MLB Player News

Alzolay will start Monday against the Pirates, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Alzolay allowed one earned run over 4.2 innings in his first career start Tuesday, and he will get at least one more shot to show what he can do prior to the All-Star break. Alzolay could start the Cubs' final game of the first half next Sunday, but it seems likely Yu Darvish will get the ball that day instead.

Rodriguez gave up a run on two hits while striking out one over an inning of relief in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Rodriguez continues to pitch in long relief following a rough start to his sophomore season as a starter (5.05 ERA and 1.46 WHIP through eight starts). The 27-year-old has shown some flashes in his reduced role, but the overall results have remained mediocre (4.30 ERA, 4.9 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 as a reliever). It would likely take an injury or trade for Rodriguez to find himself back in the rotation this year.

Gott gave up two runs on a hit and a walk while striking out one over an inning in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Gott got got in the seventh inning when Carson Kelly made him pay for a leadoff walk with a two-run blast. The 26-year-old was looking like a nice find for the Giants earlier this year, but he has since come unraveled over his last 10 contests (9.31 ERA and 1.76 WHIP). Part of Gott's struggles may be tied to a forearm injury that caused him to miss some time earlier this month.

Nelson was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to June 26 with a right elbow effusion.

The Brewers did not provide any other details regarding Nelson's status, but according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, in layman's terms, fluid was discovered in Nelson's elbow. It's too early to tell when Nelson will be ready to pitch for the Brewers again, but he almost certainly will not do so prior to the All-Star break. Corbin Burnes was recalled to take Nelson's spot on the roster.

Brigham was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans on Friday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Tayron Guerrero (blister) was placed on the 10-day IL, and Brigham will be up to take his place in the Marlins' bullpen. Brigham has mostly struggled across two prior stints in the big leagues this year, but he's had a nice run with New Orleans, posting an even 1.00 ERA and 22:5 K:BB across 18 innings.

Yamamoto is scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Phillies.

With Caleb Smith (hip) on track to make a second minor-league rehab assignment this weekend, Yamamoto and fellow rotation newcomers Elieser Hernandez and Zac Gallen will all be extended at least one more turn. The performances of all three youngsters will likely have significant sway in determining which of the two will stick in the rotation once Smith is presumably reinstated from the 10-day injured list next week. At this point, Yamamoto may have the most job security of the trio after yielding only two runs to go with a 0.79 WHIP and 19 strikeouts in 19 innings through his first three outings in the big leagues.

Hernandez is scheduled to start Friday's game against the Phillies.

With Caleb Smith (hip) on track to make a second minor-league rehab start this weekend, Hernandez and fellow rotation newcomers Jordan Yamamoto and Zac Gallen will all be extended at least one more turn. The performances of all three youngsters will likely have significant sway in determining which of the two will stick in the rotation once Smith is presumably reinstated from the 10-day injured list next week. Through his first three starts, Hernandez has posted a 3.78, 1.02 WHIP and 19:3 K:BB in 16.2 innings.

Grace heads into the second half with a 6.53 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 20:8 K:BB through 30.1 innings, and he's still looking for his first win or save while recording four holds in 35 appearances.

The 30-year-old southpaw appeared to be turning things around in mid-May, reeling off nine straight scoreless appearances between May 19 and June 6, but since then he's been tagged for runs in three of his last four outings. Grace is essentially the second LOOGY in the Nats bullpen behind Tony Sipp at this point, putting a severe limitation on his ability to produce fantasy value even if he were to regain some consistency,

Beede (1-3) was charged with the loss against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three over 5.1 innings.

Beede retired 10 of his first 11 batters until David Peralta doubled and scored in the fourth to give Arizona the lead. The 26-year-old then allowed a leadoff homer to Nick Ahmed in the fourth to make the score 2-1. Unfortunately, the Giants failed to provide enough run support against Alex Young's solid debut on the mound for the Diamondbacks. On the bright side, Beede's performance was a huge improvement from his last outing against the Diamondbacks on June 22, when he gave up four runs on six hits over four innings. Even still, Beede's inconsistencies have made him a tough pitcher to trust. His struggles have left him with a 6.45 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and 39:28 K:BB over nine appearances. The right-hander will look to bounce back during a Tuesday matchup at the Padres.

Young (1-0) earned the win Thursday after holding the Giants to one run on three hits and a walk while striking out five over five innings.

Overall, Young displayed impressive command in his big-league debut. The southpaw threw his first three pitches for balls but pulled it together to retire nine of the first 10 batters he faced. Young did not allow a hit until Brandon Belt's solo shot led off the fourth inning. The 25-year-old, who joined the Diamondbacks' rotation, went 2-3 with a 5.79 ERA over eight starts for Triple-A Reno. Clearly he was ready for some tougher competition, although his successful night could be chalked up to beginner's luck against a struggling offense. Either way, Young owns a shiny 1.80 ERA and 0.80 WHIP at the major-league level. After Thursday's performance, the rookie is sure to earn additional opportunities on the hill, at least until Luke Weaver (forearm) returns.