MLB Player News

Chafin was activated from the paternity leave list Friday.

The veteran left-hander is back in the bullpen after tending to more important matters. Chafin has collected a 3.06 ERA and 45:15 K:BB over 32.1 innings out of the Diamondbacks' bullpen this season.

Stephan (5-4) struck out two over 1.2 perfect innings to earn the win Friday versus the Phillies.

With starter Gavin Williams going just four innings, the official scorer had the discretion to award Stephan the win for his work in the seventh and eighth frames. Stephan has pitched to a shaky 6.43 ERA in July, but he's at a solid 3.21 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 44:15 K:BB while adding two saves and 15 holds through 42 innings this season in a setup role.

Fleming (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with the Rays' Florida Complex League affiliate Saturday.

Fleming has been on the shelf since early June with cartilage damage and inflammation in his pitching elbow, but he's finally ready to test things out in game action. Given his relatively lengthy absence, Fleming figures to require a handful of rehab appearances before being an option for the Rays' rotation or bullpen.

Garza was recalled from Triple-A Worcester on Saturday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Garza has put up a 6.11 ERA across 16 appearances in the majors this season. He might only be up for a few days while Brayan Bello is on the paternity list.

Lovelady is slated to undergo further evaluation on his injured forearm with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, the team's official site reports.

The details surrounding Lovelady's forearm issues have been somewhat murky, and the fact he'll be undergoing further consultation suggests they may be a bit more complex than initially believed. The southpaw was placed on the injured list July 14, retroactive to July 11, and he remains shut down from throwing for the time being.

Leiter retired two batters in a scoreless appearance Friday to earn a hold in the 4-3 win over the Cardinals.

Leiter retired the final two batters of the eighth inning before Adbert Alzolay worked the ninth. Leiter seems to be firmly in a setup role ahead of Alzolay, as the former last recorded a save back on June 2. Since then, Leiter has six holds, while Alzolay has recorded six saves. Leiter still has some fantasy value as a setup man in deeper leagues.

Diaz pitched a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his 28th save of the season in a 9-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

He needed only 10 pitches (seven strikes) to get the job done, generating three groundball outs. The Cincinnati closer sits second in the majors in saves, two behind leader Camilo Doval's 30, and since the beginning of June, Diaz has posted a 2.01 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 24:9 K:BB through 22.1 innings while converting 15 of 16 save chances.

Fairbanks picked up the save in Friday's 3-0 victory over the Orioles, tossing a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out three and issued one walk.

Fairbanks issued a one-out walk to Adley Rutschman but ultimately worked around it en route to his 11th save. The right-hander is 6-for-6 in save chances since returning from the injured list June 15, and he boasts an elite 14:4 K:BB during that stretch (9.1 innings).

Clase worked a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his 26th save of the season in a 6-5 win over the Phillies.

The right-hander didn't walk or strike out a batter, instead relying on his dominant cutter -- he topped 100 mph with it five times among his 14 total pitches -- to generate weak contact. Clase has been more effective lately after some stumbles in the first couple months of the season, and since the beginning of June he's posted a 3.06 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB through 17.2 innings while converting nine of 11 save chances.

Hader picked up the save Friday against the Tigers, tossing a perfect ninth inning. He struck out one and didn't issue a walk.

Hader hasn't given up an earned run since May 31. During that stretch, he's gone 11-for-12 in save chances while striking out 23 over 16 appearances (14.2 innings). The left-hander had a few hiccups last year, but he has returned to form in 2023 and is still one of the elite bullpen arms in MLB.