MLB Player News

Helsley struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Reds.

Helsley retired the side on a tidy eight pitches (five strikes) to earn his 44th save of the season, reclaiming a share of the major-league lead with Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase. Over his last 14 appearances, Helsley has given up just two runs (one earned) over 15 innings, converting 11 of his 12 save chances in that span. He's pitched to a 2.19 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 72:23 K:BB through 61.2 innings this season.

Kelly (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Manager Dave Roberts said Kelly will make two appearances in the minors -- the second of which will come Sunday -- before rejoining the Dodgers' bullpen sometime next week. The 36-year-old righty owns a 5.20 ERA and 1.59 WHIP through 27.2 innings on the year and will likely be limited to low-leverage situations once he's healthy.

Diaz earned the save Wednesday against Toronto, retiring the only batter he faced in the ninth inning to seal a 6-2 victory.

After Ryne Stanek allowed a run on back-to-back two-out singles in the ninth, Diaz came in to face Nathan Lukes. Diaz retired Lukes on just one pitch to lock down his 18th save. It's the eighth straight scoreless appearance for Diaz -- he's allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out 14 over 7.1 innings in that span. The right-hander's ERA is down to 3.60 on the season with a 1.00 WHIP and 68:16 K:BB across 45 innings.

The Padres recalled Cosgrove from Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday.

Cosgrove has allowed 19 earned runs over just 14.2 innings in the majors this season, but he'll return to San Diego nonetheless to give the Friars a left-handed bullpen arm while fellow southpaw Martin Perez is on paternity leave. The 28-year-old Cosgrove will almost certainly be limited to low-leverage situations while in the big leagues.

Beeks earned the save in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Marlins, allowing one hit in one-third of an inning.

After Aroldis Chapman pitched in Tuesday's contest, David Bednar was initially called upon to close out a 3-0 lead Wednesday. However, the Pirates would turn to Beeks with two outs in the ninth to face the left-handed Kyle Stowers after Bednar gave up a run on a pair of hits. Beeks would allow an infield hit to Stowers that loaded the bases before inducing a flyout from Xavier Edwards to close out a two-run victory. It's the 10th save of the year for the 31-year-old Beeks, his first since joining the Pirates from the Rockies at the trade deadline. Beeks has pitched well for Pittsburgh, posting a 2.30 ERA across 15.2 innings, though he's still likely behind Chapman, Bednar and Dennis Santana in the Pirates' bullpen hierarchy.

The Cardinals optioned Roycroft to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday.

Roycroft struck out a pair while retiring all five batters he faced in Tuesday's loss to the Reds, but he'll continue to bounce back and forth between St. Louis and Memphis, as he's done often this season. Wednesday's starter, Lance Lynn (knee), was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move.

Atlanta designated Herget for assignment Wednesday.

The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for utility man Cavan Biggio, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Gwinnett. After being acquired from the Angels in early May, Herget made eight appearances out of Atlanta bullpen, logging a 4.38 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 15:3 K:BB in 12.1 innings. He was optioned to Gwinnett on Aug. 19 and will likely stick around with the Triple-A club if he clears waivers.

Atlanta recalled Hernandez from Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

Hernandez has spent most of this season at Gwinnett but has been terrific in 10 appearances in the majors, collecting a 0.82 ERA and 14:6 K:BB over 11 frames. He will operate as a middle reliever.

Chavez (2-2) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing one hit over three scoreless innings of relief in a 12-0 victory over the Nationals. He struck out three without walking a batter.

The 41-year-old righty took the mound to begin the second inning after Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) was removed from the game. Chavez has been erratic in the second half, posting a 5.28 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB through 15.1 innings since the beginning of August, and Chavez's low-leverage, middle-relief role gives him minimal fantasy upside. Should Lopez miss any starts to close out the regular season, Chavez isn't likely to be considered as a rotation replacement, other than as part of a bullpen day.

Hodge picked up the save in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Dodgers, working around a walk to pitch a scoreless ninth inning.

The game ended on what would have been a two-run homer by Max Muncy had Pete Crow-Armstrong not timed his jump perfectly to snag the ball over the wall on a highlight reel catch. With that, Hodge secured his fifth save of the year and fourth since Aug. 20. He has continued to be a reliable high-leverage option for the Cubs and is now up to 14 straight scoreless appearances while giving up only five hits in 15 innings over that span. For the year, he owns a 1.66 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 46:17 K:BB in 38 innings.