MLB Player News

Iglesias gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his 11th save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Tigers.

June hasn't been the best month for Iglesias, as he's been scored upon in three of his seven appearances, but he's converted both of his save chances and still has a solid 2.37 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 36:10 K:BB through 30.1 innings on the year.

The Nationals optioned Voth to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday.

Voth served as the Nationals' 26th man Monday, when the club resumed a suspended game and made up a postponed game against the Yankees. The right-hander went unused in both contests and is still awaiting his MLB debut, despite having been called up to Washington on two occasions this season. Voth has posted a 4.37 ERA and 59:19 K:BB in 55.2 innings for Syracuse this season.

Miller (elbow) completed a 40-pitch bullpen session Tuesday and could assume Matt Koch's spot in the Arizona rotation when the latter's next scheduled turn comes up Monday in Miami, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic Arizona reports.

Koch was tagged for five runs in 5.2 innings while taking the loss Tuesday against the Angels, inflating his ERA to 6.10 over his last seven outings. Though he's been a serviceable innings eater since replacing the injured Taijuan Walker (elbow) in mid-April, Koch's lack of strikeout stuff and flyball-heavy tendencies don't give him nearly the upside nor the stability of Miller, who has three seasons of sub-4.00 ERAs on his resume and whiffed 10 batters over 6.2 innings in his most recent rehab start at High-A Visalia last weekend. Since Miller only threw 81 pitches in that outing, it's possible the Diamondbacks may want him to exceed the 90-pitch threshold in another minor-league start before returning to the big club, but his reinstatement is imminent nonetheless. Once he's activated, Miller may need to perform well right away to bolster his case for sticking in the rotation, as Robbie Ray (oblique) isn't far off a return from the DL either.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said after Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Angels that it's "yet to be determined" if Koch would make his next scheduled turn through the rotation Monday against the Marlins, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. "We're going to huddle up and have some conversations and figure out what the next course of action [is]," Lovullo said, regarding the Diamondbacks' rotation plans for the upcoming week.

Expectations were low for Koch when he was promoted from Triple-A Reno in mid-April to replace Taijuan Walker (elbow) in the rotation, but the 27-year-old surprisingly proved to be a reliable back-end starter. He came out of the gates hot with a 3-0 record, 2.59 ERA and 1.05 WHIP through his first five starts, but his 4.9 K/9 and low groundball rate suggested a reckoning was coming. Koch has since delivered a 6.10 ERA in his last seven starts while surrendering 11 home runs, including two in the loss to the Angels. With Shelby Miller (elbow) coming off a strong four-game rehab assignment and checking out fine after a 40-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, it appears he may now be the top candidate to start the series opener versus Miami. If that's the case, Koch would shift to a long-relief role or head back to Reno to continue making regular starts.

Strop could be in line for some save opportunities in the near future with the Cubs electing to play the matchups in the ninth inning with Brandon Morrow out with a back injury, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Strop has the lowest ERA (1.76) among non-Morrow pitchers to throw more than 15 innings for the Cubs this season, though Steve Cishek could be in mix from the right side as well. Justin Wilson got the opportunity Tuesday and could get the call for similar opportunities against lefties.

Stewart was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

As expected, Stewart was shuttled back to the minors after serving as the 26th man for Tuesday's doubleheader against the Cubs. The 26-year-old allowed the game-winning run in the 10th inning on a pair of hits and a walk before recording an out, raising his ERA to 6.11 through 17.2 innings this season.

Smith walked one and struck out three over 1.1 scoreless innings in Tuesday's 6-3 win over Miami.

The 28-year-old fired a scoreless eighth inning and recorded another out in the ninth before giving way to Sam Dyson for the save. Fellow southpaw Tony Watson was given the night off for rest, which is why Smith was allowed to get to Derek Dietrich in the final frame. The veteran reliever has been dominant in his return from Tommy John surgery, posting a 0.90 ERA with 27 strikeouts over 20 innings. Giants' closer Hunter Strickland underwent hand surgery Tuesday, but Sam Dyson and Tony Watson figure to see the bulk of the save opportunities (based on matchups), keeping Smith in a setup role for the time being.

Melancon issued a walk over a scoreless inning while picking up his fourth hold in Tuesday's 6-3 victory over the Marlins.

Manager Bruce Bochy said that Sam Dyson and Tony Watson would be the primary options to close out games following Hunter Strickland's (hand) placement on the DL, and he stuck to his word by giving Dyson the save while using Melancon in the seventh inning. The former closer has yet to pitch in back-to-back games following his return from an elbow injury earlier this month, which is probably why he wasn't considered as a replacement closing option. Strickland is expected to be sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks, so there is plenty of time for this situation to shake itself out. That said, it appears that Melancon will continue to be used in a limited role in middle relief for the time being.

Hand was charged with a blown save after surrendering a game-tying home run in Tuesday's loss to Oakland.

The dominant closer was tagged for a solo shot off the bat of Stephen Piscotty, which opened the door for the Athletics to win the game in the 10th frame. Hand was touched up for two runs in a non-save situation his last time out, but he has been otherwise effective this season, owning a 2.43 ERA and a career-best 13.1 K/9 while converting 21-of-24 save opportunities. His role as the Padres' closer remains unchallenged, outside of the occasional scenario where manager Andy Green uses him in crucial moments prior to the ninth inning.

Jansen struck out a batter over a clean inning en route to his 18th save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Cubs on Tuesday.

Jansen closed out the first game of a doubleheader, and he was seen warming up in Game 2, although he wasn't used in the extra-inning loss. The 30-year-old endured what seemed to be early-season fatigue following last season's World Series loss, and now owns a 2.41 ERA and 0.92 WHIP over 33.2 innings. Jansen's strikeout rate (9.0 K/9) hasn't fully recovered, but that's the only critique left in what looks to be another dominant campaign from the elite closer.