MLB Player News

The Reds reinstated Pagan (lat) from the 60-day injured list Saturday.

After three rehab outings, Pagan was given the green light to rejoin Cincinnati's bullpen. To make room for Pagan on the 26-man active roster, the Reds optioned right-hander Yosver Zulueta to Triple-A Louisville. Pagan turned in a 4.43 ERA and 1.38 WHIP while striking out 26 over 20.1 innings in 22 appearances before landing on the IL on June 9 with a right lat strain.

The Nationals reinstated Weems (lower leg) from the 15-day injured list Saturday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

Weems landed on the IL on July 26 due to shin splints in his right leg. He didn't end up needing a rehab stint, and the 31-year-old right-hander will return to the Nationals' bullpen for their weekend series against the Angels. Right-hander Joan Adon was optioned to Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move.

The Mets optioned Young to Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Young's demotion opens up a spot on the 26-man roster for Reed Garrett (elbow), who was activated from the 15-day injured list. After being claimed off waivers from the Giants on July 17, Young joined the Mets a few days later and posted a 1.29 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across seven innings out of the bullpen. The southpaw will be a leading candidate for a call-up the next time the Mets are in need of a fresh relief arm.

The Mets activated Garrett (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Saturday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Garrett has been out of major-league action since July 10 due to inflammation in his right elbow. In his last rehab outing with Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday, he allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three in one inning. Before landing on the IL, Garrett recorded eight holds and four saves across 36 major-league outings with a 3.64 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across 42 innings. To make room on the 26-man roster for Garrett, the Mets optioned Alex Young to Syracuse.

Kittredge allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning, earning his major-league-leading 30th hold of the season in Friday's 8-5 win over the Royals.

Kittredge has been one of the best setup men in the majors this year, which has helped the Cardinals rely on the bullpen to find success. He's on a 7.1-inning scoreless streak since the All-Star break, adding five holds and a blown save in that span. For the year, Kittredge has pitched to a 3.02 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 49:15 K:BB while adding one save, five blown saves and a 1-4 record over 50.2 innings.

Liberatore (3-3) allowed one walk and struck out three over three scoreless and hitless innings to earn the win Friday over the Royals.

Liberatore allowed nine runs over his first 3.2 innings following the All-Star break, but he's bounced back with 6.2 scoreless innings and a 9:2 K:BB over his four appearances in August. The southpaw has been a multi-inning reliever and occasional spot starter for the Cardinals this year. He's now at a 4.76 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 53:22 K:BB through 62.1 innings, but it doesn't look like he'll find a path to a regular starting role any time soon.

Manager Bob Melvin said Friday that Walker will serve as the Giants' closer going forward, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Walker has been dominant out of the bullpen this season, posting a 2.24 ERA and 0.88 WHIP across 60.1 frames while typically handling the seventh inning for the Giants. With the struggling Camilo Doval now in Triple-A Sacramento, Walker will become San Francisco's go-to reliever in save situations and is worth rostering in all fantasy formats.

Helsley gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 37th save of the season in an 8-5 win over the Royals.

It didn't look like Helsley's services would be needed headed into the late innings, but the Cardinals scored twice in the eighth and ninth frames to erase a 5-4 deficit. The St. Louis closer then made things interesting by bring the tying run to the plate with one out, but he coaxed a double play grounder out of Vinnie Pasquantino to end the night. Helsley has worked three of the last four days, likely making him unavailable Saturday, but he racked up saves in each appearance to extend his major-league lead in saves over Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase (33).

Neris gave up two hits and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 16th save of the season in a 7-6 win over the White Sox.

The veteran right-hander gave up back-to-back singles to lead off the ninth before walking Andrew Benintendi with two outs, but Neris got Andrew Vaughn to fly out to escape the jam. Neris hasn't blown a save since June 16, posting a 1.26 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 17:6 K:BB over 14.1 innings since then to build up some job security as the Cubs' closer.

Martinez (5-2) earned the win over the Phillies on Friday, allowing one run and striking out one over a scoreless ninth inning.

Martinez's ascension to the back end of the Diamondbacks' bullpen continued. He was prepping for a save opportunity, but setup reliever A.J. Puk allowed an inherited runner to score, negating the chance. For Martinez, it was a sixth straight scoreless outing, during which he's struck out 12 batters in six innings.