MLB Player News

Moore will start Thursday's game against the Marlins after Zach Eflin was scratched with an illness, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Moore initially appeared set to step into the rotation during this weekend's series against the Padres, filling the starting role that had previously been occupied by Spencer Howard, who was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday. Eflin's illness resulted in a late change of plans, but Moore should still be ready to handle a normal starter's workload despite taking the hill on short notice. Moore will be pitching on five days' rest after he tossed five scoreless frames against the Mets last Friday in the second game of a doubleheader.

Szapucki made his MLB debut out of the bullpen in Wednesday's 20-2 loss to Atlanta, giving up six runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four over 3.2 innings.

New York was already trailing by eight runs when Szapucki was summoned from the bullpen in the bottom of the fourth inning, but the 25-year-old did little to clot the bleeding. Szapucki threw only 42 of his 82 pitches for strikes, and he was hit hard when he found the zone, giving up two home runs and two doubles. The Mets could have an opening in the rotation Monday against Milwaukee after Wednesday's starter, David Peterson, exited early with side soreness, but Szapucki may have disqualified himself from spot-start consideration after his ugly showing in Atlanta.

Pop (1-0) picked up the win in Wednesday's 11-6 victory over the Phillies, giving up one hit over a scoreless fourth inning. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.

The Rule 5 pick did allow an inherited runner to score after entering the game with two on and nobody out, but Pop found himself in the right place at the right time for his first career win when the Marlins put together a six-run fifth inning. The 24-year-old has a 0.96 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over his last 9.1 innings while working low-leverage spots, but his 6:6 K:BB over that stretch indicates he's still a work in progress.

Pomeranz picked up a hold in Tuesday's win over the Reds, allowing one walk and striking out one batter over a scoreless inning.

The left-hander didn't have his best control in the contest -- he threw only eight of 19 pitches for strikes and uncorked a wild pitch-- but he still managed to complete a scoreless frame and pick up his sixth hold of the campaign. Pomeranz's rustiness is understandable given that he hadn't pitched for the Padres since May 9. Despite the long layoff, he remains in line for high-leverage work as one of San Diego's top setup men.

Hill allowed one hit in a scoreless fifth inning was credited with a save Wednesday against the Reds.

Hill pitched the fifth inning with a two-run lead after Joe Musgrove was pulled. He was the last pitcher to throw for the Padres, which allowed him to earn an untraditional save when the game was eventually called due to rain. Hill has been a steady option out of the team's bullpen this season -- he's maintained a 2.48 ERA and racked up 36 strikeouts across 32.2 innings -- but Mark Melancon should remain in line to see save opportunities in normal circumstances going forward.

Manager Luis Rojas said Wednesday that Betances will undergo surgery on his right shoulder and miss the rest of the 2021 season, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The veteran right-hander had been on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Syracuse over the past couple weeks when he started experiencing pain in his shoulder. Betances has been on the shelf with a shoulder impingement since making his lone appearance of the season April 7, and he won't be available during the second half of the campaign. He'll head into 2022 having pitched only 13.1 innings across the past three seasons due to injuries.

Santillan was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old gave up three runs (two earned) over three innings Tuesday and will head to the minors with Sonny Gray (groin) slated to rejoin the rotation this weekend. According to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, Santillan is expected to rejoin the Reds and work out of the bullpen after spending the required 10 days in the minors.

Reyes allowed one hit and struck out one in one inning of work to earn the save Wednesday against Arizona.

Reyes put the finishing touches on his 20th save of the season, working around a Christian Walker single with two outs in the ninth. The first-year closer has yet to blow a save opportunity this season, logging a sparkling 0.96 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .141 off of Reyes, but his 30 walks in 37.2 innings of work could eventually lead to the occasional blowup. He's offset those control issues with 51 strikeouts.

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.