MLB Player News

Jansen got the save against the Giants on Friday, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning to preserve the Dodgers' 3-2 victory.

Jansen blew two saves in the early going this season, but he has been successful in all of his opportunities since April 17, a stretch that has seen him convert 13 in a row. That streak has lowered his ERA to 2.56 and his WHIP to 0.95 and gives him a 32:8 K:BB in his 31.2 innings, so Jansen seems to have reestablished himself as one of the league's top-tier closers.

Barraclough struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his fifth save of the season in a 2-0 win over the Orioles.

He continues to thrive in the ninth-inning role, converting four straight chances since being named the Marlins' closer and extending his scoreless streak to 16 appearances and 15.2 innings. Barraclough now sports a 1.19 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 31:16 K:BB through 30.1 innings on the season.

Boxberger retired the only batter he faced to bag his 16th save of the season in Friday's 7-3 victory for the Diamondbacks over the Mets.

It was the second straight save for the right-hander since he blew his second opportunity of the season June 6. Overall, he's now sporting a 2.55 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in his 24.2 innings, and he's 16-for-18 in his save chances on the season, making him a safe closer option for fantasy purposes.

Suter (7-4) allowed one run on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts through seven innings to earn the win Friday against Philadelphia.

Suter has been particularly good over his past six starts, a strech in which he is now 6-1 with a 3.24 ERA and 32 strikeouts against just seven walks over 33.1 innings. He also continues to help his own cause at the plate, as he went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBI to improve his batting line to a relatively robust .222/.364/.444. Sure, you don't get offensive stats from pitchers in fantasy games, but every run he scores or knocks in helps him pick up wins, and that's a significant reason why Suter has found himself in the win column so often this season. This start also marked the first time he's completed the sixth inning -- much less the seventh -- in 13 starts. He'll look to stay hot Wednesday against the Pirates.

Johnson was called up to the Giants for Friday's game against the Dodgers, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Johnson's stint could be only a day, as the Giants will activate Brandon Belt (appendicitis) from the disabled list Saturday. If Johnson pitches Friday, it will likely be in mop-up action.

Layne agreed to a minor-league contract with St. Louis on Friday, Rob Rains of Stlsportspage.com reports.

Layne didn't make it out of spring training with Boston after appearing in 19 games with the Yankees in 2018. Over those outings, he posted an unsightly 7.62 ERA and 1.85 WHIP with a 9:8 K:BB across 13 innings of relief. The southpaw will report to Double-A Springfield and is unlikely to make an impact at the big-league level in 2018.

Alzolay will be out the remainder of the 2018 season due to the Grade 1 lat strain he suffered Tuesday with Triple-A Iowa, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

Alzolay will not require any sort of surgical procedure, but general manager Jed Hoyer said that because of the timing of this injury, the organization doesn't want to put further risk on a young pitcher by trying to rush him back into action. The team will re-evaluate his status once he's healthy -- likely in a month or so -- and then keep him sidelined until the fall, during which he is expected to pitch in the Arizona Fall League if all goes according to plan.

Ferguson will start Sunday's game against the Giants, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Manager Dave Roberts confirmed Ferguson will get another turn in the Dodgers starting rotation after allowed two runs on five hits over four innings Tuesday. The 21-year-old was limited to 65 pitches and he could face similar restrictions Sunday, but he remains one of four Dodgers' starting pitchers who are currently not on the disabled list.

The Cardinals activated Bowman (finger) from the 10-day disabled list Friday, Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com reports.

Bowman returned to the team Wednesday after a trio of rehab outings at Triple-A Memphis where he thankfully remained free of blisters. The 27-year-old will hope to improve upon the 5.82 ERA and 1.76 WHIP he's accrued across 17 innings so far in 2018.

The Braves outrighted Jackson to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

As was the case the first three times the Braves have designated Jackson for assignment over the past year, Jackson once again passed through waivers unclaimed by the other 29 clubs and will remain in the Atlanta organization. The right-hander has made four appearances out of the big-league bullpen this season, giving up three runs and striking out nine over 5.1 innings.