MLB Player News

Bass (back) made a rehab appearance at Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, tossing a perfect inning and striking out one.

Bass had been sidelined for the last two weeks with the back strain, but shouldn't require much time in the minors before the Cubs bring him off the 10-day disabled list. Expect the right-hander to make another appearance or two at Iowa before slotting back into the big-league bullpen. Over his 16 outings with the Cubs this season spanning 15.1 innings, Bass has posted a 2.93 ERA and 14:3 K:BB.

The Nationals optioned Voth to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.

Voth served as the Nationals' 26th man during the second half of their doubleheader with the Reds on Saturday, but wasn't summoned from the bullpen for the contest. He'll head back to Syracuse and should slot into the club's rotation immediately.

Erceg has hit .305/.349/.513 with eight home runs and 24 RBI over 41 games since the Double-A All-Star break.

Erceg owned just a .629 OPS on the season when the first half came to a close, but his recent hot streak has boosted that number nearly 100 points to .717. His early struggles took some shine off his prospect status, but he still remains one of the top young hitters in the Brewers' system.

Helsley (shoulder) began a rehab assignment with the GCL Cardinals on Monday, Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com reports.

Helsley tossed 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing a hit and three walks while striking out four. He's been out for nearly two months with shoulder fatigue but seems to be nearing a return to Double-A or Triple-A action.

Dominguez recorded three strikeouts in one inning Sunday against the Marlins but also gave up a solo homer, saddling him with a blown save.

Manager Gabe Kapler continues to deploy his bullpen in unconventional ways, using Dominguez in the highest-leverage spots and not restricting him to the ninth inning. This time around, he was called upon with a one-run lead in the top of the seventh with the Marlins' second, third and fourth hitters due up. He managed to strike out Brian Anderson and Starlin Castro without throwing a single ball but allowed Justin Bour to tie the game with a solo shot. Dominguez's uncommon usage pattern means that while he'll almost certainly end the season as the Phillies' saves leader, he'll wind up with a total far lower than most closers, but his strikeouts and ratios make him a valuable enough reliever in most formats.

Minter blew his first save of the season but picked up the win Sunday, striking out one but allowing two hits including a solo home run by Devin Mesoraco in the ninth inning of an extra-inning victory over the Mets.

It's the first time Minter's been scored upon in six appearances since the All-Star break. The southpaw figures to remain the Braves' closer for the foreseeable future with the team having no clear timetable yet on Arodys Vizcaino's return from shoulder woes, but if Minter hits a rough patch, Dan Winkler and new acquisition Brad Brach could begin the see save chances as well.

Smith fired a clean inning with a pair of strikeouts en route to his seventh save in Sunday's 3-2 win over Arizona.

Smith looked dominant in this one, throwing 13 of his 17 pitches for strikes without allowing a baserunner against a tough Diamondbacks lineup. The 28-year-old has flourished since taking over as the Giants' closer June 29, going a perfect 7-for-7 in save chances over that span.

Jansen recorded the save against the Astros on Sunday, working around a hit to fire a scoreless ninth inning and close out a 3-2 victory for the Dodgers. He recorded one strikeout.

Jansen was called on to protect a one-run lead in this contest, and he came through once again, bagging his 31st save in 34 chances on the season with this scoreless effort. The right-hander's unexpectedly rough start to the season can be considered ancient history: Jansen is having a customarily dominant campaign for Los Angeles, with a 2.19 ERA and a brilliant 0.92 WHIP over 53.1 innings that support the lofty save total.

Leone (biceps) fired a scoreless sixth inning in Triple-A Memphis' loss to Fresno on Saturday, allowing a hit and a walk over 19 pitches.

The right-hander has put together back-to-back impressive outings with the Redbirds, and even some minor control issues Saturday worked in his favor to an extent by affording him additional work. Leone has now fired 19 pitches in each of his two minor-league appearances, but he's likely to still log additional time with Memphis before being considered for activation.

Biddle tossed a scoreless 10th inning, allowing one hit as he picked up the save Sunday against the Mets.

Biddle allowed the tying run to reach base on a leadoff double, but he managed to slam the door as the Braves took the series finale. Through 37 relief appearances this season, he owns a 2.30 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 42 strikeouts and six holds over 43 innings. Biddle should continue to be deployed in mid-to-high-leverage situations moving forward.