MLB Player News

Hader struck out the only two batters he faced Sunday, earning the save over the Cubs in an 8-5 win.

Hader has been on fire lately, posting a 15:1 K:BB over 9.1 scoreless frames since Aug. 25, lowering his ERA from 3.02 to 2.59 during that span. He's now 29-for-35 in save opportunities on the year despite his struggles in July and August.

Neris gave up two hits with no walks and struck out two through a scoreless inning to record his 24th save in a 10-7 win over the Mets on Sunday.

Neris allowed the tying run to come to the plate with only one out, but he worked his way out of trouble to nail down his 24th save of the season. Neris has only allowed one earned run and has a 0.68 ERA in his last 14 appearances. The 30-year-old has a 2.95 ERA and 80 strikeouts overall through 61 innings this season.

Ponce de Leon struck out three and worked around a walk in a scoreless inning of relief In Saturday's 10-1 win.

Ponce de Leon was called up from Triple-A Memphis for a spot start in the second game of a Sept. 1 doubleheader with the Reds, but he shifted to the bullpen once he had a chance to recover from the four-inning outing. So long as the Cardinals' continue to jockey for playoff positioning and the team's top five starters remain healthy, Ponce de Leon doesn't look like he'll be in line to re-enter the rotation. According to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, manager Mike Shildt confirmed as much Saturday, when he provided an outline for the Cardinals' rest-of-season pitching schedule that didn't include Ponce de Leon.

Yamamoto (forearm) is expected to throw a bullpen session within the next few days, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Once Yamamoto gets back on the mound, the Marlins will reassess his likelihood of pitching again before the regular season wraps up Sept. 29. Assuming Yamamoto's bullpen session goes well, manager Don Mattingly said he expects the rookie to pitch a simulated game in the Marlins' fall instructional league before returning from the 10-day injured list. Yamomoto has been on the shelf since Aug. 28 with a right forearm strain.

Wingenter was recalled from Double-A Amarillo on Sunday.

Wingenter has thrown 46.1 innings for the Padres this season, struggling ti a 5.05 ERA. His strong 33.2 percent strikeout rate hasn't been enough to overcome a poor 13.3 percent walk rate or a low 34.3 percent groundball rate.

Kimbrel (elbow) threw off flat ground Sunday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Kimbrel has been on the injured list with elbow inflammation, but he reportedly expects a minimum-length stay. The fact that he's resumed throwing already would seem to give him a shot to return when first eligible Thursday.

Herget was recalled by the Reds on Sunday.

Herget made the first three big-league appearances of his career back in July, allowing three runs in 3.2 innings of work. He recorded a 2.91 ERA in 58.2 innings for Triple-A Louisville this season, though that came with a worryingly high 14.3 percent walk rate and a good but not great 27.1 percent strikeout rate.

Yates gave up a hit and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his 40th save of the season in a 3-0 win over the Rockies.

The 32-year-old hadn't pitched since the final day of August, but Yates continues to lead the majors in saves by a wide margin -- the Yankees' Aroldis Chapman is second with 36 -- and he's converted eight straight opportunities, with his last blown save coming more than a month ago. Yates' 1.27 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and eye-popping 94:12 K:BB through 56.2 innings have made him the most valuable fantasy reliever in the game in 2019.

Hoffman (1-6) took the loss Saturday, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks over 5.2 innings as the Rockies were shut out 3-0 by the Padres. He struck out eight.

The eight whiffs were a season high for Hoffman, but the right-hander got no offensive support as he fell one out shy of his first quality start. He'll carry a 7.06 ERA and 54:21 K:BB through 51 innings into his next outing Friday, a rematch with the Padres back in Coors Field.

Melancon struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his 10th save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Nationals.

Shane Greene got the save the night before but worked as a set-up man in this one, leaving ninth-inning duties to Melancon once again. The veteran right-hander has a 20:2 K:BB in 14.2 innings and has converted all nine of his save chances since joining the Atlanta bullpen, but his 5.52 ERA is far less impressive, making it tough to gauge just how much job security Melancon actually has.