MLB Player News

Guzman was optioned by the Marlins on Friday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Guzman will remain with the team as part of the taxi squad. Humberto Mejia was activated off the taxi squad in advance of his MLB debut in a corresponding move.

Gsellman (triceps) was activated from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Gsellman had been on the shelf since developing triceps tightness in mid-July, but the issue evidently wasn't a particularly severe one. The Mets' closer situation is somewhat unclear due to Edwin Diaz's poor start, and Gsellman does have 14 career saves, but his career 4.44 ERA and 18.7 percent strikeout rate are hardly closer material, making him seemingly unlikely to move ahead of Seth Lugo, Dellin Betances or Jeurys Familia.

Ponce de Leon won't start as scheduled Friday against the Cubs since the game was postponed following more positive COVID-19 test results from the Cardinals, Mark Saxon of The Athletic reports.

The Cardinals were set to resume their season Friday after their past two series were postponed following the team's COVID-19 outbreak last week, but it appears they aren't out of the woods yet and produced another positive test result. It remains unclear what this means for the rest of the series against the Cubs, but it's a troublesome development with the Cardinals already out of action since July 29.

Diaz's last two appearances have come with the Mets trailing. He has three strikeouts while allowing zero hits and one walk in two scoreless frames over that span.

Seth Lugo picked up the save Wednesday, and given Diaz's usage of late, it seems like Lugo is the guy to roster in that bullpen right now. There is no denying that Diaz has the stuff to close, but he also doesn't have the trust of manager Luis Rojas.

Davidson is built up to 80 pitches and could be an option in the rotation for Atlanta, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old southpaw has a mid-90s fastball that he developed at Driveline, along with a curveball and improved upper-80s slider. He logged a 10 percent walk rate at Double-A and an 11 percent walk rate at Triple-A last year, so throwing strikes will be the key swing skill for him if he gets a look in the rotation this season. Saturday's starter is still TBD, and that nod could go to Davidson, since he is trending up and is on the 40-man roster. It could also go to Bryse Wilson, who has had experience -- but not success -- as a big-league starter. Ian Anderson and Kyle Muller are also non-40-man candidates for Saturday's start.

Wilson is one of the top candidates to start Saturday in Philadelphia, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

O'Brien is only guessing here, as Atlanta is still undecided. He also notes that the team could go with an opener and make it a bullpen game. While Wilson is a fine prospect, he has not had much success as a big-league starter (5.56 ERA in 22.2 innings). Ian Anderson, who is not on the 40-man roster, and Tucker Davidson, who is on the 40-man roster, are probably more intriguing options for fantasy purposes.

Yamamoto didn't factor into the decision in Thursday's contest between the Marlins and the Orioles. He gave up four runs on six hits -- including two home runs -- while fanning four across four innings.

Yamamoto didn't last long in his season debut, but he didn't factor into the decision since Baltimore's starting pitcher, Wade LeBlanc, also endured his fair share of struggles. It remains to be seen whether Yamamoto will be able to make another start due to the team's fluid situation amid their COVID-19 outbreak.

Young struck out one over one inning and picked up his first hold in Thursday's 5-4 win over Houston.

Young held the Diamondbacks' lead with a scoreless seventh inning before Stefan Crichton's blown save set the stage for a ninth-inning rally. Young's role in the bullpen is not clearly defined; he lost out on a rotation spot during camp, and the left-hander can be brought in at any point. Thursday's appearance was his first when the Diamondbacks were leading. Young has given up one run on two hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings (four appearances).

Neris was credited with the save in Thursday's win over the Yankees, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings and giving up two hits while striking out one.

Neris had pitched in only one game this season before Wednesday, but he was able to close out a pair of wins in the series against the Yankees to register his first two saves of the campaign. In Thursday's contest, he was brought in to face Aaron Judge with a runner on third base in the eighth inning and proceeded to strike the slugger out to preserve Philadelphia's lead. Though the Yankees managed a pair of two-out singles against Neris in the ninth, the closer induced a flyout to end the contest and clinch a series victory. After converting 28 of 34 save opportunities in 2019 and both of his chances so far this season, Neris ranks among the most stable closers in the league.

De Leon gave up eight runs on four hits and four walks in 1.2 innings against Cleveland on Thursday. He struck out three.

His first inning in a Reds uniform was quite good, as De Leon sat down the side in order in the sixth with two strikeouts. The seventh inning was a completely different story; De Leon loaded the bases and went on to issue three bases-loaded walks in what turned into a nightmarish frame. De Leon had some hype as a prospect and we will likely see him on a big-league mound again this year, but he may head back to the alternate site for now in exchange for a fresh arm.