MLB Player News

Hicks earned his 11th hold by firing two scoreless innings in a win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, recording three strikeouts and hitting a batter. He's generated four scoreless frames overall in his first two appearances of July.

The young right-hander has managed to hang on to a spot on the big-league roster without interruption thus far in 2018, a notable feat considering he made the leap from High-A ball without having logged so much as a single appearance at any level about that. Hicks has had remarkably few stumbles, and he's now turned in scoreless outings in seven of his last eight appearances. The in-season incorporation of a slider has also been a rousing success, with Hicks generating a 29:7 K:BB in 19 appearances since May 23.

The Nationals outrighted Collins to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.

Collins was pushed through waivers the same day he was designated for assignment, with none of the other 29 teams having interest in adding the reliever to their 40-man roster. The lefty will thus stick in the Nationals organization after posting a 2.77 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 17 appearances with the big club, his first in the majors since the 2014 season.

Ellington (biceps) was added to Double-A Jackson's active roster earlier in the week and has made two appearances with the affiliate, giving up three runs (two earned) in two innings.

Ellington signed a minor-league deal with the Diamondbacks in April, just over a week after he was released by the Marlins when he experienced biceps tendinitis during spring training. The injury kept Ellington on the shelf for the first three months of the season, but after he completed four rehab appearances in the lower rungs of the minors, it looks like he'll settle in with Arizona's Southern League affiliate. The right-hander has two seasons of sub-3.00 ERAs in the big leagues on his resume and could eventually be viewed as an option for the Arizona bullpen if he proves healthy and effective in the minors.

Suarez (3-5) took the loss despite allowing just one run on five hits with six strikeouts through seven innings Wednesday against the Rockies.

It was a brilliant outing for Suarez, and at Coors Field to boot. His only mistake was a seventh-inning home run by Chris Iannetta, which would wind up as the only run of the game. Suarez used 10 groundball outs to get through seven innings with just 89 pitches -- he probably could have pitched the eighth had the Giants not opted for a pinch-hitter in the top half of the frame. Suarez hasn't allowed more than two runs since June 8 against Washington and will take a 3.92 ERA into his next start Monday against the Cubs.

Jansen worked around a pair of hits to convert a five-out save Wednesday against the Dodgers.

The save, Jansen's 23rd, was his fifth of at least four outs this season. He now has multiple strikeouts in 12 of his past 38 outings, but he still owns just a 9.3 K/9, five full strikeouts below his mark from 2017. Jansen has still been great, but that's a big reason why he owns an ERA over 2.00 for the first time in three seasons.

Holmes (0-1) gave up four runs on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts through 2.1 innings in a loss Wednesday to the Dodgers.

Holmes gave up a pair of doubles among his five hits, but it was the utter lack of control that really did him in, as he tossed just 34 strikes on 64 pitches. Control has been an issue for him in the minor leagues as well, as he has posted a 4.0 BB/9 or higher every year since 2016. Holmes is unlikely to hold onto this rotation spot for long, as Joe Musgrove (finger) could be ready to return Tuesday against Washington.

Arano earned his first career save by tossing a pair of scoreless innings Wednesday against the Orioles, walking one batter and striking out three.

Arano entered the top of the eighth with a three-run lead and got the job done easily, allowing just a single baserunner over the final two innings. He's posted strong numbers for the Phillies this season, throwing 31 innings with a 2.32 ERA and a 9.6 K/9. He could find himself in high-leverage situations more frequently going forward, though Seranthony Dominguez remains firmly atop the pecking order in the Philadelphia bullpen.

Bowman (finger) fired a scoreless seventh inning in Triple-A Memphis' win over Iowa on Tuesday, allowing a hit and recording two strikeouts.

Bowman has looked impressive through three rehab appearances, allowing an earned run on three hits over three innings while generating a 5:0 K:BB. The blisters that have tormented the right-hander haven't resurfaced during his current rehab assignment, but that was also the case in his most recent minor-league stint before they ultimately returned shortly after his activation. Although Bowman is seemingly making very good progress, manager Mike Matheny currently has no firm timetable for his activation, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Shaw (calf) will make rehab appearances Friday and Sunday for Triple-A Albuquerque, Nick Groke of The Athletic Denver reports.

Shaw struggled to a 7.57 ERA prior to going down with a calf strain in late June. If he ends up needing just the pair of rehab appearances, he could be lined up to return Tuesday for the start of next week's mid-week series against Arizona.

Neal was traded from the Reds to the Dodgers on Wednesday along with reliever Dylan Floro and international signing bonus pool space in exchange for minor-league pitchers James Marinan and Aneurys Zabala.

The Dodgers will get Neal back from the Reds after previously trading him to Cincinnati in April, but he's probably the least desirable of the three commodities Los Angeles received in Wednesday's deal. The 29-year-old owns a 4.94 ERA over 31 career appearances in the big leagues and has been even worse across 49.1 innings at the Triple-A level in 2018, posting a 5.47 ERA and 1.36 WHIP while notching just 29 strikeouts.