MLB Player News

Nelson was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Monday.

Nelson hasn't looked good in 10 relief appearances this season, struggling to a 9.31 ERA and an 8:8 K:BB. He'll try to get back on track in the minors, with Logan Allen joining the big-league roster in a corresponding move.

Hudson (elbow) played catch in the outfield ahead of Monday's game against the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Hudson played catch for the second time in the last five days, and manager Dave Martinez said that the right-hander is expected to resume mound work Wednesday. While the 34-year-old's progress has been encouraging so far, a better idea of his return timetable could be revealed once he's able to ramp up his throwing program.

Kranick was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Kranick tossed five perfect innings in his major-league debut against the Cardinals on Sunday, and general manager Ben Cherington revealed Sunday that the team plans to proceed with a six-man rotation through at least the All-Star break. While the right-hander is a strong candidate to make another start in the near future, he'll head back to the minors after right-hander Cody Ponce was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Reds manager David Bell said Monday that Hoffman (shoulder) will make a third rehab start for Triple-A Louisville later this week, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Hoffman's second rehab outing came Sunday, when he struck out six over four scoreless frames. He was capped at 49 pitches in that outing, so the Reds may want to see him increase his count to the 60-to-75 range before activating him from the 10-day injured list prior to the All-Star break. The Reds have yet to determine Hoffman's role upon returning from the IL, but he would have to settle for bullpen duties if the club opts to keep Vladimir Gutierrez in the rotation.

The Twins promoted Winder from Double-A Wichita to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday.

Winder, a 2018 seventh-round pick, earned the call to the minors' highest level after compiling a 1.98 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 65:10 K:BB in 54.2 innings. The right-hander is an older prospect -- he'll turn 25 in October -- so service-time considerations may not come into play if the Twins feel he's ready to contribute to the big-league rotation later in 2021. Before a promotion to Minnesota is entertained, Winder will first need to continue to perform at a high level in his initial outings with St. Paul.

Gallegos has put together seven straight scoreless appearances during which he's allowed just two hits and forged an 8:0 K:BB across eight innings.

The hard-throwing right-hander also picked up his 12th hold in his most recent appearance Saturday, adding to his status as a key fantasy asset in formats that factor in that metric. Gallegos' 1.98 ERA and 0.66 WHIP are also elite, as is his 5.8 K/BB % across 41 innings.

Melancon earned the save against Arizona on Sunday with a perfect inning during which he struck out one batter.

The right-hander came on in the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead. He struggled with his control a bit, working a three-ball count to each of the first two batters he faced, but he was able to get through the frame without allowing any baserunners. Melancon has successfully converted each of his past five save opportunities and leads MLB with 24 saves on the season.

Bickford struck out two in a perfect inning against the Cubs on Sunday and has held opponents without an earned run in 14 of his 15 appearances since joining Los Angeles.

The right-hander's 2.70 ERA and 1.14 WHIP on the season look solid enough, but those numbers improve to 1.72 and 1.02, respectively, since Bickford debuted with the Dodgers on May 23. Aside from a rough outing against Texas on June 13 during which he was charged with three earned runs without getting an out, he has appeared nearly impossible to score upon. Since the blowup against the Rangers, Bickford has hurled 8.2 scoreless innings, registering a 12:3 K:BB and giving up only four hits.

The Rockies placed Stephenson on the 10-day injured list Monday with upper-back tightness.

Lefty Ben Bowden was summoned from Triple-A Albuquerque to fill Stephenson's spot in the Colorado bullpen. Over 27 relief appearances in his first season with the Rockies, Stephenson has posted a 4.56 ERA and 1.56 WHIP across 23.2 innings.

Nelson has a 9.31 ERA and a 1.86 WHIP through his first 10 appearances this season.

While those are daunting numbers, the southpaw has actually kept runs off the board in eight of his outings. Nelson's ratios have been warped by the two times he's allowed five runs. A 7.4 BB/9 is still too high to be considered effective, but considering he's pitched to a 4.58 FIP, the reliever should be in line for a statistical correction over time. He allowed just one walk and struck out one over 1.1 innings in Sunday's 8-2 loss to Minnesota.