MLB Player News

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Friday that Assad has been shut down after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique strain, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Assad re-injured his oblique during a rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Iowa. It's not clear how long the right-hander will remain shut down, but Counsell intimated that Assad will have to start building up from scratch once he's cleared to resume a throwing program. It's a significant setback for Assad, who will likely remain sidelined until at least June.

Henry walked one and struck out four over two scoreless, no-hit relief innings in Thursday's loss to the Orioles.

The 25-year-old right-hander has had an injury-marred pro career since being selected in the second round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, but Henry has looked good so far in a relief role with the Nationals. Through four appearances, he has yet to allow a run while posting a 0.64 WHIP and 8:1 K:BB. Washington's bullpen remains unsettled behind closer Kyle Finnegan, so Henry has a clear path to a high-leverage spot if he can keep stacking zeros -- he entered Thursday's contest in the eighth inning with the Nats down by a run.

Nelson allowed one run on three hits and struck out five over 2.1 innings in Thursday's 7-4 extra-inning loss to Tampa Bay.

Nelson entered the game in the seventh inning with Arizona nursing a 4-3 lead and cruised through his first two frames. With the back end of the bullpen shorthanded, the right-hander was asked to pitch the ninth as well, but Nelson faded and was tagged with the tying run, and his first blown save, as he handled his biggest workload of the season (54 pitches). The Diamondbacks are working without high-leverage options A.J. Puk (elbow) and Kevin Ginkel (shoulder), and a recent bout of fatigue led manager Torey Lovullo to not use Justin Martinez after he'd pitched Wednesday.

Beeks underwent X-rays on his forearm which came back negative, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Beeks was removed from Thursday's loss to the Rays after being struck by a comebacker but is not expected to miss any time. That's obviously good news for the Diamondbacks, who are already missing a couple key pieces in the bullpen. A recent report from Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic suggests A.J. Puk (elbow) is facing a lengthy absence, while Kevin Ginkel (shoulder) is hoping to be back by the end of April and Justin Martinez is experiencing fatigue. Beeks has not allowed a run over 10 appearances this month and sports a 0.60 ERA through 15 innings on the year.

Fairbanks earned the save in Thursday's 7-4 extra-inning win over the Diamondbacks after allowing one walk in a scoreless 10th inning. He struck out one.

It didn't appear initially that Fairbanks would be in action Thursday, but the Rays scored a run in the ninth inning to force extras and plated three more in the 10th to create a save opportunity for the closer. Even though the hard-throwing right-hander has a concerning 1.50 WHIP and 9:6 K:BB over 9.1 innings, he's converted each of his first four save chances and has a 2.89 ERA. Fairbanks' control issues could eventually come back to haunt him, but he has some decent stability as Tampa Bay's No. 1 option for saves coming off back-to-back 20-save campaigns.

Jackson (0-2) was charged with the loss and a blown save in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Athletics, giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits and one walk in one inning. He struck out one.

Jackson entered the game with a runner on base in the eighth inning and put out Brent Rooker to protect a 3-2 lead, but trouble arose in the ninth frame. The first of his two runs allowed was unearned due to a Leody Taveras fielding error, but Jacob Wilson's walk-off single saddled Jackson with his first blown save of the year. The veteran right-hander has still converted seven of his eight save chances to go with a respectable 3.60 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 7:3 K:BB over 10 frames, so he figures to remain the favorite for ninth-inning work in Texas' bullpen for the time being, despite Thursday's showing.

Horn was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Thursday.

Horn was recalled to the majors Saturday and appeared in a game Tuesday, completing 1.1 innings while striking out two. He will likely have the chance to contribute out of the big-league bullpen later in the campaign.

Rogers (2-0) earned the win during Thursday's 6-5 victory over Milwaukee, allowing a hit and striking out three in a scoreless inning.

Rogers entered the game in the eighth frame, striking out the first two batters he faced before giving up a single to Garrett Mitchell. However, Rogers kept his composure and struck out the final batter before San Francisco's offense scored two runs. The veteran reliever was efficient in the win, throwing 13 of his 16 pitches for strikes. The right-hander has been impressive over 14 appearances, recording a 0.68 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and a 13:2 K:BB with seven holds across 13.1 innings.

Jansen secured the save in Thursday's 4-3 win over Pittsburgh after allowing one hit in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out one.

Jansen poured in 14 of his 18 pitches for strikes, and he got Oneil Cruz to line out to end the game while the possible tying run was on first base. The 37-year-old right-hander has looked very sharp in the early going, giving up just five hits and two walks with eight punchouts while converting each of his six save chances over eight shutout innings to open the campaign. With Ben Joyce (shoulder) also on the injured list, Jansen is being relied upon even more for high-leverage work.

Bautista collected the save in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Nationals, allowing one hit while striking out a batter in a scoreless ninth inning. He did not issue a walk.

Bautista was brought in for the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead. He needed 19 pitches (12 strikes) to make it through the frame, highlighted by a four-pitch punchout of James Wood to open the ninth. Bautista has earned a save in three of his last four outings and has not yielded a run over his last five games.