MLB Player News

Scott Oberg, not Estevez, will be the Rockies' primary closer while Wade Davis (oblique) is on the injured list, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

A case can be made that Estevez deserves the look more than Oberg. For starters, Estevez throws his fastball about three mph harder than Oberg on average, and the peripherals point to Estevez being the far better pitcher so far this season. However, Oberg has been able to overcome the poor peripherals and turn in strong results so far, so for now manager Bud Black will turn to Oberg and possibly Jake McGee, when the matchups call for a left-hander in the ninth.

Strop (hamstring) could begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

He threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, which apparently went well, and will throw another such session this weekend. If that goes well, a rehab assignment could be next, meaning he could return in late May or early June if everything goes smoothly through the rest of his recovery. In the meantime, Steve Cishek has proven more than capable of handling the ninth inning for the Cubs.

Sewald was designated for assignment on Wednesday, Mike Mazzeo of Yahoo Sports reports.

The Mets needed to clear a 40-man spot for Rajai Davis to add outfield depth on the big-league roster, and Sewald was the casualty. He will serve as organizational bullpen depth if he passes through waivers.

Hoffman will likely be called up to start Friday's game against the Orioles, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Hoffman, a former top prospect, has been a strikeout machine at Triple-A and in his lone MLB start this season, tallying 50 strikeouts in 40.2 innings across the two stops. However, he has not been successful at preventing runs in his harsh pitching environments, giving up 34 earned runs over those 40.2 innings. Given that it is a home start, he is a very unappealing streamer, assuming he is indeed tabbed as Friday's starter.

Hoffman could be promoted from Triple-A Albuquerque to start Saturday's game against the Orioles, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Due to a slew of off days, the Rockies have been able to get by without a fifth starter since Tyler Anderson was demoted to Triple-A on May 4. A need for another starter will finally arise Saturday, and Hoffman looks like the top candidate to fill the opening in light of his recent turnaround with Albuquerque. Over his last four outings, Hoffman has posted a 4.50 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 31:9 K:BB across 24 innings. With Anderson having since developed a knee injury that will require potential season-ending surgery, Hoffman could be in line for an extended stay in Colorado if he fares respectably in his initial outings.

Estevez could factor into the ninth-inning mix with closer Wade Davis (oblique) landing on the injured list Wednesday.

This is a tough one to call. The Rockies have an experienced righty in Seunghwan Oh and another candidate in Scott Oberg who currently has a 1.77 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. However, Oh is probably out of the conversation for now, having posted a 9.60 ERA in his first 15 innings. Things look far worse for Oberg under the hood; he has just 13 strikeouts in 20.1 total innings, and a 1:5 K:BB so far in the month of May. Meanwhile Estevez leads the team in holds with five, and his K-BB rate sits at a healthy 22.1 percent. Lefty Jake McGee could also see chances based on matchups.

Gott picked up a win after tossing a shutout inning while surrendering a hit and striking out one in Tuesday's 4-3 comeback victory over the Braves.

The Giants rallied hard against Braves closer Luke Jackson in the bottom of the ninth, granting Gott his second win of the season. The 26-year-old has gotten off to a strong start in orange and black, posting a 2.01 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 5.5 K/BB over 22.1 innings. However, his low-leverage usage has resulted in zero holds or saves so far.

Minter has a 0.00 ERA and 5:2 K:BB through 3.1 innings over three appearances for Triple-A Gwinnett.

The left-hander earned his demotion with a 9.82 ERA and 7.36 BB/9 through 11 innings to begin the season for Atlanta, so the walks are still concerning, but he is at least getting better results at Gwinnett. With Luke Jackson blowing his last two save chances, Minter's return to the big-league bullpen could be coming soon.

Jackson (2-1) took the loss Tuesday, giving up three runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning to blow his fourth save of the season as Atlanta fell 4-3 to the Giants.

Entering the game in the bottom of the ninth, Jackson allowed four singles and a steady parade of baserunners to take second base afterwards on two stolen bases and a fielder's indifference call before the floodgates really opened. The right-hander has blown back-to-back save chances and three of his last seven, which could force Atlanta to consider other closing options.

Clarke is one possible starter for Saturday's game against the Giants, RIchard Morin of the Arizona Republic reports.

After moving Zack Godley to the bullpen for a second time this season, the Diamondbacks will need a fifth starter the next turn through the rotation. Manager Torey Lovullo stopped short of naming a starter but did confirm that spot would fall on Saturday. Clarke pitched for Triple-A Reno on Monday, which puts him in line for Saturday. He made his first MLB start for the Diamondbacks on May 7, when he allowed two runs over six innings against the Rays. Lovullo is also considering Jon Duplantier and mentioned long relievers T.J. McFarland and Matt Andriese as capable of providing some length if needed.