MLB Player News

Chafin pitched a scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout to record a hold in Sunday's 2-0 win over the Marlins.

Chafin followed starter Alec Mills and reliever Ryan Tepera to work a clean eighth inning, then Craig Kimbrel secured the save. Chafin has been excellent for the Cubs with a 1.78 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and team-high 17 holds this season. The lefty should remain in a high-leverage role in front of Kimbrel.

The Reds are expected to activate Antone (forearm) from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Antone threw two bullpen sessions over the weekend without incident, leaving the Reds optimistic that he'll be ready to rejoin the bullpen after getting a day of rest Monday. Once reinstated, Antone should immediately factor into the Reds' late-inning plans after he compiled seven holds and three saves prior to landing on the IL.

Melancon recorded his league-high 21st save of the season Sunday against the Reds after walking and striking out a batter in a scoreless ninth.

Melancon issued a two-out walk but was able to take care of Jesse Winker to end the game. The 36-year-old has put together a pair of scoreless outings after a horrible blown save Thursday night in the series opener. He owns a 1.74 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 27:12 K:BB over 31 innings and is a key reason why the Padres are right in the thick of things in the NL West.

Lamet (2-2) pitched five scoreless innings in a victory over the Reds on Sunday. He allowed just four hits and a walk while striking out a season-high seven batters.

Lamet had his best outing of the year after lasting five innings for only the second time this year. He missed time earlier in the season because of a UCL strain he suffered in late September and has been continually working to build up his arm strength. He tossed a season-high 81 pitches and seems to be very close to being fully stretched out. The 28-year-old sports a 2.81 ERA and 37:11 K:BB over 32 innings and is in line for a juicy matchup against the Diamondbacks over the weekend.

Brebbia (elbow) pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout in Sunday's 11-2 win over Philadelphia.

Now recovered from his June 2020 Tommy John surgery, Brebbia was able to make his San Francisco debut. He did well in the final inning of a blowout win. The right-hander last pitched in the majors in 2019, when he had a 3.59 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 87:27 K:BB and 12 holds across 72.2 innings with St. Louis. He'll likely be eased back into action with low-leverage assignments at first, but he could become a key piece of San Francisco's bullpen in the second half of the season.

Long (1-0) allowed two runs on four hits and a walk over six innings Sunday, striking out six and earning a win over the Phillies.

Long made his first career start Sunday and turned in a strong performance to pick up a memorable victory. The only damage against him was a two-run blast by J.T. Realmuto in the third inning, but his offense provided plenty of run support. The 25-year-old rookie owns a 4.20 ERA and a 16:3 K:BB through 15 innings this season. Long could get another turn in the rotation next weekend at home against Oakland.

Smith recorded the save in the second game of a 1-0 doubleheader win against the Cardinals on Sunday, throwing a perfect seventh with two strikeouts.

Smith came in for the game's final inning and retired all three batters he faced to notch his 13th save of the season and protect a one-run lead. He's been a bit rocky thus far in 2021 with a 4.08 ERA, but a 3.03 FIP suggests better appearances lie ahead.

Young (2-5) took the loss in Sunday's 9-8 defeat at the hands of the Dodgers, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts in three innings.

Young got through the game's first two innings unscathed but allowed five runs in the third and two in the fourth before being removed. This was only Young's second start since joining the rotation for bottom-feeding Arizona, as he doesn't offer much upside.

Boxberger allowed one hit over a scoreless ninth inning Sunday and picked up a save against Colorado.

Boxberger worked around a two-out single by Trevor Story to finish off the 7-6 win Sunday. The 33-year-old has now converted all three of his save chances this season, including two in June. He owns a 3.03 ERA and a 31:8 K:BB through 29.2 innings.

Bard (3-4) gave up one run on three hits over one inning in Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Brewers.

Bard was called into a 6-6 game in the ninth, so it wasn't a save situation for the 35-year-old. He gave up the go-ahead run on a single by Daniel Vogelbach with one out. He's given up four runs in his last five appearances, raising his season ERA to 4.20 through 30 innings.