MLB Player News

Brash (1-2) gave up six earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three in two innings Friday against the Mariners. He took the loss.

Jorge Soler hit a 468-foot two-run home run off Brash in the first inning and he kept giving up hits until Seattle was forced to pull him. Brash's fastball was averaging 96.3 mph, which was a tick above his season average (95.8 mph) and he got plenty of whiffs on his fastball (four) and slider (five), but he primarily relied on those two pitches. This outing was poor enough that it's conceivable the Mariners opt to let Brash try to get things sorted out in the minors, so it's no guarantee he will take the ball next week in Houston as scheduled.

Saucedo was removed from Friday's game against the Astros with right hip discomfort and is undergoing further evaluation.

He came in to start the fifth inning and gave up a hit and a walk without retiring a batter before exiting with the injury. The 28-year-old lefty has given up four earned runs and three home runs in 2.2 innings this season.

Saucedo left Friday's game against the Astros with an apparent hip/side injury, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

He came in to start the fifth inning and gave up a hit and a walk without retiring a batter before exiting with the injury. Saucedo has a 13.50 ERA on the year.

Llovera's contract was selected from Triple-A Sacramento prior to Friday's game against the Nationals, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The Giants have multiple relievers on the COVID-19 injured list, so Llovera will provide reinforcement for the bullpen. He's struck out 14 and walked two over 10.2 scoreless innings through six appearances at Triple-A this season.

Junis was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

This is noteworthy because Junis had logged 10 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts through his first two appearances, so the move wasn't necessarily deserved. Alex Cobb (groin) is expected to join the rotation early next week, so the Giants will add bullpen reinforcements for the weekend.

Underwood (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment Friday with Low-A Bradenton, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

With Pittsburgh sending Underwood to the lower levels, it would seem he will need several appearances before potentially being activated. Once healthy, he could earn a high-leverage role in the bullpen.

Kranick (forearm) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

He gave up four runs (three earned) over 6.2 innings over three rehab appearances. Kranick could rejoin the big club as either a starter or multi-inning reliever.

Holton was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Holton had his contract selected earlier in the day but didn't even last a full 24 hours on the major-league roster. He did get to make his big-league debut, striking out one batter while allowing two hits in a scoreless inning of relief against the Cardinals.

Melancon was placed on the injured list for undisclosed reasons Friday.

The Diamondbacks declined to specify both the reason for Melancon's absence and which injured list he'd been placed on, which is the pattern teams have used when a player lands on the COVID-19 injured list. Whether or not Melancon has tested positive for the virus himself is unclear. If he has, he could miss over a week, but it's also possible he's merely a close contact or is dealing with the symptoms of an unrelated illness. Ian Kennedy could see save chances while Melancon is unavailable, as could lefty Joe Mantiply, the only Diamondback other than Melancon to record a save this season.

Herget will start Friday's game against the White Sox in place of Noah Syndergaard (illness), Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

While Herget is nominally the starter, this will probably wind up being a true bullpen day. Herget was a reliever throughout his minor-league career, and his long major-league start was an inning-long appearance as an opener for the Rangers back in September of 2020. He hasn't pitched more than two innings at any point this season and is unlikely to surpass that mark Friday.