MLB Player News

Dodd struck out one in a perfect sixth inning Wednesday to record his second hold of the season in a win over the Cardinals.

The 28-year-old southpaw set down the top of St. Louis' order on 14 pitches (nine strikes), punctuating his performance with a strikeout of Alec Burleson. Dodd is adjusting well to a full-time relief role, albeit a low-leverage one, and through 22 innings over 17 big-league appearances this season he's delivered a 2.45 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 25:8 K:BB.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss confirmed that Waldrep will start Thursday's game against the Cardinals, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Waldrep made his 2026 debut with Atlanta last Friday, pitching two innings of relief behind starter Reynaldo Lopez. Both pitchers will be in the rotation this week, as Bryce Elder will have his turn skipped. Though Elder is expected to return to the rotation next week, Waldrep could end up sticking around in a starting role, as Atlanta is contemplating moving Grant Holmes to the bullpen. Waldrep's performance Thursday will likely influence that decision, though the right-hander shouldn't be expected to work more than five or six innings, regardless of how well he's pitching. Since completing his recovery from a Feb. 23 elbow procedure and beginning a rehab stint at the beginning of June, Waldrep hasn't tossed more than 71 pitches or covered more than 4.2 innings in any outing.

Kilian struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Kilian allowed five runs over 1.2 innings across his last two appearances in June, but he bounced back with a perfect inning Wednesday to picked up his seventh save of the season and his third in his last four appearances. The right-hander has a 4.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 43:17 K:BB over 36 innings this year. Kilian continues to operate as the Giants' closer, though he brings some risk in fantasy due to a high walk rate (4.3 BB/9).

Hill (shoulder) resumed playing catch Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Hill has progressed quickly in the last few days in his recovery from shoulder tendinitis, with Wednesday marking his return to throwing after landing on the shelf June 24. The next step in his recovery will be a bullpen session, though it's unclear when he'll be cleared to do so.

Bernardino struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Marlins.

The Rockies had a relatively fresh bullpen in this game after utilizing just one reliever Tuesday, so it's a bit of a surprise Bernardino got the save chance. Both Victor Vodnik and Antonio Senzatela went unused while Juan Mejia and Jimmy Herget pitched earlier in the contest to preserve the lead. Bernardino has had a decent season with one save, five holds and two blown saves while pitching to a 3.48 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 26:10 K:BB across 33.2 innings. Bernardino is the lone left-hander in Colorado's bullpen, so he may be called upon for some save chances when a string of left-handed hitters is due up. Still, chasing saves with any Colorado reliever is risky business in fantasy.

The Dodgers will recall Gervase from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Gervase will be welcomed back into the Dodgers' bullpen after firing nine consecutive scoreless innings with Oklahoma City. He'll replace Charlie Barnes, who threw seven innings out of the pen during Wednesday's loss to the Athletics.

The Dodgers will option Barnes to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers were expected to have a bullpen game Wednesday, but Barnes derailed those plans by pitching seven innings in a loss to the A's, during which he served up seven runs on 12 hits and two walks while striking out two batters. Rather than keeping a taxed arm in the bullpen, the Dodgers will now send the 30-year-old southpaw back to Triple-A and call up Paul Gervase to fill the open spot.

Megill earned the save Wednesday against the Reds, allowing a hit with one strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.

Megill allowed a double in the ninth but struck out the slumping JJ Bleday with a runner on third to give the Brewers the series win. The right-hander has converted his last four save opportunities and hasn't allowed a run in his last 10 trips to the mound, striking out 15 and allowing only four hits over 10 innings during that stretch. The 32-year-old has solidified himself as Milwaukee's closer after a nervy start to the season, as he now has a 3.27 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 44:9 K:BB across 33 innings while going 12-for-14 in save chances.

Drohan did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Reds, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over 5.2 innings.

Drohan notched another successful start since becoming a member of the Brewers' rotation on June 1, with the Reds' only two runs coming on a Noelvi Marte homer in the second inning. The lefty Drohan has now given up three runs or fewer in five of his six starts and carries a 3.12 ERA and 59:18 K:BB on the season. The 27-year-old could return to the bullpen when Logan Henderson (back) is ready to come off the IL, but Drohan has pitched well enough to keep himself in the rotation conversation.

Lopez (4-1) earned the win Wednesday over St. Louis, allowing a run on two hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out six.

Making a second straight start, Lopez would give up a run in the first inning before settling in and holding the Cardinals without a hit over his final four frames. After a rough start to the year, Lopez has turned things around of late, posting a 2.70 ERA over his last 11 appearances (23.1 innings). Lopez looks to have earned another chance in Atlanta's rotation going forward -- he's currently slated to face the Mets at home in his next outing.