MLB Player News

Melancon did not allow a baserunner and struck out one across a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Tuesday against the Reds.

Melancon was handed only a one-run lead, though he had no issue locking down his 25th save of the season. In addition to his strikeout, he also generated two groundball outs to retire Shogo Akiyama, Tucker Barnhart and Jonathan India in order. Melancon has been stellar all season, highlighted by a 1.80 ERA and and 30 strikeouts across 35 innings. He's converted six straight saves and leads the majors with 25.

Alvarado earned a four-out save Tuesday against the Marlins. He allowed two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one.

Alvarado came into the eighth inning with two outs and a 4-0 lead and immediately issued a free pass. He then allowed an inherited runner to score on a wild pitch. The ninth inning didn't start off much better for the left-hander, who surrendered a leadoff single to Jesus Aguilar followed by a two-run homer to Adam Duvall before settling down and escaping with the save. Despite recently being named the new closer by manager Joe Girardi, Alvarado has a lot more to prove if he's going to hold onto the role.

Diaz did not allow a baserunner in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Tuesday against Atlanta.

Diaz was called upon to protect a one-run lead and rebounded after a rocky outing his last time on the mound. Though he didn't muster any strikeouts, Diaz still set down Ehire Adrianza, Pablo Sandoval and Ronald Acuna in order to earn his 17th save of the season. He's also maintained a strong 2.84 ERA with a 41:10 K:BB across 31.2 frames on the season.

Hand gave up a solo home run and recorded a strikeout during the ninth inning to earn the save Tuesday versus Tampa Bay.

Mike Zunino went deep to start the ninth inning, but Hand had entered with a two-run cushion and quickly retired the next three batters. It was the first run allowed by the veteran lefty since June 9, a span of 10 appearances and 11 innings. Hand is 18-for-20 in save opportunities with a 2.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 34:12 K:BB across 34.2 innings this season.

Weathers is expected to be recalled from Triple-A El Paso to start during the Padres' current six-game road trip, which runs Tuesday through Sunday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Dinelson Lamet (forearm) landed on the injured list over the weekend, so it's not much of a surprise Weathers is expected to rejoin the Friars' rotation. Should the left-hander simply fill Lamet's spot in the rotation he'd take the mound Friday at Philadelphia, though San Diego has yet to announce its pitching plans beyond Wednesday.

The Cubs recalled Nance from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday.

The righty rejoins the big-league club just a day after being optioned. Nance was demoted for struggling in five of his last six appearances, but he'll be called upon to help fill the void left in Chicago's bullpen by Ryan Tepera (calf), whom the Cubs placed on the injured list Tuesday.

Megill was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Megill spent just a single day on the active roster, and it couldn't have gone much worse. He failed to record a single out Monday against Milwaukee while giving up six runs. Adam Morgan will take his place in the bullpen.

Howard (knee) was activated off the injured list Tuesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Howard will wind up missing just the minimum 10 days while battling right knee tendinitis. He'll return to his usual bullpen role, with Austin Davis getting optioned to clear a space for him.

Howard will pitch every fifth day for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and will stretch out to 100 pitches, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The Phillies are not going to rush Howard's return to the big leagues. Rather, they will give the righty ample time to develop as a starting pitcher instead of keeping him in a frequently changing role as both a starter and reliever.

Santos was handed an 80-game suspension Tuesday after testing positive for Stanozolol, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Santos appeared in three games after being called up to the majors in late June, allowing six runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks while fanning three. He was a candidate to potentially rejoin the Giants' bullpen later this season, but that appears extremely unlikely now, as he'll be ineligible to pitch at any level during San Francisco's next 80 games.