MLB Player News

Voth was scratched from an upcoming start at Triple-A Fresno, potentially in preparation for a spot start with the Nationals on Wednesday against the Phillies or Saturday against the Braves, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

A rainout Monday has shaken up the Nationals' plans for the week, potentially to Voth's benefit. The 26-year-old posted a 6.57 ERA in 12.1 innings for the Nationals this season and has an unimpressive 4.40 ERA in 12 starts for Fresno this year.

The Padres pulled Castillo off his rehab assignment at Triple-A El Paso after he experienced renewed discomfort in his left forearm during his appearance Saturday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Castillo was evaluated by team doctors in San Diego on Monday, but it's unclear what the medical staff concluded after its examination. In any event, Castillo's shutdown will push back any potential activation from the 60-day injured list, which was initially expected to come later this week.

Iglesias was credited with his second hold of the season after tossing a scoreless inning in Monday's 3-2 win over the Astros. He issued two walks and didn't strike out a batter in the 21-pitch appearance.

With the Reds clinging to a one-run lead with one out and a runner on first in the top of the eighth, Iglesias was summoned from the bullpen. He was able to escape the inning without any drama and came back out for the ninth, retiring one of the two hitters he faced before being pulled in favor of Michael Lorenzen, who was able to close out the frame for his third save of the season. While Iglesias remains the Reds' top option for saves, manager David Bell hasn't been shy about using the right-hander outside of traditional closing situations. As a result, Iglesias may continue to cede the occasional save chance to one of the Reds' other late-inning arms.

Kay is not viewed as an option to fill in for Noah Syndergaard (hamstring) in the Mets' rotation, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets' top pitching prospect just got a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse. While he did give up five runs in four innings against Gwinnett on Friday in his first look at International League hitters, Kay's 6:1 K:BB suggests he wasn't overmatched. Syndergaard isn't expected to be out for long, though, and the Mets have no incentive to rush Kay to the majors in what is looking like a lost season.

Smith picked up the save against the Dodgers on Monday, striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning without allowing a baserunner to close out the Giants' 3-2 victory.

It was the 19th save in as many opportunities for the veteran southpaw, who is enjoying an excellent season as the primary ninth-inning option for the Giants. Coming off this latest solid effort, Smith is boasting a 2.12 ERA, a 0.81 WHIP and a 44:7 K:BB over 29.2 innings, making one of the better closer options out there despite pitching on a Giants team that is currently at the bottom of the National League West.

Beede (1-2) picked up the win against the Dodgers on Monday, giving up one earned run on three hits over six innings, striking out seven and walking five as the Giants claimed a 3-2 victory.

The five free passes were the lone blemish on Beede's stat line, but he did well to work around the baserunners and exit the contest after yielding just the one earned run. It was a nice outing, but Beede has struggled overall in his 28.1 big-league innings this season, as he's still sporting a 6.67 ERA, a 1.91 WHIP and a 33:22 K:BB.

Helsley (shoulder) has responded well to treatment and has now been cleared to resume playing catch, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Helsley is scheduled to come off the injured list next Sunday, and if he can avoid a cortisone shot, he may just meet that timeline. The right-hander received an anti-inflammatory upon being sidelined June 13, and it appears that's led to considerable improvement to this point.

Yates picked up the save against the Brewers on Monday, tossing a scoreless ninth inning without allowing a baserunner to close out the Padres' 2-0 victory. He struck out one.

Yates continued his lights-out campaign by recording his 25th save of the season, retiring the side on just 13 pitches to successfully protect San Diego's two-run advantage. He still has yet to blow a save this season, and has yielded just four earned runs in 31 innings, giving him a sparkling 1.16 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP to go along with his elite 52:8 K:BB.

Hicks worked a perfect ninth inning in a non-save situation during Monday's win over Miami.

Hicks needed just seven pitches to make quick work of Miami's 4-6 hitters by forcing three straight groundouts. The flame-throwing closer lowered his ERA to 3.33 with 27 strikeouts in 24.1 innings. He's also 14-for-15 in save chances with a tight grip on St. Louis' closing job.

Hernandez (0-2) yielded two runs (one earned) on five hits over six innings Monday, striking out six and taking the loss against St. Louis.

Hernandez had a pretty solid night in St. Louis, with the lone earned run allowed coming from a Matt Carpenter solo blast. He needed 101 pitches to get through six frames, but 78 of those were for strikes. The 24-year-old righty owns a strong 13:2 K:BB in 13.2 innings this season. Hernandez will carry a 3.95 ERA into Saturday's start in Philadelphia.