MLB Player News

Ponce de Leon will start Tuesday's game against the Cubs, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The young right-hander will get the call for the one non-doubleheader day of the five-game set against the Cubs. Ponce de Leon was originally slated to start Aug. 7 versus Chicago before the team's COVID-19 breakout suspended play until Saturday. Ponce de Leon has a chance to make a case for sticking in the rotation the rest of the way if he can put together some strong performances while Carlos Martinez (undisclosed) remains on the injured list, but he'll presumably have to prove more effective than Kwang-Hyun Kim, who is also entering the rotation with his start in the first game of Monday's doubleheader.

The Cardinals placed Helsley (illness) on the COVID-19 injured list Saturday.

Helsley and outfielders Austin Dean and Lane Thomas were removed from the active roster after all three were revealed to be among the several Cardinals players who recently tested positive for the coronavirus as part of a team-wide outbreak. With Helsley out indefinitely and Kwang-Hyun Kim having recently been moved to the rotation, the Cardinals' closing situation appears quite unsettled as the team resumes play this weekend. Andrew Miller recorded a save during one half of Saturday's doubleheader, but Giovanny Gallegos and Tyler Webb could also be part of the late-inning mix if manager Mike Shildt takes a committee approach to the closer's role.

Jansen earned his sixth save of the season Saturday against the Angels. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning, striking out two.

Jansen has been outstanding this season, and he has gone 6-for-6 in save opportunities while also racking up four straight appearances without allowing a hit or a run. In fact, Jansen has allowed two just hits and one run all season long, and he owns a 0.96 ERA with a 0.64 WHIP in 9.1 innings across 10 appearances in 2020.

Johnson (0-1) was tagged with the loss Saturday against Arizona after allowing four runs on three hits and a one walk while striking out one in just one-third of an inning.

Johnson had a disastrous performance Saturday, as four of the five Diamondbacks hitters he faced reached base and, to make things even worse, two of the four runs he got charged with came when he had already left the game. This was Johnson's first loss of the season and it will be an outing he'd like to forget as soon as possible, especially since he was coming off three straight appearances without allowing a hit or a run.

Young allowed one run on four hits and one walk while striking out of five in a no-decision against the Padres on Saturday.

This was Young's first start as a replacement for Madison Bumgarner (back), and he was not ready to get deep into a game. He was removed after 63 pitches, but the left-hander left the Diamondbacks in position to win. Bumgarner is expected to miss at least one more game, so look for Young to make his next start Thursday in Oakland.

Gott blew the save and picked up the loss Saturday against Oakland, pitching two-thirds of an inning and allowing four runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two.

Gott began the game a perfect 4-for-4 in save opportunities, but he was pounded by the Athletics for the second straight day to blow his first save of the campaign. The right-hander entered the series against Oakland having yielded only one earned run over six innings, but he has been knocked around for nine earned runs while registering only three outs over the last two games to drive his ERA all the way up to an unsightly 12.86.

Yates' MRI on his right elbow revealed bone chips Saturday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Yates was placed on the injured list earlier in the day with what was originally referred to as right elbow inflammation. The updated diagnosis could presumably lead to a lengthy absence, though his timeline won't come into focus until he receives a second opinion Monday. Drew Pomeranz should be the primary closer in Yates' absence.

Castano didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 2-1 loss to Atlanta, giving up one run on four hits and two walks over six-plus innings. He struck out two.

After trading goose eggs with Max Fried for six frames, Castano came out to begin the seventh but was promptly taken deep by Marcell Ozuna and got the hook. Monte Harrison tied it up with a solo shot of his own in the eighth to prevent Castano from taking the loss. The quality start was the first of the rookie's career in only his second big-league outing, and the 25-year-old southpaw appears to be locking down a regular turn in the Marlins' beleaguered rotation. If he stays on schedule, his next start would come Thursday, at home against the Mets.

Melancon gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his fourth save of the season in a 2-1 win over the Marlins.

All the runs in the game came in the final three innings and all on solo homers, but Melancon was able to avoid serving one up to protect the win. The right-hander has yet to allow a run this season and has converted all four of his save chances, and while his 4:0 K:BB through seven innings isn't dominant, Melancon seems to have a firm grip on Atlanta's closer job.

Smith (1-0) gave up a game-tying solo home run to Monte Harrison in the eighth inning Saturday but wound up with the win as Atlanta came away with a 2-1 victory over the Marlins.

In just his third appearance of the season, Smith blew his first save in an Atlanta uniform, but he was still the pitcher of record when Adam Duvall answered with a blast of his own in the ninth. With Mark Melancon pitching well so far, look for Smith to continue working in a setup capacity rather than sharing in the save chances for his new team.