MLB Player News

Johnson was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic Bay Area reports.

With Sacramento's season coming to an end Monday, the Giants will bring Johnson aboard along with fellow Triple-A hurlers Steven Okert and Casey Kelly to provide some bullpen depth throughout September. Johnson has previously made 31 appearances with the big club this season, posting a 5.72 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across 39.1 innings.

The Cardinals recalled Brebbia from Triple-A Memphis on Monday, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

After a brief absence due to a case of right forearm tightness, Brebbia was activated from the disabled list Aug. 19 and optioned to Triple-A. Brebbia demonstrated his health at Memphis by piling up 10 strikeouts in 5.2 innings over his last five appearances, earning him a return trip to the big club. He'll likely fill a low-leverage role in the St. Louis bullpen throughout September.

Iglesias allowed an unearned run while issuing three walks Sunday against the Cardinals, but he came away with his 25th save of the season. He did not record a strikeout.

Iglesias walked the leadoff batter and saw him come around to score on a passed ball and a run-scoring groundout. He then issued back-to-back walks with two outs before retiring the final batter to close it out. This outing continues a rough patch of form for Iglesias, who's now been scored upon in five of his last six outings while enduring two losses and a blown save in that stretch. Still, he holds a 2.48 ERA as well as a 1.07 WHIP for this season and should bounce back sooner rather than later.

Boxberger (2-5) allowed two earned runs on two walks and managed to record just one out before taking the loss Sunday against the Dodgers.

Boxberger walked the first two batters he faced, then recorded one out on a sacrifice bunt prior to being pulled in favor of Archie Bradley. Bradley then surrendered a two-RBI double to Matt Kemp to end the game, handing the loss to Boxberger. The misstep continued his struggles since the All-Star break, as he has been charged with multiple earned runs in three of his 14 appearances. There hasn't been any indication he'll lose his role as closer with the Diamondbacks preferring to reserve Archie Bradley for high-leverage setup duty, though Boxberger's recent struggles make Arizona's situation worth eyeing.

The Dodgers recalled Stewart from Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed him on the 60-day disabled list with a right oblique strain.

Stewart must have picked up the oblique injury during his final start with Oklahoma City on Aug. 27. The Dodgers' unorthodox decision to bring him up from the minors and immediately place him on the DL was solely for the purpose of opening up a spot on the 40-man roster for catcher Rocky Gale, whose contract was selected from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Hader was not available Saturday due to planned rest following recent heavy usage, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The suffocating southpaw might've been able to help stop the bleeding during the Nationals' four-run eighth inning that stole the game from the Brewers, but Hader had worked 8.2 innings (six appearances) in 12 days heading into Saturday. He'll presumably be available Sunday for a setup or save spot in the series finale.

Minter struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his 12th save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Pirates.

The flamethrowing southpaw converted his first save chance since blowing one against the Rockies Aug. 18. Arodys Vizcaino (shoulder) is eligible to come off the disabled list Sept. 10, but it's not yet clear if he'll be ready by then, or if he'll immediately reclaim closer duties for the Braves. Until the situation becomes clearer, Minter should remain the primary option for saves in Atlanta.

Jansen pitched a scoreless inning and recorded his 34th save of the season Saturday, working around a hit while striking out a batter. Manager Dave Roberts said Jansen insisted he also be available Sunday, which would be his third game in as many days, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic Los Angeles reports.

Jansen has endured up-and-down results since returning from the disabled list with an irregular heartbeat, but his emphatically effective Saturday wrapup -- his second straight scoreless appearance -- has helped him gain more confidence in his physical conditioning. He's offered himself up for a third straight day of work, but it's up to Roberts to send Jansen or another back-ender -- perhaps new acquisition Ryan Madson -- into a potential save spot. This enthusiasm is promising for Jansen's short-term outlook, though, so his fantasy shareholders should be encouraged.

Poncedeleon (0-1) allowed three earned runs on five hits and a walk while striking out four across 3.1 innings to take the loss against the Reds on Saturday.

The Reds got to Poncedeleon the second time through the lineup, when they recorded three doubles in the span of four batters in the fourth inning. That led to all three of his earned runs and he did not survive the inning. It was a disappointing effort for Poncedeleon, as he had remained stretched out as a starter at Triple-A Memphis and had the opportunity to pitch deeper into the game. However, If he remains in the rotation, he should be stretched out enough to provide meaningful innings.

Gsellman registered his ninth save of the season Saturday, working a scoreless inning with a strikeout to wrap up the Mets' extra-innings victory over the Giants.

Gsellman checked off a 1-2-3 11th in his second appearance following a recent bout with strep throat. He's the Mets' primary closing option as they play out the rest of a lost 2018 season. He hasn't allowed a run in 11 of his past 12 appearances, and if he puts together a strong finish to this campaign -- in which he has a 3.77 ERA and eight saves -- he'll likely enter 2019 as the best bet to close out games, barring other high-impact back-end acquisitions. The 25-year-old has one more year of team control before entering his first offseason of arbitration in 2020.