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Mark Leiter RP | ATH
Phillies' Mark Leiter: Brought back to big leagues
Leiter was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.
Leiter has bounced between Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia throughout the year. He has a 4.50 ERA in eight innings with the Phillies, though his strikeout (25.7 percent) and walk (5.7 percent) rates are both strong. He'll take the low-leverage spot in the bullpen which was vacated by the optioned Hector Neris.
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Hector Neris RP | HOU
Phillies' Hector Neris: Optioned again after awful inning
Neris was sent back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday after allowing five runs Friday night, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.
Neris' outing against the Nationals was the ugliest in a season full of ugly outings for the right-hander. He allowed five runs on a walk and four hits, including three home runs. In his last 11 innings, the former closer has allowed a whopping eight home runs. He has a lot of work to do just to prove that he deserves to pitch in the big leagues at all, let alone in high-leverage situations. He'll head back to Triple-A to try to prove himself, with Mark Leiter being recalled to take his place.
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Matt Bowman RP | MIN
Cardinals' Matt Bowman: Scoreless inning in first rehab appearance
Bowman (finger) struck out two in a scoreless seventh inning in Triple-A Memphis' win over Iowa on Friday.
The right-hander got through his frame in 15 pitches without any apparent setbacks. Bowman has been battling blister issues on his right middle finger for multiple weeks brought on by Raynaud's Syndrome, a condition that affects blood flow to the fingers. Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports that if all continues well, Bowman could be activated from the disabled list and rejoin the Cardinals in Arizona as early as Monday for the beginning of a three-game series versus the Diamondbacks.
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Nick Pivetta RP | SD
Phillies' Nick Pivetta: Battered by Nats on Friday
Pivetta (4-7) took the loss Friday, surrendering seven runs on seven hits and two walks over only 1.2 innings while striking out two as the Phillies fell 17-7 to the Nationals.
It's the second time in three starts against the Nats this season that Pivetta hasn't been able to complete the second inning. The right-hander has a 4.71 ERA on the year, but a 17.60 ERA in 7.2 innings against his NL East rivals. He'll try to shake off this brutal performance in his next outing Friday in Pittsburgh.
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JT Chargois RP | TEX
Dodgers' JT Chargois: Called up by Dodgers
Chargois has been called up by the Dodgers, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.
Chargois will replace Walker Buehler, who will return to High-A Rancho Cucamonga to get stretched out. Expect Chargois to work in a mop-up role until the Dodgers have a better use for his roster spot. He had a brutal 12.08 ERA and 2.29 WHIP in 12.2 innings for the Reds and Rangers in his previous MLB stints this season.
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Will Smith RP | KC
Giants' Will Smith: Bags first save of season
Smith got the save against the Diamondbacks on Friday, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning to lock down San Francisco's 2-1 victory.
It was only the second save opportunity of the year for the right-hander, and he came through with his first conversion in this drama-free effort. He's having a great season, as this performance gives him a 1.13 ERA and a microscopic 0.71 WHIP to go along with 33 strikeouts over 24 innings. The Giants' closer situation is a logjam at the moment, however, with Hunter Strickland (hand) sidelined and Tony Watson, Sam Dyson and Mark Melancon all in the mix to soak up opportunities. With that in mind, it's simply hard to say how frequently Smith will be seeing save chances, although he will make a case for more if he continues to post these dominant ratios.
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Andrew Suarez RP | BAL
Giants' Andrew Suarez: Gets win against Diamondbacks
Suarez (3-4) picked up the win against the Diamondbacks on Friday, giving up one earned run on seven hits over six innings, striking out five and walking two in a 2-1 victory for the Giants.
Suarez has been terrific in June, as his latest solid effort brought his ERA for the month down to 2.86 in 28.1 innings. His 4.18 mark for the season still isn't spectacular, nor is his 1.28 WHIP, so he'll need to keep his recent form going for longer before there's too much excitement over his fantasy stock. That said, he does appear to be trending in a positive direction. He'll have a tough task in his next start, which will see him take the mound against the Rockies in the treacherous confines of Coors Field on July 4.
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Jimmy Nelson RP | LAD
Brewers' Jimmy Nelson: GM optimistic but realistic
GM David Stearns said Friday that the Brewers are "still comfortable" Nelson (shoulder) will pitch for the club this season, but added that "at some point if we don't progress...to throwing off of a mound, we have to be realistic that it might not happen this year," Kelly Price of NBC26 Green Bay reports.
Stearns has no reason to close the book on Nelson pitching this year unless team doctors decide it's in his best interest to shut thing down, but at this point it seems the question is "if" Nelson will pitch this year rather than "when." Given that Nelson has not pitched in nearly 10 months, he would need several weeks to build up his stamina once he gets on a mound, so for him to make any sort of fantasy impact this season, he is probably going to need to get on the bump at some point in July.
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Dominic Leone RP | CHW
Cardinals' Dominic Leone: To begin throwing next week
Leone (biceps) will start a throwing program Monday, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.
Leone recently began a strengthening program for his arm and will now progress to a throwing regimen. A return date remains unclear, as he's been on the shelf for over four weeks, but it seem unlikely that he will return before the All-Star break, especially considering the nerve issues he's been experiencing. Look for an update on his status once he resumes throwing.
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Alex Reyes RP | LAD
Cardinals' Alex Reyes: Moved to 60-day DL
Reyes (lat) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Friday.
This was strictly a procedural move in order to add Tyler Webb to the 40-man roster. Reyes underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn tendon earlier this month.