MLB Player News

Atlanta claimed Chavez off waivers from the Angels on Tuesday.

Chavez will begin his fourth stint with Atlanta and his second of the season, after he was previously dealt to the Angels in the Aug. 2 deal for reliever Raisel Iglesias. As a 39-year-old right-hander on an expiring deal, Chavez didn't have much long-term appeal for the non-contending Angels, who exposed him to outright waivers over the weekend. The veteran reliever was a key contributor on Atlanta's World Series-winning club in 2021 and has been solid enough in 2022 across three stops, turning in a 3.62 ERA and 1.37 WHIP while striking out 60 batters in 54.2 innings. Chavez is likely to handle a middle-relief role as he returns to Atlanta.

Nelson (back) threw in a game setting at Arizona's training facility and appears to be on the verge of returning from the injured list, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

The Diamondbacks will evaluate Nelson's response to the session Tuesday and get him back "as quickly as possible," per manager Torey Lovullo.

Martinez picked up the save against the Giants on Monday, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out one batter over 1.1 scoreless innings.

Martinez was announced as the team's primary closer by manager Bob Melvin earlier in the day, so it was no surprise when he was called upon with two outs in the eighth inning and San Francisco down by four but threatening with the bases loaded. The right-hander didn't start off well, allowing consecutive singles that allowed all three inherited runners to score, but he managed to get the third out and then put up a scoreless ninth frame to register the save. Martinez has earned a save in each of his past three appearances and is up to seven on the season.

Wilson yielded three runs on five hits and two walks over three frames Monday against the Brewers. He struck out two and did not factor in the decision.

Wilson threw just 29 of 56 pitches for strikes during the Pirates' loss Monday. He's been tagged with seven runs (six earned) over just four innings in his last two outings, raising his season ERA from 5.74 to 6.12 during that span. In six August starts, the 24-year-old posted a 5.74 ERA and a 15:5 K:BB. Wilson is currently expected to face the Mets at home next week.

Williams (5-3) earned a win with a scoreless inning against the Pirates on Monday. He struck out two and walked one batter.

Williams tossed a shutout ninth inning and earned the win when Milwaukee walked it off in the bottom of the frame. He lowered his ERA to 1.80 with a 78:24 K:BB through 50 innings this season. In 12 August appearances, Williams has posted a 2.61 ERA while going 3-3 and converting three saves in four chances.

Crowe (5-8) allowed three runs on three hits and took a loss against the Brewers on Monday. He was charged with a blown save and recorded just one out.

Crowe served up a game-tying home run to Garrett Mitchell in the eighth inning followed by Keston Hiura's walkoff blast in the ninth. The 27-year-old righty saw his season ERA jump from 3.12 to 3.51 after the rough outing. Monday was his first save chance since Aug. 2 and his first blown save since July 29.

Leiter (2-6) allowed an unearned run on one hit across 1.1 innings of relief to take the loss in extra innings Monday against the Blue Jays. He walked two and had no strikeouts.

Leiter took his sixth loss of the season, but he didn't pitch poorly, as both of his walks were intentional. His only real mistake was a walkoff single he allowed to Danny Jansen in the 11th inning, which brought home the runner that started the frame on second base. Even with the loss, Leiter has been outstanding recently with a 1.93 ERA and 14 strikeouts across 14 innings this month. The righty has settled into a regular bullpen role with the Cubs now that the likes of Scott Effross, David Robertson and Mychal Givens are no longer around.

Assad pitched five scoreless innings but did not factor into the decision in Monday's extra-innings loss to the Blue Jays. He allowed four hits and two walks, while striking out one.

Assad made his MLB debut last week and tossed four scoreless innings. He followed that up with another strong outing, though he does have just four strikeouts versus six walks in his nine innings of work. The 25-year-old managed a 2.95 ERA across 36.2 innings at Triple-A Iowa this season, so while he won't keep posting zeroes, he could have some sustained success at the MLB level, particularly if he can cut down on the free passes moving forward. Assad will look to keep rolling in his next scheduled start Sept. 6 against the Reds.

Manager Bob Melvin stated Monday that Martinez will continue to be his first choice in save chances, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Martinez has been used as the team's top closing option since Melvin announced Josh Hader would get a break from the closer's role earlier in the month, and the skipper will continue his current bullpen strategy until further notice. Martinez is in the midst of an impressive scoreless streak, appearing in 10 straight games without allowing a run (13.2 innings).

Alzolay (lat) struck out six and allowed one earned run on one hit and two walks over two innings in his rehab start Saturday with Triple-A Iowa.

Considering he needed 50 pitches to retire six batters, the 27-year-old wasn't especially efficient Saturday, but the nine swinging strikes he generated on the day were an encouraging sight. Alzolay, who has been on the injured list all season while recovering from a lat strain, will likely need to complete one or two more rehab starts before the Cubs activate him.