MLB Player News

Megill secured the save against the Twins on Saturday, throwing a clean ninth inning with no strikeouts.

Megill nearly retired the side on a minimal workload, needing a mere four pitches to record the game's final three outs. The hard-throwing right-hander has cemented himself as Milwaukee's closer, last blowing a save June 5 in Colorado. Through 44.1 innings, Megill sports a 2.64 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 51:11 K:BB with 21 saves in 23 attempts.

Lord will serve as the Nationals' opening pitcher Sunday in a bullpen game against the Reds, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Lord made his return from the 15-day injured list Wednesday and tossed a scoreless inning of relief later that day against the Phillies, but he'll now be called upon to make his second start of the season. Washington has a permanent opening in its rotation after recently designating Zack Littell for assignment, but it's unclear if Lord will be gradually built up for a starting role or if the Nationals will turn to a Triple-A starter such as Luis Perales or Jackson Kent to fill the void. At least for Sunday's contest, expect Lord to be operating with a restricted workload after having not worked longer than three innings in any of his 28 appearances on the season.

The Rockies reinstated Castano (pectoral) from the injured list Saturday and optioned him to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Castano has been on the injured list since late June due to a pectoral strain. He began playing in rehab games last Saturday and has since allowed four runs on four hits and two walks over 2.1 innings. Now fully healthy, the 27-year-old will remain in Triple-A for the time being but could return to the majors later in the year as bullpen depth.

The Cubs reinstated Holmes (fibula) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his start Saturday against the Royals, Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Holmes has been on the shelf since May due to a fractured fibula. He made three rehab starts in the minors while he was still in the Mets organization, logging a 3.86 ERA and 1.37 WHIP across 11.2 innings. He built up to 73 pitches during his final rehab outing, so he isn't likely to have a significant workload restriction while he makes his Cubs debut against a Royals offense that's posted just a .688 OPS since the All-Star break. Braxton Garrett was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

The Brewers designated Wilson for assignment Saturday.

Wilson signed an MLB contract with the Brewers in July, and despite turning in a 2.63 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 13.2 innings with the club, he'll now lose his place on the 26-man and 40-man rosters in favor of Lyon Richardson. Wilson owns a 4.24 ERA through 23.1 innings overall this season between the Phillies, Cubs and Brewers, though his recent performance could make other teams more interested in bringing him in off waivers.

The Reds optioned Petty to Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

Petty gave up three runs (two earned) in 1.2 innings while serving as the Reds' opening pitcher in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Nationals, and he'll now head back to the minors to open up a spot on the active roster for righty Ron Marinaccio, who was claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh. Petty now owns a 4.83 ERA and 1.26 WHIP through 31.2 innings this season.

Cruz walked one and struck out one in a scoreless seventh inning Friday to record his first career hold in Friday's win over the Reds.

Acquired from the Yankees in the Luis Garcia deal at the trade deadline, Cruz has quickly slid into a high-leverage role in the Nationals' bullpen. The right-hander topped out at 102 mph with his fastball but leaned heavily on his slider, which he used to fan Matt McLain and coax an inning-ending double play from Sal Stewart. Washington has been looking for a power arm to anchor the back of its bullpen all year, so Cruz should get a long look as a late-inning option. Through his first 6.2 big-league innings between the Yankees and Nats, he sports a 2.70 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 8:3 K:BB.

Beeter struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his 12th save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Reds.

The Nationals got a rare smooth performance from the bullpen, as Yovanny Cruz and Orlando Ribalta handled the seventh and eighth innings before Beeter wrapped things up. Beeter has been far from a lockdown closer, however, and over 12 appearances and 9.2 innings since the beginning of July he's stumbled to a 5.59 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 8:4 K:BB while blowing two of eight save chances.

Mey gave up two hits and struck out four over 2.2 scoreless relief innings in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Nationals. He didn't walk a batter.

All the scoring had already occurred by the time Mey took the mound to begin fifth inning in a bullpen day for the Reds, but the 25-year-old right-hander did what he could to keep the door open for a potential comeback. It was Mey's first big-league action since June 5, and also the first time in eight MLB appearances this season that he didn't issue a free pass. Control remains his biggest hurdle to a more prominent role -- he's got an 18:10 K:BB in 11.1 innings for Cincinnati in 2026 -- but Mey's upper-90s sinker and wipeout slider give him a sky-high ceiling if things begin to click.

Mlodzinski (6-4) took the loss Friday, coughing up five runs on seven hits and a walk over three innings as the Pirates were downed 6-4 by the Mets. He struck out one.

A three-run homer by Marcus Semien in the third inning was the big blow off Mlodzinski, who was making his first start since May 25. The right-hander did get stretched out to 63 pitches (40 strikes), and while he sports a 3.51 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 77:32 K:BB through 97.1 innings over 26 appearances (10 starts) on the year, he'll need better results to stick around in the rotation as the replacement for Mitch Keller (arm). Mlodzinski will get another chance to show he can handle the job on the road next week in Miami.