MLB Player News

Wells was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday.

Wells picked up his first major-league victory Tuesday after allowing two runs on four hits with two walks and a strikeout over 2.2 frames in relief, and he'll now make his way back to the minors. The left-hander will return to Norfolk, where he has a 5.63 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 27:4 K:BB across 32 innings this season.

Bummer was placed on the injured list Wednesday with a strained right hamstring, retroactive to June 28.

It's not clear how or when Bummer injured his hamstring, but the left-hander last pitched Sunday against the Mariners. Per James Fegan of The Athletic, manager Tony La Russa said that Bummer's time on the injured list is expected to be in the 10-day range. Michael Kopech (hamstring) was reinstated from the 10-day IL in a corresponding roster move.

Kelly earned a hold against San Francisco on Tuesday, completing 1.1 perfect innings and striking out one batter.

The right-hander picked up his fifth hold of the campaign with the efficient outing during which he fired nine of 10 pitches for strikes. Kelly has held opponents scoreless over his past eight appearances, allowing only one hit while posting an 8:2 K:BB over that span. After a rough start to the season, he now carries a 4.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP overall.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Finnegan (hamstring) threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is "getting really close" to a return from the 10-day injured list, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Finnegan was shut down June 22 with a left hamstring injury, but the fact that he's throwing again a week later suggests that he's dealing with a fairly minor strain. Before activating him from the IL, the Nationals will likely want Finnegan to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment, which he could do this weekend.

Hudson (elbow) completed a 25-pitch bullpen session in Washington on Wednesday, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.

Hudson had been limited to playing catch off flat ground since beginning a throwing program last week, so the bullpen session represents a step forward in the recovery process for the right-hander. Because he's been on the shelf since June 12 with elbow inflammation, Hudson will likely require a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated from the 10-day injured list.

Jansen picked up the save in Tuesday's win over the Giants after hurling a scoreless ninth inning, walking one and striking out two.

Jansen hit Alex Dickerson and walked Buster Posey to start the inning, but he settled down and struck out two of the final three batters he faced to clinch his 20th save of the year, tying him for second in the National League in that category. The righty also extended his streak of scoreless outings to 11.

Cabrera secured his 11th hold in a win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, allowing an earned run on a hit and two walks while recording a strikeout over two-thirds of an inning.

Cabrera didn't exactly help himself with some fairly significant control issues, as he got just eight of his 19 pitches into the strike zone. Ultimately, he was able to wiggle out of trouble with the help of fellow reliever Andrew Miller, who got the final out of the seventh inning. Cabrera has now allowed at least one run in five of his last 12 appearances, leading to an elevated 4.63 ERA and 1.54 WHIP during that stretch.

Wells (1-0) allowed two runs on four hits and two walks with one strikeout in 2.2 innings, earning the win versus Houston on Tuesday.

While he didn't start Tuesday's contest, Wells entered the game to get the last out of the fourth inning. By the time he left in the seventh, the Orioles had pulled ahead, and they piled on nine runs in the last two innings to help Wells earn his first major-league win. The southpaw has allowed two runs on five hits and four walks through his first 4.2 innings this year, so he's likely to remain in a low-leverage role going forward.

Littell pitched a perfect inning in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Dodgers.

Since an ugly turn as an opener June 15 versus Arizona, Littell has bounced back relatively well. He's allowed two runs on three hits and three walks in six innings across his last seven outings. The right-hander has been reasonably effective in a low-leverage role with a 3.33 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 17:11 K:BB across 24.1 innings. However, Littell may not be able to sustain those ratios -- a .235 BABIP has helped limit the damage against him so far this year.

Bender gave up two runs on one hit and two walks in an inning of relief during Tuesday's loss to the Phillies. He struck out two.

The earned runs were the first the 26-year-old has allowed in the majors after beginning his career with a 0.00 ERA through his first 21.1 innings. With Adam Cimber now in Toronto, Bender could find himself working in more high-leverage spots, as he has only four holds through 22 appearances despite his impressive numbers.