MLB Player News

Smith allowed no hits and two walks while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in Sunday's win over the Nationals.

Smith wasn't needed in Saturday's 12-2 win over Washington, but he secured the series sweep with his second save in the last three days Sunday. He's made 12 appearances since the All-Star break, and he's converted seven of nine save chances with a 3.75 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 12 innings during that time.

Chavez (3-2) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in one inning to earn the win Sunday against the Nationals.

Chavez wasn't particularly sharp in Sunday's outing, as he allowed the Nationals to bring the game within one run in the bottom of the fifth inning. However, he nabbed his third win of 2021 since Atlanta's bullpen tossed four scoreless frames after the right-hander left the game. Chavez has now allowed runs in three of his last four relief appearances, and he's recorded a 12.27 ERA and 3.00 WHIP in 3.2 innings across that span.

The Diamondbacks placed Mantiply on the injured list Sunday without a designation, implying he's been moved to the COVID-19-related IL.

As Steve Gilbert of MLB.com notes, manager Torey Lovullo said following Saturday's win over the Padres that the Diamondbacks were conducting contact tracing after starting pitcher Merrill Kelly tested positive for COVID-19, and Mantiply appears to have been at potential risk of infection. The reliever previously spent time on the COVID-19-related IL earlier this month, but because he was deactivated for less than 10 days, he wasn't believed to have tested positive for the virus. Mantiply has emerged as a key setup reliever for Arizona, posting a 4.66 ERA while gathering seven holds over the past month and a half.

The Padres recalled Knehr from Triple-A El Paso on Sunday.

San Diego is treating Sunday's series finale with the Diamondbacks as a bullpen game, so Knehr could be a candidate to cover multiple frames in relief behind opener Craig Stammen, who is unlikely to work more than 2-to-3 innings. If Knehr goes unused Sunday, he could stay with the Padres and make a spot start or work as a primary pitcher at some point during the team's three-game series in Colorado that begins Monday. The Padres will need to fill Yu Darvish's (back) turn in the rotation during that series after he was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday.

The Giants reinstated Jackson from the COVID-19-related injured list Sunday.

Jackson was deactivated Saturday after experiencing side effects related to his COVID-19 vaccine shot, but he's apparently feeling good heading into Sunday's series finale with the Rockies. The hard-throwing right-hander should be available out of the bullpen.

The Giants optioned Long to Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday.

After Johnny Cueto (elbow) was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Long was summoned from Triple-A to fill in his spot in the rotation Saturday. Because he had been working out of the bullpen in his recent outings at Sacramento, Long didn't work deep into Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Rockies, covering two innings while giving up one run on two hits and one walk while striking out four. It's unclear if he'll be stretched back out for starting duty, but with Cueto in line for a brief stay on the IL, the Giants likely won't have an immediate need for Long in any case.

The Pirates called up Peters from Triple-A Indianapolis prior to his scheduled start Sunday against the Brewers, Jake Crouse of MLB.com reports.

Pittsburgh moved Bryse Wilson (general soreness) to the 10-day IL in a corresponding move, and Peters will presumably step in as a replacement in the rotation while the former is sidelined. Over 132.2 career innings in the majors, Peters owns a 5.83 ERA and 6.9 K/9.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Wilson was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to unspecified right arm fatigue, Jake Crouse of MLB.com reports.

Cherington didn't indicate that Wilson is dealing with an injury; instead, his move to the IL looks to be mostly a means of giving his arm some extra rest while maintaining roster flexibility. Wilson isn't expected to be shut down for the season, though the Pirates could manage his innings once he's reinstated from the IL. The Pirates called up Dillon Peters from Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday, and he'll start Pittsburgh's series finale against the Brewers while likely filling Wilson's rotation spot for the time being. Wilson will be eligible to return from the IL beginning Aug. 25.

The Brewers transferred Curtiss (elbow) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.

Curtiss was diagnosed with a torn UCL in in right elbow a few days ago and is set to miss the rest of the season, so the Brewers' decision to move him to the 60-day IL is merely a formality. The right-hander has yet to decide whether to undergo Tommy John surgery to address the injury, though the procedure would seem to be a likely outcome.

The Brewers optioned Topa to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.

Topa will cede his spot on the active roster to pitcher Eric Lauer, who was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list ahead of his scheduled start Sunday against the Pirates. After being activated from the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Topa made two appearances out of the Milwaukee bullpen, giving up five earned runs on five hits across 1.2 innings.