MLB Player News

Melancon earned the save Thursday after tossing a scoreless ninth inning, allowing one hit and striking out one.

Melancon was summoned to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning and did so with ease, working around a single by Brandon Lowe to finish things off. The save was his second in as many games after he recorded his first of the season against the Rays on Wednesday. Clearly, the 35-year-old remains the preferred choice for the ninth inning in Atlanta.

Hudson allowed one hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Hudson successfully maintained a two-run lead for the Nationals to earn his first save of the season. He allowed a two-out double, but retired Cavan Biggio with a strikeout to end the contest. Most notably, Sean Doolittle -- another candidate for saves in the Nationals' bullpen -- did not enter the game, even with the team maintaining a lead from start to finish. Given that Doolittle has pitched only twice this season, he was almost certainly available to throw. Given that, it appears Hudson may be the team's primary choice to close games to begin the season.

Gonzalez was added to the Dodgers' 30-man roster Thursday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Gonzalez will take the roster spot of Terrance Gore, who was designated for assignment Thursday. There was speculation that the southpaw could take Alex Wood's (shoulder) spot in the rotation for Friday's game against the Diamondbacks. However, with the Dodgers announcing that Tony Gonsolin would get the nod in Friday's tilt, Gonzalez is likely destined to join the Los Angeles bullpen.

Bowman was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right elbow sprain Thursday.

Bowman was optioned to the Reds' alternate training site earlier in July, but it was determined that the right-hander suffered the injury prior to being sent down. As a result, the option was reversed, and he'll instead land on the major-league injured list. Either way, he'll be sidelined from major-league action for now. No timetable has been determined for his return to action.

Smith (illness) threw off a mound Thursday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Smith has been progressing nicely in his return to throwing after battling COVID-19, and manager Brian Snitker said Thursday that his first mound work went very well. An official timetable for the southpaw's return hasn't been set, but he could be added to the active roster by next week if all goes well. He should slot into a high-leverage role out of the bullpen.

Santana (1-0) earned the win against Houston on Wednesday, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings and allowing no hits and two walks while striking out four.

Santana was pressed into a multiple-inning relief outing as the game extended into the 13th frame, and he responded with the finest performance of his young career. Working with a runner placed at second base at the start of the 12th and 13th innings, Santana did not allow a hit while navigating through the Astros' lineup with relative ease. The performance showed why the Dodgers chose to give the right-hander a spot in their big-league bullpen to open the campaign despite his struggles in the minors last season.

Jimenez was designated for assignment by the Giants on Thursday.

Jimenez was selected by the Giants with the seventh pick of the Rule 5 draft in December and managed to win a role in the major-league bullpen out of camp. He struggled with control in his first outing as he allowed one run on one hit and three walks while only recording one out, but he was able to settle down in his second appearance. However, he'll find himself off the 40-man roster and will now be subjected to waivers.

Dominquez had successful Tommy John surgery Thursday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

This was expected. Dominquez will now begin a lengthy rehab process that will likely keep him sidelined for 12-plus months.

Helsley fired 1.2 scoreless innings in a loss to the Twins on Wednesday, allowing no hits or walks and recording two strikeouts.

The 26-year-old has picked up right where he left off during spring training and summer camp, as Wednesday marked his second scoreless effort in as many regular-season appearances thus far. Helsley should be a constant presence in the late innings thanks to an impressive repertoire that includes a high-90s fastball.

Venditte signed a minor-league contract with the Marlins on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Venditte joined the Marlins as a non-roster invitee earlier in the year but elected free agency in July after he was left out of the team's 60-man player pool. Now with the Marlins dealing with multiple absences related to COVID-19, it sounds like the veteran reliever could be summoned to the majors in short order. Venditte made just two appearances in 2019 and allowed six runs over 3.1 innings, though he also posted a 2.57 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 15 outings (14 innings) in 2018.