Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak indicated Thursday that Romero is the top candidate to take over the team's closer role following the trade of Ryan Helsley, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Manager Oliver Marmol has the ultimate say, and it's possible he'll have a difference of opinion than Mozeliak, but Romero is the most logical candidate to see save chances after the departure of Helsley and Phil Maton. Romero has been the club's top left-handed setup man for most of the season and has permitted only one earned run with a 28:8 K:BB over 25 innings since the start of May. Riley O'Brien and Kyle Leahy could be the top options from the right side for save opportunities if Marmol wants to play matchups.

Brzykcy might be part of the ninth-inning mix for the Nationals with Kyle Finnegan having been traded to the Tigers, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The 26-year-old right-hander's numbers in 2025 jump off the page in a bad way, as he carries a 7.06 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 23:10 K:BB over 21.2 innings. Brzykcy does have a 46.3 percent whiff rate on his changeup to go along with a mid-90s fastball and effective curve, and that might be the closest thing to a true out pitch in the Washington bullpen at the moment. He's a long shot to claim the closer role outright, but Brzykcy could be part of a ninth-inning committee with lefty Jose Ferrer and righty Cole Henry.

Henry could be part of the ninth-inning mix for the Nationals with Kyle Finnegan having been traded to the Tigers, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The 26-year-old rookie right-hander hasn't been particularly impressive this season, leaning on his mid-90s four-seam fastball and low-80s curve to post a 3.96 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 37:20 K:BB over 38.2 innings. No one in Washington's big-league 'pen has closer-worthy numbers though, so Henry might get a shot as part of a ninth-inning committee with lefty Jose Ferrer and righty Zach Brzykcy.

Ferrer is likely to be part of the ninth-inning mix for the Nationals with Kyle Finnegan having been traded to the Tigers, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The 25-year-old southpaw boasts a power sinker that's averaged 97.4 mph this season and a changeup with a 42.7 percent whiff rate, but Ferrer's actual ratios don't match the scouting report, as he has a 4.78 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and meager 20.1 percent strikeout rate over 52.2 innings in 2025. If the Nats determine he isn't closer material, right-handers Cole Henry and Zach Brzykcy could get save chances instead, and a committee approach might be the most likely scenario unless someone seizes the closing role.

Atlanta optioned Dunning to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

The right-hander surrendered five runs without recording an out Thursday against the Reds and is being demoted in favor of Austin Cox. In four appearances since being acquired by Atlanta, Dunning has given up nine runs with a 6:2 K:BB over 5.2 innings.

Atlanta recalled Cox from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

The left-hander has spent the past couple weeks in the minors but is back with Atlanta ahead of Friday's game in Cincinnati. Cox has made six MLB appearances this year and has allowed two earned runs with an 11:1 K:BB over eight innings.

The Cubs optioned Hollowell to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

The right-hander was called up by Chicago on Tuesday and will head back to Triple-A to clear roster space for the club's trade deadline additions. Hollowell fired a scoreless inning Tuesday and has given up just one earned run across 7.1 frames in the majors this season.

Kinley gave up two hits and a walk in a scoreless seventh inning during Thursday's extra-inning win over the Reds. He struck out one.

Making his debut for Atlanta after being acquired from Colorado on Wednesday, Kinley was brought in with the game tied 3-3 and nearly made a mess of things, loading the bases with one out before getting Spencer Steer to pop out and fanning Jake Fraley. With closer Raisel Iglesias surprisingly still on the roster after the trade deadline, Kinley will be on the fringes of high-leverage work for his new club while Pierce Johnson and Dylan Lee continue to handle setup duties.

Johnson (2-3) picked up the win in Thursday's 12-11 extra-inning victory over the Reds, striking out one in 1.1 perfect relief innings.

The right-hander was viewed as a potential closer candidate for the final two months of the season if Raisel Iglesias got dealt, but with Iglesias still in Atlanta after the trade deadline, Johnson will remain in a setup role. He put an impressive July in the books during which he posted a 0.75 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB over 12 innings while notching one win and three holds in 12 appearances.

Iglesias earned the save in Thursday's 12-11 win over the Reds in 10 innings. He struck out one in a scoreless inning.

Iglesias was seen as a likely trade candidate, though he ultimately remained with Atlanta following Thursday's deadline. Brought in to protect a one-run lead in the 10th inning, Iglesias set the Reds down in order, locking down his 13th save in 18 chances this season. After a shaky start to the year, Iglesias has now held opponents scoreless in 19 of his last 21 appearances. His ERA sits at 4.74 with a 1.15 WHIP and 48:10 K:BB across 43.2 innings.