MLB Player News

Rainey (lower leg) was activated off the 10-day injured list Thursday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Rainey wound up missing a month with a stress reaction in his right tibia. He could be in the mix for saves down the stretch, as the Nationals dealt Brad Hand to the Blue Jays on Thursday. His 42.7 percent strikeout rate and 2.66 ERA last year would make him seem like a strong candidate, though his strikeout rate has fallen to 26.5 percent this season while his ERA has ballooned to 6.93.

Luetge struck out four without allowing a hit or a walk over two innings in Wednesday's win over Tampa Bay.

After Nestor Cortes gave New York five strong innings as the starter, Luetge came on for the sixth and seventh frames with the score tied 1-1. The left-hander retired all six batters he faced, collecting two punchouts in each of his frames. Luetge hasn't pitched in many high-leverage spots but is putting together a strong campaign after a six-year absence from MLB, posting a 3.06 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 51:8 K:BB across 47 innings.

Long allowed two hits and a walk with two strikeouts across two innings in Wednesday's 8-0 loss to the Dodgers.

Long worked as a starter prior to a back strain that landed him on the injured list. He returned to a bullpen role Wednesday and delivered decent pitching in the fifth and sixth innings. The 26-year-old doesn't have a clear path back to the rotation without injuries arising, so he should be expected to provide multiple innings in relief going forward. He's pitched to a 5.19 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 27:8 K:BB through 26 innings this year.

Leone has allowed four runs (two earned) in his last four innings spanning five appearances.

In that span, the right-hander has yielded five hits and five walks while striking out five. He's had just one clean outing in that stretch. Leone has been solid in the middle innings with a 1.61 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, six holds and two blown saves across 22.1 innings, but he's experienced some regression after pitching incredibly after he was called up June 1.

Machado was recalled by the Nationals on Thursday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The Nationals had to make several changes to their roster Thursday with a handful of players landing on the COVID-19 injured list. Machado will give the team some extra bullpen depth, but his 12.54 ERA in 9.1 career MLB innings doesn't exactly inspire much confidence.

Barlow (3-3) walked one and struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn the win Wednesday versus the White Sox.

In his last five appearances, Barlow has collected two saves, two holds and a win as one of manager Mike Matheny's strongest high-leverage arms. Barlow worked the 10th inning Wednesday, keeping the game tied to allow Michael Taylor to deliver a walkoff single in the bottom of the frame. The 28-year-old right-hander owns a 2.70 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 65:21 K:BB with six saves and 13 holds across 50 innings.

Abbott was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Maddie Lee of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Abbott was recalled by the Cubs on Tuesday, but he'll return to the minors after he allowed three runs on three hits and two walks in one inning of relief during Wednesday's loss to the Reds. He could rejoin the Cubs as a low-leverage reliever at some point later in the campaign

Pilkington was acquired by Cleveland on Thursday in a trade which sent Cesar Hernandez to the White Sox, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Pilkington joins an organization that has a good reputation when it comes to developing pitchers. The 2018 third-round pick isn't a top prospect, but he's shown promise this season in 14 Double-A starts, riding a 30.5 percent strikeout rate to a 3.48 ERA.

Manaea (8-6) earned the win Wednesday over the Padres after tossing six scoreless innings, giving up one hit and one walk while fanning nine.

Manaea tossed a second straight quality start and has dazzled of late, allowing just one run on four hits while posting a 22:4 K:BB across his last 13 innings of work. The southpaw owns an excellent 2.18 ERA since the beginning of June.

Romano earned the save in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Red Sox after tossing a scoreless inning, striking out one.

Romano was in charge of closing things out in the seventh inning during the first game of the doubleheader and made quick work of Boston, as he only needed 14 pitches (11 strikes) to get the job done. Romano, who tossed his second straight scoreless outing and seems to be turning things around after a couple of subpar appearances, has gone 8-for-9 in save appearances this season, though his ninth-inning outlook is clouded going forward following the addition of Brad Hand from Washington.