MLB Player News

Hodge pitched 1.2 scoreless innings to record a hold in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays. He walked two and struck out two.

Hodge worked in front of Jorge Lopez, who picked up the save with regular closer Hector Neris unavailable after throwing 33 pitches in a blown save Friday. It remains to be seen if Neris will return to the role moving forward, but if the Cubs decide to make a change, both Hodge and Lopez could see save opportunities. Tyson Miller would likely be in the mix as well based on his strong play this season. For now, Hodge remains a strong setup option with a 2.15 ERA and 34 strikeouts across 29.1 innings this year, to go along with a team-high nine holds.

Sewald allowed one hit and struck out three over a scoreless inning in Saturday's 6-1 loss to the Rays.

Sewald has excelled since being replaced as the Diamondbacks' closer. Since then, he has yet to allow a run in six appearances, striking out eight over six innings. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo talked about Sewald having delivery issues at the time of his demotion; if the right-hander solved those issues, he could get save opportunities down the stretch. Sewald remains the most experienced closer in the bullpen.

Helsley picked up the save over the Dodgers on Saturday, striking out one over a perfect ninth inning.

Helsley made short work of the middle of the Dodgers' lineup, retiring the side in order on just six pitches after entering the contest with a three-run lead in the ninth. It marked the 38th save for the right-hander, which leads the majors, and it was only the second time this month in which he didn't allow any hits or walks. Helsley has now converted each of his last five save opportunities, posting a 4:3 K:BB over that stretch.

Lopez earned the save in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays, allowing a solo home run and striking out three in the ninth inning.

Primary closer Hector Neris threw 33 pitches in a blown save Friday, so Lopez was summoned to protect a 3-1 lead in the ninth inning Saturday. He allowed a leadoff home run to Addison Barger but responded by striking out the next three batters he faced. On the season, the 31-year-old owns a 2.44 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 42:18 K:B across 48 innings.

Bednar earned the save in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Mariners, striking out two in a perfect inning.

Bednar was called upon with the bases loaded in the ninth frame and retired all three batters he faced on just nine pitches. It was the first time in six August outings the closer didn't yield at least one run, and it was also his first perfect outing since July 12. On the season, the 29-year-old has converted 22 of 27 save chances with a 5.70 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 46:15 K:BB across 42.2 innings.

Williams pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Guardians.

Williams failed to log a strikeout for the first time in his seven appearances this season. It was still a tidy save for the right-hander, who got the heart of Cleveland's order out on three straight groundouts. Williams has allowed one run -- on a solo home run versus Atlanta on Aug. 7 -- while earning four saves and posting an 11:1 K:BB over seven innings. All of his saves have been over his last four appearances, including three over the last four days, so it's safe to say Williams is back to being locked in as Milwaukee's closer.

Brogdon (foot) began a rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Brogdon was placed on the injured list back in April due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He made a pair of minor-league rehab appearances in early May before being shut down suddenly. Updates on Brogdon's status have been few and far between ever since, but he's now feeling well enough to pitch in games again. Given the lengthy layoff, Brogdon will likely require a fairly long rehab assignment and may be multiple weeks away from returning.

The Marlins are expected to call Oller up from Triple-A Jacksonville to start Monday's game against Arizona, Ari Alexander of KPRC Houston reports.

Oller signed a minor-league contract with Miami on July 9 and has logged a 2.88 ERA across 25 innings for Jacksonville. The 29-year-old spent time in the majors with the Athletics in 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Athletics, logging a 6.30 ERA and a 10.07 ERA, respectively. Considering that the Marlins are dealing with plenty of injuries to their rotation, Oller will have a chance to earn more starts if he performs well Monday.

The Nationals placed Garcia on the bereavement list Saturday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

Garcia will now miss a minimum of three games. In 56 appearances this season, Garcia has recorded 11 holds with a 4.80 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 58:16 K:BB across 45 innings.

The Nationals placed Law on the 15-day injured list Saturday due to a right elbow flexor strain, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

Law has not allowed a run over his last six outings, and across 61 appearances this season he has a 2.85 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 75.2 innings. It's unclear how severe the injury is, but he will get an MRI on Monday to determine how long his stint on the IL will be, per Nusbaum. With Robert Garcia going on the bereavement list, the Nationals promoted Joe La Sorsa and Joan Adon in corresponding moves.