MLB Player News

Hughes allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Thursday against the Orioles.

Rowan Wick pitched on consecutive days entering Thursday's game and was likely unavailable, which gave Hughes an opportunity in the ninth inning. Though the tying reached scoring position -- Zach McKinstry committed an error in addition to the hit surrendered -- Hughes got Cedric Mullins to line into a game-ending double play to tally his first career save. Wick appears to have a clear grip on the closer role for the Cubs, but Hughes has been excellent across 38.2 innings this season by maintaining a 3.03 ERA and 49:13 K:BB.

Johnson (elbow) is traveling to Peoria on Thursday to begin a rehab assignment with the Padres' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Johnson has been on the injured list since April 22 due to right elbow tendinitis, but his rehab assignment represents a significant step forward in his recovery. The right-hander initially hoped to return in mid-to-late August, his return has likely been pushed to sometime in September since he'll presumably require a relatively lengthy rehab assignment. Once he's ultimately healthy, Johnson should have a chance to carve out setup duties for the big-league club down the stretch.

Beede is scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Reds at PNC Park, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Beede appeared on track to lose his spot in the rotation when Roansy Contreras was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to start Wednesday against the Red Sox, but the Pirates will at least temporarily keep a six-man rotation in place. Keeping Beede on hand as a sixth starter will allow the Pirates to build in more rest between starts for Contreras, and at least in the short term, it allows Mitch Keller to get more recovery time after he exited his previous start Tuesday with right shoulder fatigue. Since he had been pitching out of the bullpen before entering the rotation Aug. 8, Beede isn't yet built up to a traditional starter's workload and didn't reach the fifth inning in either of his prior two turns through the rotation.

Mejia (suspension) was reinstated from his rehab assignment and optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Thursday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Mejia had been sidelined since mid-May for violating the league's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, but he was able to begin a rehab assignment in early August. The right-hander struck out four in 3.2 perfect innings over four rehab appearances but will remain in the minors now that his suspension has been served. According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, as a result of the suspension, Mejia won't be eligible to pitch in the postseason if Milwaukee should qualify.

Morejon (2-0) was credited with the win against the Marlins on Wednesday. He struck out three batters over 1.2 scoreless innings.

San Diego got off to a big early lead, but starter Mike Clevinger wasn't sharp and exited after allowing three of the four batters he faced in the fifth inning to reach base. Morejon came on and hit the first batter he faced with a pitch, but he rebounded by striking out the following two hitters. The southpaw remained in the game for the sixth frame and retired the side on 11 pitches. Morejon has been excellent through seven appearances in August, pitching 7.2 scoreless innings and posting a 7:1 K:BB.

Leone (3-4) allowed two runs on three hits and struck out one in one inning, taking the loss Wednesday versus the Diamondbacks.

Leone gave up a single to Christian Walker and a double to Stone Garrett before allowing a two-run single to Jake McCarthy in the eighth inning. The Giants' offense couldn't bail him out, sending Leone to a loss for the first time since July 24. In 9.1 innings since the All-Star break, the setup man has struggled, allowing nine runs, 13 hits and four walks while striking out 10. He has a 4.50 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 45:16 K:BB while adding three saves, 11 holds and four blown saves in 42 innings this year. Considering his recent form, Leone is not a realistic threat to unseat closer Camilo Doval.

Atlanta optioned Tarnok to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

One of the organization's top pitching prospects, Tarnok was summoned from Triple-A earlier this week despite having made only five starts for Gwinnett following his mid-July promotion from Double-A Mississippi. Atlanta was likely just keeping Tarnok on hand as an insurance option in case neither Max Fried (concussion) or Kyle Wright (arm) was able to start this week, but Fried will take the hill for Thursday's series finale with the Mets, while Wright will go Friday against Houston. Tarnok at least received the chance to make his MLB debut out of the bullpen Wednesday, working two-thirds of an inning and striking out a batter in Atlanta's 9-7 loss.

Abbott did not factor into the decision against the Cubs on Wednesday, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out five and walking one over six innings.

Abbott threw 57 of 83 pitches for strikes across six frames for his first quality start of the year. Abbott has been a mixed bag since becoming a starter for the Nationals. He shined in his starting debut earlier this month, lasting five innings and not allowing a run, but is next two starts resulted in 10 earned runs over 7.2 innings, so turning in a quality start is a good sign that the young righty may be figuring things out. He will take a 5.16 ERA into his next outing.

Melancon earned a save against the Giants on Wednesday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning.

Melancon came on in the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead, and he was able to retire the side on just nine pitches. A wild pitch on a strikeout allowed the first batter he faced to reach base, but that was quickly wiped out by a double-play grounder. Since blowing a save Aug. 1 against Cleveland, Melancon has converted three straight save opportunities while giving up only one run over five innings. He and Ian Kennedy have alternated the past six successful saves for Arizona and appear to be locked into the top spots in a closer committee.

Kimbrel earned a save against the Brewers on Wednesday, allowing one hit and one walk in a perfect inning.

As has been the case often this season, Kimbrel didn't slide by easily. After retiring the first two batters he faced, the right-hander allowed a single and a walk to put the tying and winning runs on base. However, he was able to get Luis Urias to ground into a fielder's choice to end the contest. This was an important outing for Kimbrel after he allowed an earned run in each of his previous three appearances and blew a save his last time on the mound. Despite the recent hiccups, manager Dave Roberts has expressed a commitment to stick to Kimbrel as the team's closer, and it's worth nothing the veteran pitcher has converted an acceptable 84 percent of his save chances on the campaign.