MLB Player News

The Nationals recalled Willingham from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Washington had optioned Willingham to Triple-A on Wednesday, but he'll be eligible to rejoin the Nationals just four days later since fellow reliever Rico Garcia (biceps) was placed on the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. Willingham is expected to handle a low-leverage role out of the Nationals bullpen while he's up with the big club.

The Nationals placed Garcia on the 15-day injured list Sunday with right biceps tendinitis, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Right-hander Amos Willingham was called up from Triple-A Rochester to take Garcia's spot on the 26-man active roster and in the Washington bullpen. Garcia made three relief appearances for the Nationals after being called up from Rochester on July 19, covering three innings and striking out four while allowing four earned runs on six hits and one walk.

The Brewers recalled Stzelecki from Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.

Strzelecki had been a key setup man for Milwaukee through the first two months of the season, but he failed to record a hold or save and turned in a 5.73 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in his final 10 appearances for the Brewers before being optioned to Nashville on June 28. He allowed earned runs in each of his three appearances upon being demoted to Triple-A but had been sharp of late, allowing one unearned run on one hit and no walks while striking out six over four innings in his most recent four outings. It's unclear if the Brewers plan to immediately incorporate Strzelecki as part of the bridge to closer Devin Williams or if he'll first have to work in lower-leverage spots before working his way up the bullpen pecking order.

The Mets recalled Nittoli from Triple-A Syracuse ahead of Sunday's game against the Nationals, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Nittoli was summoned from Triple-A to fill the opening on the 26-man active roster that was created Saturday when the Mets dealt right-hander Max Scherzer to the Rangers. The Mets haven't named a replacement in the rotation for Scherzer, but Nittoli will be available in the meantime as an extra arm out of the bullpen. He previously made a pair of relief appearances with New York earlier this season but has otherwise spent the bulk of the campaign at the Triple-A level between the Mets and Cubs organizations. He hasn't been particularly sharp during his stint with Syracuse, logging a 9.26 ERA, 1.96 WHIP and 13:8 K:BB in 11.2 innings.

Bednar allowed two hits and a walk while striking out three across 1.2 scoreless innings to earn the save Saturday against the Phillies.

Bednar entered the game in the eighth inning with runners on first and second, but he struck out the final two batters of the inning to work out of the jam. He allowed two baserunners in the final frame but managed to induce a game-ending double play. Bednar has now allowed multiple baserunners in each of his last three outings, though he's still allowed only one earned run across 10.1 innings in July while maintaining a 15:8 K:BB.

Atlanta optioned Hearn to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

Hearn was moved off the 26-man active roster to clear room for right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver, who was called up from Gwinnett ahead of his spot start Sunday versus the Brewers. After being acquired from Texas on Monday, Hearn made his Atlanta debut out of the bullpen in Saturday's win over the Brewers and was lit up for four earned runs on two hits and two walks while recording just one out.

Ginkel (4-0) struck out three over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the win over Seattle on Saturday.

Ginkel entered a tie game to begin the eighth inning and struck out the side before the Diamondbacks took the lead in the bottom of the frame. It looked like he'd finish the game, but manager Torey Lovullo pulled Ginkel after he quickly retired the first batter in the ninth. Andrew Chafin was brought in to nail down the save, but he allowed a triple and a walk before Scott McGough recorded the final out. After the game, Lovullo lamented to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic what he termed "overmanaging" in using more relievers than was necessary. "I'm trying to get everybody involved, get people in a game and get them on a roll," he said. With several members of the bullpen struggling of late -- including Chafin and McGough -- Ginkel has been rolling and has emerged as Lovullo's go-to late-inning arm.

Doval (3-3) allowed two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one over one inning, taking a blown save but picking up the win Saturday versus the Red Sox.

Doval gave up a two-run, game-tying single to Justin Turner in the top of the ninth inning, but J.D. Davis's walk-off solo home run lifted the Giants to the win. Doval had pitched seven consecutive scoreless innings entering Saturday. Despite the misstep, the closer has a 2.68 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 63:19 K:BB through 47 innings while converting 31 of 34 save chances this season.

Phillips allowed a hit and struck out one over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the save in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Reds.

Phillips had not received a save chance since he blew one July 4. His strong showing Saturday extended his scoreless streak to 5.2 innings over his last six appearances. Ryan Brasier and Alex Vesia each picked up a save this month, making the back end of the Dodgers bullpen a tricky one to forecast over the remaining two months. Phillips is still in the closer committee, as is Brusdar Graterol, though the recently re-acquired Joe Kelly could also enter that mix. Phillips has a 2.21 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 47:9 K:BB through 40.2 innings this season while adding 13 saves and six holds.

McGough earned a save against Seattle on Saturday, striking out the only batter he faced to close out the contest.

Kevin Ginkel -- who had picked up each of Arizona's previous three saves -- was deployed in the eighth inning Saturday and was pulled with one out in the ninth despite retiring all four batters he faced. Arizona then turned to Andrew Chafin to close things out, but he allowed two of three hitters he saw to reach base, giving McGough the opportunity to close things out. The right-hander faced a tough test in Julio Rodriguez but managed to strike him out on the eighth pitch of the at-bat. This was a nice outing for McGough after he had allowed 11 runs over his previous 4.2 frames, but while there remains a closer committee of sorts in Arizona, Ginkel remains the favorite for saves and the best Diamondbacks reliever to roster from a fantasy perspective.