MLB Player News

Chicago placed Burdi on the 15-day injured list Wednesday after he underwent an appendectomy earlier in the day, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Burdi will be sidelined for at least the next couple of weeks while he recovers from the emergency procedure. The Cubs called up right-hander Javier Assad from Triple-A Iowa to take Burdi's spot in the bullpen.

Chicago recalled Assad from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Assad was optioned to Triple-A earlier this month after registering a 5.09 ERA over 17.2 innings with the Cubs in one start and four relief appearances. He'll rejoin the big club as a replacement in the bullpen for Nick Burdi, who was placed on the 15-day injured list after undergoing an appendectomy earlier Wednesday.

Hollowell (forearm) has struck out four while allowing one hit and two walks over two scoreless innings in his two appearances since being activated from Triple-A Albuquerque's 7-day injured list May 16.

Hollowell missed the first month and a half of the season while recovering from right forearm tightness. The 25-year-old retains a spot on the Rockies' 40-man roster and has prior experience in the big leagues, so he could emerge as a candidate for a promotion to the Colorado bullpen if he can continue to string together quality appearances with Albuquerque.

Cincinnati designated Bracho for assignment Wednesday.

Bracho gets the boot from the 26-man and 40-man rosters to make room for Eduardo Salazar with Salazar having his contract selected from Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday. In four appearances with the Reds, Bracho registered a 5.06 ERA and 1.31 WHIP over 5.1 innings. Assuming he goes unclaimed, he could report back to Louisville as an organizational depth piece.

Underwood (forearm) struck out two and gave up one run on two hits over two innings of relief in Tuesday's 6-1 loss to the Rangers.

Underwood was diagnosed with right forearm tightness after exiting his most recent appearance Friday against the Diamondbacks, and while that sort of injury is typically a precursor to an extended absence, the 28-year-old apparently required just a few days of rest for the issue to resolve itself. The fact that the Pirates had him cover two innings in a game that they were trailing by four runs suggests that the organization is confident in his health.

Selby was placed on the 7-day injured list last week with Triple-A Indianapolis.

Arguably the Pirates' best relief pitching prospect, Selby struck out 20 and walked 11 while generating groundballs 62.9 percent of the time in 15.1 innings at Triple-A. He also notched three saves in 14 appearances. It's unclear what the nature of his injury is.

Doval struck out the side and hit a batter while earning the save in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Twins.

Doval made easy work in the ninth and has now converted all 10 of his save chances in May. He's struck out at least two batters in seven of his last 10 appearances and sports an 0.77 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and an absurd 19:4 K:BB over 11.2 innings this month.

Chafin allowed one hit over two-thirds of an inning to record a hold in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Phillies.

After Arizona took the lead in the top of the eighth inning, manager Torey Lovullo went with the lefty Chapin to face the top of Philadelphia's order, which included a pair of lefty hitters. Chafin and Scott McGough got the Diamondbacks through unscathed, setting up a save for Miguel Castro, who has recently become a regular in the closer mix. Matchups for Arizona appear to dictate late-game usage patterns, which includes decisions on which pitcher will throw the eighth inning, so fantasy managers can expect Chafin and Castro to share the save chances for now.

Johnson gave up a run on two hits and struck out one over one inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Marlins.

Johnson gave up an RBI double to Jorge Soler, but he was able to protect the lead from there. While he doesn't have a dominant reputation, Johnson has converted all 10 of his save chances this season, including seven in his last nine appearances. He owns a 4.95 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 27:12 K:BB through 20 innings this season.

Hader gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his 12th save of the season in a 7-4 win over the Nationals.

The southpaw picked up his first save since May 5, as he'd blown his last two chances, but hiccups have been rare for Hader in 2023. Through 20 innings, he sports a 0.90 ERA and 27:9 K:BB, and his 12 saves has him tied for third in the majors behind Emmanuel Clase's 16 and Camilo Doval's 13.