MLB Player News

Robertson (illness) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Wednesday, Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Robertson spent a week and a half on the COVID-19 IL, but he played catch Saturday and rejoined the Cubs ahead of Wednesday's series finale against the Pirates. He's converted all five of his save chances while posting a 1.50 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 12 innings over 11 appearances this year, and he should take over as the team's closer now that he's healthy.

Hader was unavailable during Wednesday's win over Atlanta while tending to a personal matter, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Hader has been one of the top relievers in baseball early in the season, converting all 14 of his save chances while tossing 13.1 scoreless innings. It's not yet clear whether he'll rejoin the Brewers in time for Friday's series opener against the Nationals.

The Padres optioned Kerr to Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday.

Kerr was sent packing to clear a spot on the 26-man active roster for Blake Snell (groin), who was activated from the 10-day injured list in advance of his scheduled start Wednesday in Philadelphia. During his week-and-a-half-long stay with the big club, Kerr made two appearances out of the bullpen and gave up two earned runs over 1.1 innings.

Webb was recalled by the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Webb was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks in mid-April, and he made five relief appearances at Triple-A Reno. He posted a 12.46 ERA and 2.44 WHIP in 4.1 innings but will join the major-league club as bullpen depth after southpaw Kyle Nelson (undisclosed) was placed on the injured list Wednesday.

The Diamondbacks optioned Uceta to Triple-A Reno on Wednesday.

Arizona opted to move Uceta to the minors since he was unlikely to be available for the next couple of days after tossing three innings and 47 pitches in a mop-up role during the Diamondbacks' 12-3 loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday in the second game of a doubleheader. Carlos Frias was summoned from Triple-A to fill Uceta's spot in the bullpen.

The Diamondbacks recalled Frias from Triple-A Reno on Wednesday.

He'll take the spot in the bullpen that previously belonged to Edwin Uceta, who was optioned to Reno after throwing three innings in long relief in Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Dodgers. Frias, who most recently tossed two innings Sunday for Reno, will give the Diamondbacks a fresh relief arm for Wednesday's series finale.

The Diamondbacks placed Nelson on the injured list Wednesday without a designation, implying that he's been added to the COVID-19-related IL.

Outfielder/designated hitter Cooper Hummel was also placed on the COVID-19-related IL, with Arizona calling up infielder Yonny Hernandez and reliever Jacob Webb to take their spots on the active roster. Nelson has been a standout performer in the Arizona bullpen this season, gathering a win and five holds while posting a 1.23 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 16:2 K:BB across 14.2 innings.

Helsley (2-0) allowed an unearned run on a hit and a walk with two strikeouts to earn the win in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader versus the Mets.

Helsley got Eduardo Escobar to strike out, but a passed ball allowed the Mets' infielder to reach base before Jeff McNeil knocked in the game-tying run in the eighth inning. The Cardinals pushed back in the ninth to pull ahead, and Giovanny Gallegos converted the save to earn Helsley his second win in his last three appearances. The hard-throwing righty hadn't given up any runs in his first nine outings this year, and his ERA remains untouched after Tuesday's outing. He's added a 23:2 K:BB, 0.32 WHIP, four holds and a save in 12.2 innings.

Crowe is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Cubs in Chicago, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Crowe made 25 starts for the Pirates in 2021, but he's worked exclusively as a reliever so far this season, covering 21 innings over 13 appearances while accruing a 2.57 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. Since he hasn't worked more than two innings in any of his outings since April 21 and will be pitching Wednesday on three days' rest, Crowe could be deployed as a glorified opener in front of Mitch Keller, who was initially scheduled to start before being moved to the bullpen.

Bender (1-3) picked up the win in Tuesday's 5-1 victory over the Nationals, giving up two hits and striking out one in a scoreless inning of relief.

While the win is nice, it's a little concerning for his long-term fantasy outlook than Bender entered a scoreless tie in the fifth inning. The right-hander has yet to record a save in May after reeling off four in five days at the end of April, and while Dylan Floro has struggled since coming off the injured list, Bender's usage Tuesday suggests he might be moving into a lower-leverage role and out of the ninth inning. On the season, he carries a 3.86 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 13:4 K:BB through 14 innings while converting six of eight save chances.