MLB Player News

Neris recorded two strikeouts and allowed one hit across 0.2 innings during a save against the Mets on Wednesday.

Things got pretty hairy for Neris, who came on during the middle of the ninth. After his first strikeout, Neris allowed an RBI-single and then hit a batter to reload the bases, but he struck out the next batter to preserve the victory. Neris is 2-for-2 in save opportunities with a 2.57 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in seven innings this season.

Edwards was placed on the minor-league injured list Wednesday with an abrasion on his right hand, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

It remains unclear how Edwards sustained the scrape on his pitching hand, but he'll take at least a week to recover on the 7-day IL. The 27-year-old appeared in three games after his demotion to Triple-A Iowa, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while striking out three over four innings.

Minter's path to save chances is now clear for the rest of the season after Arodys Vizcaino underwent season-ending shoulder surgery Wednesday.

Minter appears to be the unquestioned closer with Vizcaino out of the picture, as he's the only other Brave to record a save this season. It's far from guaranteed that he keeps the job all year, however, as he's struggled to a 9.64 ERA and a 5:4 K:BB in 4.2 innings so far this year after starting the season on the injured list with a shoulder injury of his own. He was quite effective in his first two seasons, posting a 3.18 ERA, a 29.7 percent strikeout rate and a 7.5 percent walk rate.

Burdi is available out of the bullpen Wednesday against the Tigers, John Perrotto of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Burdi was unavailable Tuesday due to rest purposes, but he should assume his normal role out of the bullpen for Wednesday's series finale. Through eight appearances this season, the right-hander owns a 4.05 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 13:1 K:BB in 6.2 innings.

Vizcaino underwent right shoulder surgery Wednesday and will miss the remainder of the regular season.

This is a tough blow for the Braves and Vizcaino, who landed on the injured list over the weekend with right shoulder inflammation. The procedure, which was performed by Dr. David Altcheek in New York, cleaned up Vizcaino's labrum while also removing scar tissue from his right shoulder joint. A.J. Minter should step in as the team's primary closer with Vizcaino out of the picture.

Helsley made his MLB debut Tuesday in the Cardinals' 8-4 loss to the Brewers, working 2.1 innings in relief and giving up one run on one hit while striking out four.

The 24-year-old was thrown into the fire right away upon joining the Cardinals, as he entered the game with two outs and two runners on in the bottom of the fifth inning. On his sixth pitch, Helsley served up a three-run home run to Christian Yelich that effectively ended any hopes of a St. Louis comeback, but the right-hander recovered nicely, retiring the final seven batters he faced while racking up 10 swinging strikes. It's possible that Helsley's strong finish to the evening allows him to gain some traction as a multi-inning man out of the bullpen.

Erceg has gone 9-for-23 (.391) with three home runs, eight RBI, and an 8:7 BB:K over his last eight games with Triple-A San Antonio.

Erceg started the minor-league season just 1-for-11, but he has been on fire since, both getting on base and hitting for power at a stellar clip. This is Erceg's first full campaign at the Triple-A level, and it could not have started much better for him. It's a bit of a long shot he will make his big-league debut this year given he is not on the Brewers' 40-man roster, plus his fellow San Antonio infielders are much more experienced, but a big season would still go a long way toward increasing his long-term value.

The Phillies optioned Pivetta to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Few players have seen their fantasy stock plummet in the past month as much as Pivetta, one of the trendier wide-awake sleepers heading into draft season. Though he scooped up his second win in Tuesday's 14-3 decimation of the Mets, Pivetta recorded more walks (three) than strikeouts (two) and fell short of a quality start for the fourth time in as many turns. Philadelphia will turn to the recently recalled Jerad Eickhoff as its fifth starter while Pivetta looks to right the ship in the minors after submitting a 8.35 ERA and 2.13 WHIP in 18.1 innings with the big club.

Minter (0-2) took the loss Tuesday, giving up three runs on two hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning while striking out one as Atlanta fell 9-6 to Arizona.

The left-hander entered the game to begin the ninth inning with the score tied 6-6 and promptly served up a solo shot to Christian Walker before putting two more runners aboard with two outs. Both runners came around to score after he got the hook. Minter's 9.64 ERA through 4.2 innings is discouraging, but he remains the team's top option for saves while Arodys Vizcaino (shoulder) in on the IL.

Rodriguez (2-2) earned the win against the Nationals on Tuesday by allowing one run on five hits across five innings. He struck out six and walked three.

Rodriguez certainly didn't have his best stuff Tuesday as he issued three walks after walking only a single batter over his first three starts, but he still battled his way through five solid innings to grab the win. The 26-year-old has a 3.63 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 18:4 K:BB over 22.1 innings and lines up to take the mound Sunday at Pittsburgh.