MLB Player News

Alzolay (hamstring) threw a light bullpen session Wednesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Alzolay has continued to participate in light activities since he landed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain Saturday, and he was able to slightly increase his throwing intensity by playing long toss and doing some mound work Wednesday. Right-hander Adrian Sampson will take his place in the rotation Wednesday against the Reds, but manager David Ross is hopeful that Alzolay will be able to return after a minimum stay on the injured list.

The Cubs are expected to call up Thompson from Triple-A Iowa to start Saturday's game against the Royals, Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Though he has worked out of the bullpen in all but one of his 27 appearances with the Cubs this season, Thompson has been pitching exclusively as a starter since being optioned to Iowa in late July. He built up to 62 pitches in his most recent start for Iowa on Sunday, spinning 4.1 no-hit innings while striking out seven. Expect the Cubs to cap Thompson around 70-to-80 pitches in Saturday's start, assuming he does in fact get the call back to the big leagues. So long as Thompson doesn't completely implode in that outing, he could have a spot in the Chicago rotation for the rest of the season as the rebuilding club auditions the 26-year-old for a full-time starting role in 2022.

Leone earned the save Tuesday against the Mets after striking out the only batter he faced.

Leone had the task of recording the final out of the game after Jarlin Garcia retired two batters and allowed a hit in the top of the ninth. The right-hander struck out Kevin Pillar on three pitches and earned his first save of the season as a result, though he's only gone 1-for-3 in save opportunities. He also has 10 holds while posting an excellent 1.72 ERA across 31.1 innings, so he should continue to see high-leverage work even if he's not going to have many save chances going forward.

Hader fired a scoreless ninth inning, working around a walk while striking out two to record the save in a win over the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Hader entered in the ninth inning with a two-run lead and allowed a one-out walk to Yadier Molina, but retired the other three batters to finish the game. The 27-year-old has a 1.70 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with an elite 15.7 K/9 in 42.1 innings. In August, he has four scoreless innings and nine punchouts in four appearances.

Strahm (0-1) allowed one run on four hits with one strikeout through 1.1 innings, taking the loss in Tuesday's 7-3 defeat to Colorado.

Strahm served as the opener for the Padres' bullpen game Tuesday and never found his groove at Coors Field. He needed 44 pitches to get four outs and worked himself into three consecutive 3-2 counts to start the game. The run he conceded came on a Charlie Blackmon groundout that scored Connor Joe. As this was just a spot start, the left-hander will likely settle back into a role in the bullpen.

Smith struck out two and did not allow a baserunner across a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Tuesday against the Marlins.

Smith successfully held a two-run lead, needing only 11 pitches to earn his 26th save of the season. Despite Smith blowing two saves in a three-game stretch from Aug. 7 to Aug. 11, Atlanta has shown no inclination to remove him from the closer role. He's rewarded the club's faith in him and has now turned in three consecutive scoreless outings. For the season, Smith now has a 3.62 ERA with 61 strikeouts across 49.2 innings.

Heuer pitched two perfect innings of relief with two strikeouts to earn the save in Tuesday's win over the Reds.

Heuer had to do a little extra work to secure his first save in a Cubs uniform and second in the majors after logging one last year. Since coming over from the crosstown White Sox before the trade deadline, the righty has posted an impressive 1.80 ERA across 10 innings of work with six strikeouts. The 25-year-old Heuer could see more save opportunities for the rebuilding Cubs down the stretch as the team takes stock of young players heading into next season.

Gonzalez (knee) will begin a rehab assignment with Low-A Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Gonzalez has been on the injured list since Aug. 6 with right knee inflammation. Given that he's able to start a rehab stint after just 11 days on the IL, he will likely need just one or two outings in the minors before being activated. With that in mind, he could rejoin the Dodgers' bullpen during the upcoming series against the Mets.

Beede (back) was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento and placed on the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Beede was placed on the injured list at Triple-A with lower-back pain last week, and the move to the 60-day injured list will end his season. The right-hander will have nearly six months to get healthy before the start of spring training in February.

Jackson was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Jackson has a 3.68 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 21:6 K:BB over 14.2 innings for the Giants this season, but he'll now head back to the minors. The veteran right-hander is a strong bet to rejoin the big-league club at some point down the stretch.