MLB Player News

Kelly was credited with a save in Saturday's 10-2 win over the Pirates after striking out two batters over three perfect innings of relief.

Called up from Triple-A Louisville earlier Saturday, Kelly was summoned from the bullpen after starter Julian Aguiar covered six innings before departing with an eight-run lead. In what was his first MLB appearance since 2018, Kelly made quick work of the Pirates, needing 38 pitches to record his nine outs. Though he was deployed out of the bullpen Saturday, Kelly had been stretched out as a starter at Louisville, and he could be in line to get a look in the Cincinnati rotation with Hunter Greene (elbow) and Andrew Abbott (shoulder) both recently landing on the injured list. The Reds currently have four healthy starters, but with a stretch of six games in five days coming up this week, the team will require two additional starters.

Tauchman, who appeared as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, went 2-for-2 with two runs scored in Saturday's 14-2 win over the Marlins.

Tauchman made a late appearance in the contest but quickly joined the hit parade, and he recorded his first multi-hit effort since Aug. 4. The veteran outfielder has been squeezed out of a regular role with the emergence of Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field, which has pushed Cody Bellinger to the corners or the DH spot. Tauchman can still produce when he's in the lineup, though fantasy managers shouldn't expect consistent playing time in the near future.

Abrams went 2-for-5 with a stolen base in Saturday's loss to Atlanta.

Abrams singled to lead off the third before swiping his 26th bag of the season and his sixth in the month of August. The shortstop added another leadoff single in the fifth but was again left stranded as Washington's offense failed to get much going in the contest. It marked Abrams' second multi-hit effort in his last five starts, though he's still batting just .197 on the month with three homers, eight RBI and eight runs scored.

Busch went 3-for-5 with a walk, a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 14-2 win over the Marlins.

Busch chipped in three of his team's 17 total hits as the offense carried the Cubs to victory. The young first baseman continues to have a productive first season in Chicago, as he's batting .258 with a .795 OPS across 123 games. With the Cubs giving Pete Crow-Armstrong an extended look in center field, Cody Bellinger has had to play elsewhere, including in right and serving as the DH, as he did Saturday. Bellinger is also an option to play at first when he's not in center, but so far, the Cubs have opted to keep Busch in the lineup as often as possible except against lefty starters.

Johnson recorded a save Saturday, pitching a perfect ninth inning against the Nationals.

Johnson entered the contest with a two-run lead in the top of the ninth and managed to retire the side on just four pitches to secure his second save of the campaign. The right-hander was able to take advantage of a rare save opportunity after Raisel Iglesias hurled three innings over Atlanta's previous two games and likely was in need of some rest. Johnson has not allowed any runs in each of his last four appearances, allowing two hits over that stretch while posting a 2:2 K:BB.

Irvin did not factor into the decision in Saturday's loss to Atlanta, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks over 5.1 innings while striking out three.

Irvin allowed the leadoff man to reach in each of the first two innings to open the contest but managed to escape without allowing any damage on both occasions. However, the lack of command caught up with the right-hander as he went on to surrender a solo shot to Orlando Arcia on a hanging slider in the fifth before then giving up back-to-back hits to open the sixth. Irvin was then relieved by Robert Garcia with no outs in the frame, and Garcia allowed back-tb-back hits. Irvin has given up multiple runs in nine consecutive starts, going 2-4 over that stretch while posting a 5.92 ERA. Irvin has also served up at least one long ball in four consecutive outings.

Friedl went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 10-2 win over the Pirates.

Friedl's first-inning single plated the first of four runs the Reds scored in the inning to take an early lead. It's been a stop-and-start season for Friedl, who appears to have put three separate IL stints behind him. He's currently in his longest stretch of good health and is slashing .239/.314/.457 with six home runs, 19 RBI, nine walks and 11 runs scored over his last 28 games.

Morton did not factor into the decision in Saturday's win over the Nationals, allowing two runs on eight hits and two walks over 5.2 innings while striking out six.

Both runs charged to Morton on the night came across on a two-run homer from Jose Tena in the second inning. The right-hander would then hurl three consecutive scoreless frames before being relieved by Aaron Bummer with two outs in the sixth. It marked the second straight outing in which Morton has been unable to get through six innings, though he's now given up two or fewer runs in each of his last three starts. He's also recorded six or more strikeouts in four of five starts in August, posting a 30:8 K:BB over that stretch.

Reds manager David Bell said Saturday that Greene is confirmed to be dealing with inflammation in his right elbow after an MRI revealed no UCL damage, MLB.com reports.

The Reds received good news on the injury a week ago, but the team and Greene sought more opinions. Three separate doctors have confirmed the diagnosis of inflammation. The right-hander will need at least two weeks for the swelling to subside before he begins a throwing program, so he likely won't be a candidate to return from the 15-day injured list until mid-September in a best-case scenario.

McCarthy batted second and went 0-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox.

McCarthy worked a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning to make it a 3-0 game. He's been the primary second spot batter since Ketel Marte (ankle) first sustained an injury that eventually landed him on the 10-day injured list. In nine games batting second since Marte's injury, McCarthy is hitting .325 (13-for-40) with two home runs, 12 RBI, three walks, one steal and eight runs scored.