a bullpen game. While Wilson is a fine prospect, he has not had much success as a big-league starter (5.56 ERA in 22.2 innings). Ian Anderson, who is not on the 40-man roster, and Tucker Davidson, who is on the 40-man roster, are probably more intriguing options for fantasy purposes.

Yamamoto didn't factor into the decision in Thursday's contest between the Marlins and the Orioles. He gave up four runs on six hits -- including two home runs -- while fanning four across four innings.

Yamamoto didn't last long in his season debut, but he didn't factor into the decision since Baltimore's starting pitcher, Wade LeBlanc, also endured his fair share of struggles. It remains to be seen whether Yamamoto will be able to make another start due to the team's fluid situation amid their COVID-19 outbreak.