MLB Player News

Manager Torey Lovullo said that he will play the matchups moving forward rather than have a designated closer, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Boxberger has allowed at least one run in three of his last four appearances, taking the loss in all three while raising his ERA from 3.45 to 4.40 in the process. His recent struggles have prompted Lovullo to turn to a committee in the ninth inning for now, with Yoshihisa Hirano and Archie Bradley looking like the top candidates to see save chances.

Poncedeleon will return to the rotation to start Wednesday against the Pirates, Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com reports.

The start will come on short rest, as Poncedeleon tossed a pair of relief innings in Detroit on Saturday. It's unclear if the Cardinals expect to run with a six-man rotation through the end of the season or if Poncedeleon will make just the one start before returning to the bullpen.

Jansen (heart) rejoined the Dodgers in Cincinnati on Monday as expected, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Jansen sat out the Dodgers' weekend series in Colorado on the recommendation of his cardiologist, as that was the location in which the symptoms of his irregular heartbeat first cropped up. The Dodgers have no more trips to Colorado on the schedule, so he should remain with the team for the rest of the season, though it's conceivable that the trip to Arizona from Sept. 24-26 could cause issues. The closer will eventually require surgery, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports, though that won't take place until the offseason.

Brigham's scheduled start Monday against the Mets was postponed.

Brigham has now had his scheduled start cancelled two days in a row. The game has been postponed until Wednesday, when Brigham will start one half of the doubleheader. Jose Urena will remain on turn to pitch Tuesday.

Diekman gave up one run on one hit and a walk over an inning of relief Sunday in the Diamondbacks' 9-5 loss to the Braves.

The Diamondbacks held a 4-2 lead heading into the top of the eighth inning before the bullpen squandered that advantage. Diekman was the first reliever to cave, though he at least limited the damage to one run while working the eighth, allowing him to come away with his second hold as a member of the Diamondbacks. Closer Brad Boxberger then went on to blow the save in the ninth and take his third loss in four appearances, raising further questions about his security at the back of the bullpen. Even if manager Torey Lovullo opts to make a change at closer, it would likely be Yoshihisa Hirano that gets the first crack at the gig rather than Diekman.

The Pirates outrighted Boshers to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.

Boshers will remain in the Pittsburgh organization after going unclaimed by the other 29 clubs when he was exposed to waivers last week. With none of the Pirates' upper-level minor-league affiliates still playing, Boshers' 2018 campaign is likely over.

Hicks secured his 23rd hold in Sunday's win over the Tigers, but he's lost out in the competition for the closer's role to Carlos Martinez, Tyler Fenwick of MLB.com reports.

The triple-digit fireballer worked a scoreless eighth inning in Sunday's victory, allowing a walk and recording a strikeout. It was a nice rebound from a rocky outing in Friday's series opener in which Hicks gave up two earned runs over 1.1 innings, but the rookie nevertheless appears slated for a setup role behind Martinez for what remains of the regular season. Despite that development, Hicks has been extremely impressive in 2018 after vaulting multiple minor-league levels to unexpectedly reach the majors this season, and he remains a quality asset to own in many formats.

Alexander fired a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his third save of the season against the Rockies on Sunday.

With Kenley Jansen (chest) not making the trip to Colorado, Alexander was asked to close out Sunday's contest against the lefty-heavy portion of the Rockies' lineup. Kenta Maeda picked up the last save, but manager Dave Roberts stayed true to his committee approach and played matchups in this one. Jansen will rejoin the team Monday in Cincinnati, so Alexander will fall back into his usual lefty-specialist role.

Boxberger (2-7) allowed three earned runs on three hits while only managing to record one out to blow the save and take the loss Sunday against the Braves.

Boxberger entered the game to begin the ninth inning with a one-run lead but allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base before surrendering a three-run homer to Ender Inciarte. He has now allowed at least one earned run in three of his past four appearances, taking the loss in all three. Manager Torey Lovullo said Boxberger was still the team's closer on Friday night, but his continued struggles may call his role into question.

Yates struck out two batters in a perfect inning to secure his seventh save in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Reds.

Yates picked up his first save since Aug. 28, making him 7-for-8 in save chances on the year. The 31-year-old righty owns a 1.98 ERA and 77:14 K:BB.