MLB Player News

Hand is expected to be part of a closer committee for the foreseeable future after interim manager Rob Thomson said Wednesday that Corey Knebel has been removed from the ninth-inning role, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The closing change comes after Knebel blew his fourth save of the season in Tuesday's 11-9 loss to the Marlins while walking two batters and allowing three unearned runs. Thomson didn't explicitly say which relievers would be part of the closing committee while Knebel is used in lower-leverage spots, but Hand and Seranthony Dominguez look to be the top two candidates to pick up saves. Hand, who has nabbed only one save in 2022 but recorded no fewer than 16 saves in any of the past five seasons, has been dependable in a setup role thus far for Philadelphia, accruing a 1.96 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 20:10 K:BB in 18.1 innings.

Castano was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville to start Wednesday's game against the Phillies, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Castano was sent to the minors in late May, and he posted a 3.71 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 17 innings over three starts in Jacksonville since his demotion. The southpaw's first three big-league appearances in 2022 came as a reliever, and he struck out two in four scoreless innings.

The Padres will call up Weathers from Triple-A El Paso to have him start Wednesday's game in Chicago against the Cubs, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Even with Mike Clevinger (illness) on the COVID-19-related injured list, the Padres still have six starters on hand, but Weathers will nonetheless be added to the mix amid a particularly heavy stretch of games for San Diego. As a rookie a season ago, Weathers impressed over his first handful of outings with the big club, but he faltered badly in the second half and was eventually moved to the bullpen. The 22-year-old lefty hasn't shown much improvement from a statistical standpoint while spending the entire 2022 campaign to date at Triple-A (7.29 ERA, 1.85 WHIP and 37:24 K:BB in 54.1 innings), so he's unlikely to have a long leash if he runs into trouble early Wednesday.

Manaea was charged with five earned runs on eight hits and a walk over four innings in a 12-5 victory over the Cubs on Tuesday. He struck out five and did not factor into the decision.

Manaea was roughed up by the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The damage was done early by Willson Contreras, who homered twice and drove in three runs over his first two at-bats. Manaea threw only 72 pitches before Padres manager Bob Melvin had seen enough and went to the bullpen. Manaea is still pitching in line with his preseason expectations, and despite his elevated 3.95 ERA, he has an attractive 9.4 K/9 and serviceable 1.15 WHIP. His next start is expected to be Tuesday against Arizona.

Wilson (0-4) took the loss in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Cardinals, coughing up seven runs on 10 hits -- including three home runs -- and a walk over five innings. He struck out three.

All three long balls off Wilson came in the first two innings, with Paul Goldschmidt cranking two of them. The right-hander hadn't appeared in the majors since May 22 before being summoned for the twin bill, but he'd been pitching well for Triple-A Indianapolis, posting a 3.32 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB through 19 innings over three starts. Expect Wilson to get sent back to Indianapolis after this rough outing.

Cabrera allowed a run on two hits and struck out one in 1.1 innings, recording a hold in a 3-1 win over the Pirates in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader.

Cabrera allowed a solo home run to Yu Chang in the seventh inning, but that was all the run production the Pirates got in the matinee. Through 23 appearances, Cabrera has yet to allow more than one earned run in any outing this season. He's pitched to a 2.20 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 24:8 K:BB across 28.2 innings. The southpaw is one of the Cardinals' high-leverage relievers as he's picked up 10 holds, though most save chances have gone to Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley.

Kuhnel pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 5-3 extra-innings win over the Diamondbacks.

Tyler Mahle started with nine shutout innings, but the Reds' offense didn't support him well. Alexis Diaz and Luis Cessa each had chances to protect leads in the 10th and 11th frames, but both of them couldn't get the job done before Kuhnel made a two-run lead stick in the 12th. The right-hander now has a 3.31 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 17:3 K:BB across 16.1 innings after earning his first major-league save Tuesday. Despite his success in this contest, he's unlikely to see a significant spike in high-leverage chances.

Kimbrel allowed two hits and a walk while striking out three in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Angels.

Kimbrel has allowed runs in five of his last seven appearances, and he just avoided doing so Tuesday. He allowed a single to Mike Trout, a double to Shohei Ohtani and a walk to Matt Duffy to load the bases with one out before striking out Jared Walsh and Max Stassi. Despite another brush with danger, Kimbrel is now 12-for-13 in saves chances this season. He's added a 4.19 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB across 19.1 innings, but he lately looks much more like the shaky 2019 and 2020 guy than the dominant pitcher he rebounded to last year.

Doval walked one and struck out two in a scoreless inning to convert the save in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Royals.

Doval walked Carlos Santana before retiring the next three batters in order. This was Doval's first save since May 30 -- he picked up a hold, a blown save and two wins in his last eight outings, and his scoreless streak is up to 6.2 innings. He owns a 2.63 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 33:11 K:BB across 27.1 innings while converting nine of 11 save chances this year. Doval remains the Giants' top options for saves, though Jake McGee and Jose Alvarez have also closed out games in June.

Kilian will be called up from Triple-A Iowa to start Wednesday against the Padres, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Kilian made his big-league debut June 5 and allowed three runs across five innings, and he'll rejoin Chicago on Wednesday for his second outing. The right-hander may receive a longer look in the rotation this time around since the Cubs currently have veterans Marcus Stroman (shoulder), Wade Miley (shoulder) and Drew Smyly (oblique) on the injured list. The 25-year-old Kilian has made 10 starts at Triple-A this season and has a 2.51 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 47:16 K:BB over 43 innings.