MLB Player News

Sewald (0-4) took the loss against the Cubs on Friday, allowing four runs on five hits over 1.2 innings while striking out two.

The big blow off Sewald was a three-run jack by Kyle Schwarber in the eighth inning, the fourth homer the right-hander has served up this season -- all of which have come since the beginning of May. Sewald has been scored upon in three straight appearances, pushing his ERA up to 4.73, but his 1.18 WHIP and 33:5 K:BB are actually solid. Given the injuries and ineffectiveness hampering the Mets bullpen and pitching staff, the team needs the 28-year-old to figure out how to keep the ball in the park and give it reliable middle-relief innings, but until he does, his fantasy value is minimal even in deep NL-only formats.

Hernandez (0-3) allowed five runs on five hits in three innings against the Diamondbacks on Friday, striking out one and walking two in a losing effort.

Hernandez surrendered three home runs in Friday's outing and needed 67 pitches (36 strikes) to get through three innings. In Hernandez's previous three starts he had gone five innings while not allowing more than two runs to score. While he's mostly kept his opponents off the board, the right-hander has allowed 25 hits while sporting a mediocre 10:3 K:BB in 20 innings. His next start will be against the Cardinals in St. Louis.

Jansen gave up one run on three hits to earn the save Friday against the Rockies, walking one and striking out zero in 1.1 innings.

Jansen allowed a run to score for the first time in 13 outings, yet still holds onto a 2.77 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. The right-hander has a 28:7 K:BB in 26 innings and is 13-for-15 in save chances. Jansen put up a 0.60 ERA while holding opponents to a .135 batting average in May.

Pivetta (4-4) got the loss against the Giants on Friday, giving up three earned runs on five hits over four innings. He struck out three and walked three in a 4-0 defeat for the Phillies.

Pivetta had been on a fantastic run coming into this contest, giving up just three earned runs and striking out 32 over his last 24 innings, but he came back to earth a bit in this contest, as the Giants wound up chasing him after four innings and 91 pitches. He still sports a solid 3.48 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over 62 innings on the season, and he'll look to rebound in his next outing, which will pit him against the Cubs on the road next Thursday.

Melancon (elbow) was activated from the 60-day disabled list Friday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

As expected, Melancon returned from the disabled list Friday after successfully completing his minor-league rehab assignment. He'll need to pitch well in low-leverage situations before manager Bruce Bochy can even think about using him in the ninth inning once again. In a corresponding move, Jose Valdez was designated for assignment.

Rodriguez will take the hill for Sunday's matchup against the Phillies, Amy Gutierrez of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Rodriguez gets the nod after successfully completing a bullpen session Friday; his status was up in the air after taking a line drive off his right leg during Tuesday's outing against the Rockies. Rodriguez has been decent at Triple-A Sacramento this season, posting a 3.40 ERA and 1.20 WHIP across 50.1 innings.

Blach will transition to a bullpen role starting Friday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

With Chris Stratton and Andrew Suarez named as the starters for Friday and Saturday, Blach will be used as a relief pitcher going forward. He made 12 starts for the Giants in 2018, accruing a 4.96 ERA and 1.61 WHIP with 31 strikeouts and 23 walks over 61.2 innings.

Rodriguez (leg) is on track to start Sunday's game against the Phillies, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

He threw a bullpen session Friday and felt no pain, so it sounds like he is healthy after getting hit on the leg by a comebacker in his big-league debut. Rodriguez, the son of Hall of Fame catcher Pudge Rodriguez, has not officially been named the starter, but that's the way things are trending. This will likely amount to a spot start unless he really impresses, as Madison Bumgarner (finger) and Jeff Samardzija (shoulder) are expected to return next week. The 25-year-old rookie notched a 3.40 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 53 strikeouts in 50.1 innings at Triple-A prior to his recent call-up. While he has the bloodlines he didn't have a notable prospect pedigree coming into 2018, but it appears he may have figured something out this year after moving from the Twins to the Giants organization.

Stewart was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, Pedro Moura of The Athletic Los Angeles reports.

This is the fifth time Stewart has been recalled from Triple-A this season -- this time replacing Clayton Kershaw (back) on the active roster. Stewart's last game action was May 28 for the Dodgers, so he could be an option to slot into the rotation while Kershaw is sidelined, or he could simply act as a long reliever. He has a career 4.50 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 65 strikeouts in 76 MLB innings.

Santana will come out of the bullpen Friday against the Rockies, piggybacking the starter, Scott Alexander, MLB Network Radio reports.

Alexander is the starter, but is not expected to work more than a couple innings, as he is a reliever by trade. Santana, who has been acting as a starter in the upper levels of the minors this season, is the one who could log a starter's workload -- meaning he could still get the win if he pitches well, despite not starting. Coors Field is not an ideal place to make a big-league debut, so expectations should be tempered, but Santana has mid-rotation upside in the long term.