MLB Player News

Junis allowed a hit and struck out three without walking a batter over three scoreless innings in Monday's 4-3 extra-innings loss to Arizona. He did not factor in the decision.

Junis started for the first time in 28 appearances this season, and he delivered a solid, albeit short, outing. Alex Wood piggybacked Junis and gave up two runs over 2.2 innings. Junis has had mostly mixed results as a multi-inning reliever this season, posting a 4.55 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 69:17 K:BB through 59.1 innings. He's had little middle ground lately, allowing multiple runs in six of his last 12 outings while posting scoreless appearances in the other six games in that span. The right-hander may continue to get looks as an opener on piggyback option, but it's unlikely the Giants would stretch him out as a traditional starter this late in the year.

McGough struck out two without putting a runner on base to earn the save in Monday's 4-3 win over the Giants in 11 innings.

McGough uncorked a wild pitch that moved the initial runner to third base, but that was his only mistake. The save was his ninth of the year and his second in a row, but McGough's chances to close are likely to dry up following Arizona's trade for Paul Sewald. McGough has a 4.30 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 65:20 K:BB with 13 holds and four blown saves over 52.1 innings -- he should be able to maintain a setup role, and his strikeout upside could keep him on the fantasy radar in NL-only formats.

Assad tossed 3.2 scoreless innings of relief in Monday's loss to the Reds. He allowed one hit and three walks, while striking out four.

Assad continued his strong recent play, as he's now recorded five straight scoreless outings, a span of 11.1 innings. That's allowed the righty to lower his season ERA to 3.24. The Cubs don't need Assad in the rotation at the moment, so he should remain a valuable long-relief option, which doesn't do him any favors in fantasy leagues.

Kimbrel worked a clean ninth inning to pick up the save in Monday's 4-2 win over the Marlins.

Kimbrel's pitched to a pristine 0.82 ERA over his last 22 innings -- he's allowed just three earned runs since the start of June. Overall, his ERA is down to 3.13 with a 0.96 WHIP and 65:18 K:BB across 46 innings this season while converting 18 of 19 save opportunities.

Finnegan struck out one batter in a perfect inning and earned a save over the Brewers on Monday.

Finnegan tossed 11 of 15 pitches for strikes and had no issue finishing off the 5-3 win Monday. He's allowed just two hits during his 5.2-inning scoreless streak. While he's converted just 15 of his 22 save chances this season, Finnegan's season ERA sits at a solid 3.00 with a 43:14 K:BB through 45 innings.

The Royals traded Cuas to the Cubs on Monday in exchange for Nelson Velazquez.

Cuas hasn't been particularly reliable out of the bullpen for the Royals this season with a 4.54 ERA and 1.61 WHIP across 41.2 innings. Nonetheless, he'll add depth to a Cubs bullpen that has already dealt with a handful of injuries throughout the year.

The Athletics traded Moll to Cincinnati on Monday in exchange for Joe Boyle, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Moll has taken a notable step back this season from his 2022 campaign, putting up a 4.54 ERA and 1.41 WHIP across 37.2 innings. Moll's high strikeout rate could buy him a few high-leverage appearances with Cincinnati, but the 31-year-old lefty will likely work primarily in low-to-mid-leverage situations.

The Giants transferred Brebbia (lat) to the 60-day injured list Monday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Brebbia has been on the injured list since June 17 with a Grade 2 lat strain, and he'll now be held out until at least Aug. 16. The 33-year-old righty began throwing off a mound last weekend, so a return to the bullpen in mid-August seems possible.

The Mariners traded Sewald to the Diamondbacks on Monday in exchange for Dominic Canzone, Josh Rojas and Ryan Bliss, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

This is a great landing spot for Sewald as it pertains to his fantasy value, as he shouldn't have any competition for saves in Arizona. The Diamondbacks had been using a committee approach to the ninth inning, and Sewald has a 2.93 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 21 saves in 43 innings this season. He also has 55 career saves and is under team control through the 2024 season.

Burdi (appendectomy) is scheduled to face hitters in live batting practice Tuesday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

After completing a couple of bullpen sessions last week, Burdi will enter the next phase of his rehab program as he ramps back up from the emergency appendectomy he underwent May 24. If all goes well Tuesday, Burdi could be cleared to head out on an extended minor-league rehab assignment as soon as this weekend.