MLB Player News

Walker (6-3) retired both batters he faced and earned the win Sunday over the Twins.

Walker was called on for damage control after Camilo Doval blew a save chance. Walker got Willi Castro to ground out and Brooks Lee to fly out, keeping the game tied at 2-2 before Mike Yastrzemski tripled and scored on an error to win it for the Giants. Aside from a three-run stumble versus the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Walker continues to be quite steady in a high-leverage role. He's at a 2.32 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 62:10 K:BB through 50.1 innings while adding 17 holds and two blown saves this season. While reliever wins can be tricky to project, Walker's steady ratios, high strikeout rate and setup duties make him a reliable option for fantasy managers.

Doval allowed two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one over one-third of an inning, taking a blown save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Twins.

Doval's poor performance didn't stop the Giants from winning, but it made things a bit hairy in the ninth inning. The closer had gone five scoreless innings since his last blown save June 28, though he continues to put too many batters on base. For the season, Doval has a 4.38 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 49:24 K:BB over 37 innings while going 17-for-21 in save chances. If manager Bob Melvin changes his approach to the closer job, Doval could lose some of his save share to Ryan Walker or Tyler Rogers.

Smyly tossed 1.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn a hold in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Cardinals.

Smyly picked things up after Chicago starter Jameson Taillon covered 5.2 innings, and the former was effective across his 16 pitches, earning his third hold of the season in the process. Smyly had a solid first half of the season, posting a 3.09 ERA across 35 innings of relief. While the veteran lefty has plenty of starting experience in his career, he's worked exclusively out of the bullpen so far in 2024, and he'll likely stick in that role after the All-Star break.

Lopez tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Cardinals. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two.

Despite getting released by the Mets in unceremonious fashion earlier this season, Lopez had a solid first half, as he finished with a 3.18 ERA across 34 innings. He's been even better since joining the Cubs at the end of June, posting a 1.17 ERA across 7.2 innings. Lopez may be able to seize a higher-leverage role after the All-Star break if he continues to pitch well out of the Chicago bullpen.

Walston (elbow) isn't expected to return from the 15-day injured list until sometime in August, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

After turning in a 2.84 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 11:9 K:BB in 12.2 innings through his first three big-league outings (two starts), Walston was placed on the 15-day injured list June 6. His injury was initially classified as left elbow inflammation, but the Diamondbacks have since listed him with a left elbow strain, according to MLB.com. While Walston has resumed throwing off flat ground from 60 to 100 feet, the Diamondbacks haven't yet indicated that he's been cleared for bullpen sessions, so he still looks to be several weeks away from being stretched back out for a starter's workload. All of Jordan Montgomery (knee), Eduardo Rodriguez (lat) and Merrill Kelly (shoulder) are further along in their throwing progressions and appear poised to beat Walston back from the injured list, so the 22-year-old southpaw will most likely be optioned to Triple-A Reno once he's activated.

Hudson wasn't available out of the bullpen for Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Tigers due to back stiffness, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Hudson has been dealing with the injury for the last couple of days, which likely explains why he also went unused in the 11-9 extra-inning loss to Detroit on Saturday, when manager Dave Roberts turned to less-trusted bullpen arms in Ricky Vanasco and Yohan Ramirez late in the game in high-leverage spots. The Dodgers seem to be viewing Hudson as day-to-day with the hope that he'll be ready to pitch coming out of the All-Star break.

The Cardinals returned Leahy to Triple-A Memphis on Sunday.

Leahy will head back to Memphis after he was summoned from the Triple-A club on Saturday to serve as the Cardinals' 27th man for a doubleheader with the Cubs. He was called upon in relief in the Cardinals' 11-3 win in the first game of the twin bill, striking out two while allowing one earned run on two hits and no walks over two innings.

The Cubs optioned Bigge to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Though right-hander Javier Assad was designated as the 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals after being activated from the injured list earlier in the day, he'll stick around with the Cubs and Bigge will be the odd man out as Chicago reduces its roster to 26 players ahead of Sunday's series finale in St. Louis. After being called up from Triple-A last Sunday, Bigge made three appearances out of the Cubs bullpen, giving up one earned run on one hit and two walks while striking out three over 2.1 innings.

The Nationals recalled Willingham from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday.

Willingham joins the Washington bullpen as a replacement for right-hander Hunter Harvey, who was traded to the Royals on Saturday. The 25-year-old Willingham has pitched exclusively at Rochester this season, logging a 4.54 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 39.2 innings. He'll likely be ticketed for low-leverage relief work while he's up with the Nationals.

The Rockies reinstated Rogers (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Sunday and optioned him to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Rogers had been in the midst of a rehab assignment with Albuquerque and will remain with the Rockies' top affiliate even though he's made a full recovery from the left rotator cuff strain that resulted in his placement on the IL on June 17. The southpaw had posted a 6.75 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 9.1 innings over his five appearances out of the Colorado bullpen prior to landing on the IL.