MLB Player News

Iglesias got the save against the Cubs on Sunday, firing a scoreless ninth inning without allowing a baserunner to close out the Reds' 2-1 victory.

He didn't record a strikeout, but it was still an easy outing for the right-hander, who bagged his 27th save of the season. He's having a solid season despite playing on a last-place club in Cincinnati, with this outing lowering his ERA to 2.47 and his WHIP to 1.05 through 65.2 innings.

Arano (elbow) struck out one in a scoreless inning Saturday against the Marlins.

Arano had been out for nearly a week due to elbow soreness, but if Saturday's showing is any indication, it appears the issue is behind him now. The right-hander now has a 2.45 ERA and a 9.3 K/9, numbers giving him some value in deeper fantasy leagues as long as he continues pitching in high-leverage situations.

Melancon gave up a hit over a scoreless inning while striking out two in Saturday's 3-0 win over Colorado.

Melancon is beginning to look like his former dominant self, posting a 1.74 ERA and 10.5 K/9 over his last 10 appearances. The 33-year-old picked up a couple of saves at the end of August during closer Will Smith's brief slump, but the latter has since righted the ship and even picked up a rare save for San Francisco on Saturday.

Smith allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning to record the save against the Rockies on Saturday.

Smith labored a bit -- he needed 18 pitches to get the final three outs -- but ultimately managed to record his 12th save of the season without any major difficulty. It was his first save in nearly three weeks, largely due to the fact that the Giants have won only seven games since Aug. 23. Smith appears to still have a handle on the team's closer role, though it isn't likely he'll draw a multitude of opportunities prior to season's end.

Vizcaino threw a scoreless ninth inning in Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Nationals, striking out one and walking one.

It's clear that Vizcaino won't be immediately retaking his role as the Braves' closer after missing over two months with shoulder inflammation. It remains to be seen whether he'll require several more low-leverage appearances or if he'll be in contention for a save opportunity sometime soon.

Garcia will start Saturday in Philadelphia, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Garcia has started six games for the Marlins this season and has appeared 17 times as a reliever, throwing 62.1 innings overall and posting a 5.05 ERA. He hasn't thrown more than two innings since June 1, so he's unlikely to go deep into Saturday's game.

Kennedy no longer appears to be included in the Padres' rotation, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The Padres added Bryan Mitchell to their rotation earlier this month in what was expected to be a temporary measure to give their four rookie starting pitchers additional rest between turns, but the veteran has seemingly performed well enough to stick around for additional starts. With manager Andy Green opting not to expand the rotation to six men, it appears Kennedy is the odd man out, as he hasn't pitched since Sept. 7 and isn't listed as a probable starter for any of the team's next four games. The decision to move Kennedy to the bullpen doesn't come as much of a surprise after the 24-year-old posted a 6.75 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 18:12 K:BB in 26.2 innings over his first six MLB starts.

Jansen picked up the save in Friday's 3-0 victory over the Cardinals, striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.

Jansen started the inning by hitting the leadoff batter, but he was able to settle down and generate three consecutive outs to close out the ninth. He has now collected at least 35 saves in five straight seasons and has a 2.89 ERA with 73 strikeouts over 65.1 innings so far in 2018.

Strop has a moderate left hamstring strain which will keep him out for the remainder of the regular season, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

As confirmed by an MRI, Strop will end up missing a few weeks after injuring his hamstring while running to first base during Thursday's game against Washington. With the Brewers breathing down Chicago's neck for the NL Central crown, there's a chance the Cubs will need to play in the Wild-Card game Oct. 2, so Strop will be re-examined following the team's three-game set with St. Louis to close out the regular season to see if he'll be ready to take the mound again. In his absence, Justin Wilson, Steve Cishek, Brandon Kintzler and potentially Jesse Chavez could see work in the ninth inning as manager Joe Maddon looks for a steadying presence to close out games.

Sims is out with a strained teres major in his upper right arm and may not return before the end of the season, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Sims was sent from Atlanta to Cincinnati in the Adam Duvall trade in late July. He has an ugly 7.47 ERA in 15.2 innings of relief between the two clubs this season.