MLB Player News

Helsley (3-0) blew the save but picked up the win in Saturday's 2-1 victory over the Dodgers, allowing one run on two hits while striking out three in the ninth inning.

Called in to complete a 1-0 shutout in the top of the ninth, the Cardinals closer instead gave up back-to-back singles to Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, then uncorked a wild pitch to bring home the tying run. Helsley then fell into the victory when Ben Casparius failed to record an out in the bottom of the ninth for the Dodgers. It was the second straight blown save for Helsley and his fourth of the year in 17 opportunities, and through 23 innings he carries a 3.52 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 26:12 K:BB.

Hoffman struck out one and gave up a solo home run in the ninth inning Saturday to record his 15th save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Twins.

Kody Clemens made things interesting by turning on a 96.6-mph fastball, but Hoffman otherwise had little trouble handling the bottom of the Minnesota order. The right-hander has converted five straight save chances, but keeping the ball in the yard remains an issue -- Hoffman has served up seven homers in 28.2 innings this year, saddling him with a 5.65 ERA despite a 1.12 WHIP and 42:8 K:BB.

Holton (2-3) took the loss Saturday as the Tigers fell 6-1 to the Cubs, giving up one run on one hit in 1.1 innings while striking out two.

Acting as the opener ahead of Keider Montero, Holton served up a solo shot to Seiya Suzuki in the first inning, the first of five Chicago long balls on the day. Holton has been taken deep six times in 29.2 innings this season, including twice in his last three appearances, to leave him with a 4.25 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 27:8 K:BB. The southpaw does have six holds along with his two wins, but his versatility works against him for fantasy purposes and keeps him from consistent high-leverage work.

Nelson (2-2) took the loss against the Reds on Saturday, allowing seven runs on four hits and four walks while striking out three across three innings.

Nelson put the Diamondbacks in the hole right out of the gate after yielding five runs in the first inning, three of which came on Christian Encarnacion-Strand's three-run homer. Nelson settled in to keep the Reds off the board over the next two frames, but he was pulled in the fourth and tagged for two more runs. It was a rough outing for the 27-year-old right-hander, who is looking to keep a permanent spot in the Diamondbacks' rotation with Corbin Burnes (elbow) scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery. Nelson will look to bounce back in his next start, tentatively slated for next weekend at home against the Padres.

Iglesias did not pitch Saturday despite Atlanta holding a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning against the Giants.

Iglesias has struggled over the last month, allowing 11 earned runs across 10 innings pitched. After blowing a save and taking a loss Thursday, manager Brian Snitker noted that Iglesias was not necessarily Atlanta's primary closer moving forward, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com. He was unavailable to pitch Friday but was then passed over in a save chance Saturday. Pierce Johnson got the save opportunity instead, but he blew the chance by allowing a two-run home run to Matt Chapman.

Bednar earned the save in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Phillies, striking out one batter in a perfect ninth inning.

Bednar was brought out for the ninth to protect the Pirates' one-run lead. He needed just seven pitches (five strikes) to get through the frame, four of which came on a Kyle Schwarber strikeout. Bednar has converted on all eight of his save opportunities this season and has a 3.74 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 31:5 K:BB across 21.2 innings. He appears to have reestablished himself as Pittsburgh's closer, having recorded the club's past four saves.

Veneziano will serve as Miami's opening pitcher for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay, Stephen Strom of Marlins Radio Network reports.

Veneziano was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday and worked a scoreless inning out of the bullpen in the series opener versus Tampa Bay. The 27-year-old lefty is now slated to get his first MLB start Sunday, but he's likely to work just an inning or two before turning the game over to the bullpen. Connor Gillispie, Janson Junk and Valente Bellozo are all candidates to cover multiple frames once Veneziano exits the contest.

Latz will serve as the Rangers' opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Nationals, Matthew Postins of SI.com reports.

The Rangers are treating the series finale as a bullpen day, with Latz leading off the contest. He threw three innings as recently as May 27, so he could work multiple innings if he's efficient early on. Latz has turned in seven consecutive scoreless innings, maintaining an 11:2 K:BB across his last five appearances.

Slaten (shoulder) has yet to play catch since being placed on the injured list Sunday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Slaten was diagnosed with shoulder fatigue when he was placed on the injured list, so the issue didn't appear to be overly serious. However, he's likely to be sidelined until at least late June given his lack of progress.

Stephenson had two MRIs that showed no structural damage to his right biceps, and he's been diagnosed with a stretched nerve, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

While imaging provided some positive news for the veteran reliever, the stretched nerve diagnosis comes with an uncertain timeline for a return. Stephenson called the issue a "freak injury" and stated that he's unsure how long he'll be out of action. He added that the only treatment for the injury is rest, and at this point it's unclear if Stephenson will be ready to return from the IL when eligible June 15.