MLB Player News

Helsley worked around a pair of walks in the ninth inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-0 win over the Cubs. He struck out two.

After recording the first two outs in the ninth, Helsley issued consecutive walks to Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ before striking out Nico Hoerner to earn his MLB-leading 23rd save of the year. Helsley hasn't blown a save since March 30, in his first appearance of the season. His ERA on the year is down to 2.61 with a 1.13 WHIP and 35:10 K:BB across 31 innings.

Ferrer (shoulder) will throw live batting practice Monday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Ferrer will face batters for the first time since suffering a shoulder strain back in March, but it's not yet clear when he might begin a rehab assignment. The 24-year-old should be expected to return in late June or early July.

Minter (hip) will throw multiple bullpen sessions before Atlanta decides whether to send him out on a rehab assignment or activate him, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The initial feeling when Minter landed on the injured list with left hip inflammation late last month was that he would probably miss about the minimum amount of time. He's already been sidelined longer than that, although he hasn't suffered a setback. Minter boasts a 2.95 ERA and 23:6 K:BB over 21.1 frames this season.

Yarbrough tossed three relief innings against Texas on Thursday, allowing one run on two hits and four walks while striking out three batters.

With Yoshinobu Yamamoto's scheduled start pushed back to Saturday, Los Angeles opted for a bullpen game in the finale of a three-game set against the Rangers. Michael Grove opened and took the loss after allowing two runs in one inning, before Yarbrough settled things down a bit despite issuing a season-high four free passes. Yarbrough has shifted between a starting role and a relief role throughout his career, but he's made all 19 of his appearances so far this year out of the bullpen. The southpaw has covered two or more innings in 11 of those outings, and overall he's posted a 3.11 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 22:16 K:BB over 46.1 frames.

The Marlins designated Smith for assignment Friday.

The right-hander was acquired from the Rays in late March and posted a 4.25 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 23:9 K:BB over 29.2 innings for the Marlins. Smith could head to Triple-A Jacksonville if he passes through waivers unclaimed.

The Marlins recalled Anderson from Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday.

Anderson will start Friday's game against the Nationals. The right-hander's two major-league appearances this season came in relief with the Rangers, but he's posted a 2.51 ERA and 31:4 K:BB over 28.2 innings across six starts at Triple-A in 2024.

Brown has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his neck, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Brown was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier this week with what was referred to as a neck strain at the time. With this more serious diagnosis, he is likely to be sidelined longer than the minimum 15 days, although a clearer timeline isn't yet available. Jordan Wicks has re-entered the Cubs' rotation in Brown's place.

Law (3-2) took the loss Thursday against the Tigers, coughing up four runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of relief. He struck out one.

The journeyman right-hander wasted a strong effort by Patrick Corbin, giving up a solo shot to Justyn-Henry Malloy in the sixth inning before the wheels came off completely for Law in the seventh. He's handled a versatile role out of the Nationals' bullpen this season, recording six holds and three wins in 33 appearances with a 3.48 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and a 41:13 K:BB through 41.1 innings, but the heavy workload may be catching up to him -- Law's been scored upon in four of his last eight trips to the mound, and he's been taken deep twice over his last three games.

Diaz (2-1) struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Thursday to pick up the win over the Marlins.

The right-hander looked good in his first appearance since May 25, topping out at 99.6 mph with his fastball. Diaz had been on the IL with a shoulder impingement before being activated Thursday, but he hadn't been his usual dominant self even before getting shut down -- so far in 2024 he has a 16.7 percent whiff rate, one of the lowest marks of his career and a massive drop from the 25.2 percent rate he delivered in 2022. While his results were impressive Thursday, Diaz managed only two swinging strikes on 15 pitches, suggesting that he may not be fully back in form yet.

Almonte (shoulder) will throw a live batting practice session Friday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

It appears to be the first time he's faced hitters since going down with a right shoulder strain in early May. Almonte should be ready for a rehab assignment before long and is tracking toward a return before the end of the month.