MLB Player News

Diplan has allowed just one walk while striking out six in his first 6.1 big-league innings.

The right-hander had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk on Aug. 4, and he's provided some quality low-leverage innings out of the bullpen. Diplan carried a 4.12 ERA and 1.67 WHIP through 19.2 innings at Norfolk, so his success in the majors is a little surprising. For now, he appears to have solidified his spot in the Orioles' major-league plans.

Akin (0-7) allowed three runs on six hits and three walks with two strikeouts in four innings, taking the loss versus Boston on Sunday.

The southpaw allowed nine baserunners, but he only had to pay for all that traffic when J.D. Martinez hit a three-run home run in the first inning. Akin continues to struggle whether starting or coming out of the bullpen -- he has an 8.13 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and 54:24 K:BB in 58.2 innings. He could continue to hold a rotation spot, as Bruce Zimmermann suffered a sprained ankle in his rehab from a biceps injury. Akin tentatively lines up for a difficult home start versus Atlanta next weekend.

Fleming is expected to pitch behind opener Collin McHugh in Monday's game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Fleming was hit hard in Wednesday's start, as he allowed 10 runs on 11 hits and six walks while striking out three in 3.1 innings against Boston. The southpaw has still earned wins in two of his last three outings, and he'll attempt to bounce back while serving as the primary pitcher Monday.

McHugh will serve as the opener in Monday's game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

McHugh has earned wins in two of his last three relief appearances, and he's allowed just one unearned run with a 43:4 K:BB and 0.70 WHIP in 30 innings across his last 15 appearances. The right-hander will be able to handle multiple innings if needed, but Josh Fleming is expected to serve as the primary pitcher.

Smith allowed no hits and two walks while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in Sunday's win over the Nationals.

Smith wasn't needed in Saturday's 12-2 win over Washington, but he secured the series sweep with his second save in the last three days Sunday. He's made 12 appearances since the All-Star break, and he's converted seven of nine save chances with a 3.75 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 12 innings during that time.

Chavez (3-2) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in one inning to earn the win Sunday against the Nationals.

Chavez wasn't particularly sharp in Sunday's outing, as he allowed the Nationals to bring the game within one run in the bottom of the fifth inning. However, he nabbed his third win of 2021 since Atlanta's bullpen tossed four scoreless frames after the right-hander left the game. Chavez has now allowed runs in three of his last four relief appearances, and he's recorded a 12.27 ERA and 3.00 WHIP in 3.2 innings across that span.

Ottavino was removed from Sunday's win over the Orioles with a bruised left shoulder, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Ottavino entered for the seventh inning and hit a batter, induced an infield pop-out and issued a walk before being struck in the left shoulder by a comebacker. A run scored as the ball ricocheted into right field, and he was subsequently removed from the contest. It doesn't appear to be a serious injury, and the veteran right-hander will have Monday's scheduled off day to recover before potentially missing additional game action.

The Diamondbacks placed Mantiply on the injured list Sunday without a designation, implying he's been moved to the COVID-19-related IL.

As Steve Gilbert of MLB.com notes, manager Torey Lovullo said following Saturday's win over the Padres that the Diamondbacks were conducting contact tracing after starting pitcher Merrill Kelly tested positive for COVID-19, and Mantiply appears to have been at potential risk of infection. The reliever previously spent time on the COVID-19-related IL earlier this month, but because he was deactivated for less than 10 days, he wasn't believed to have tested positive for the virus. Mantiply has emerged as a key setup reliever for Arizona, posting a 4.66 ERA while gathering seven holds over the past month and a half.

The Padres recalled Knehr from Triple-A El Paso on Sunday.

San Diego is treating Sunday's series finale with the Diamondbacks as a bullpen game, so Knehr could be a candidate to cover multiple frames in relief behind opener Craig Stammen, who is unlikely to work more than 2-to-3 innings. If Knehr goes unused Sunday, he could stay with the Padres and make a spot start or work as a primary pitcher at some point during the team's three-game series in Colorado that begins Monday. The Padres will need to fill Yu Darvish's (back) turn in the rotation during that series after he was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday.

The Giants reinstated Jackson from the COVID-19-related injured list Sunday.

Jackson was deactivated Saturday after experiencing side effects related to his COVID-19 vaccine shot, but he's apparently feeling good heading into Sunday's series finale with the Rockies. The hard-throwing right-hander should be available out of the bullpen.