MLB Player News

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.

Alexander will start Friday against the Rockies.

Dennis Santana was the mix for this opportunity but the Dodgers ultimately decided to have Alexander head up this bullpen game. Alexander will likely be limited to only an inning or two -- he hasn't thrown more than 27 pitches in an appearance with the big-league team this season -- in his first career start at the major-league level.

Williams (elbow) will make one more start at extended spring training before heading to High-A Carolina, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Williams won't be utilized as a full-fledged starter upon his arrival, and will be limited to around three innings or 45 pitches per outing. The 23-year-old has been rehabbing from Tommy John surgery in March 2017, and will continue working to rebuild his arm strength with the Mudcats.

Barraclough will operate as the Marlins' closer moving forward, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Manager Don Mattingly went on the record Thursday night stating that Barraclough will be the team's new closer following Brad Ziegler's removal from that role after getting off to a disappointing start this season with a 7.83 ERA over 23 innings. Barraclough possesses solid strikeout potential but has always struggled with his command, as evidenced by his 15 percent walk rate this season. The 28-year-old owns a 1.48 ERA this season, but his 4.06 FIP may be slightly more telling of his true production, as his ERA is being suppressed by a .130 BABIP and 90 percent strand rate. Nevertheless, he has the chance to be a useful source of saves and strikeouts with the shift into the ninth-inning role.

Vizcaino allowed one hit and struck out the side to earn his 10th save of the season Thursday against the Nationals.

Vizcaino needed only 12 pitches to emphatically slam the door on the Nationals. He has now gone four consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run and has allowed only one baserunner in that span. He has pitched very well this season and should remain locked into the closer's role unless his performance slips.

Bowman (finger) threw a bullpen session Thursday and is expected to work at least two more before a decision is made on when he can be activated, Joe Trezza and Joe Harris of MLB.com report.

Bowman is suffering from blisters on his right hand, which were serious enough to cause him to go on the disabled list May 18. The right-handed reliever will apparently need to prove himself over additional sessions before he can seriously be considered for a return to action.

Dominguez pitched two clean innings and struck out two batters to record his second save of the season Thursday against the Dodgers.

Dominguez was called into the game to start the eighth inning to relieve starter Aaron Nola, and he had little trouble working through the Dodgers' lineup, needing only 23 pitches to complete his two innings of work. He has still yet to allow an earned run in 13.2 innings pitched and has allowed two baserunners in that span. While that clearly makes him a superior pitcher to Hector Neris at the moment, it may not necessarily lead to more saves as the Phillies have looked to use Dominguez in high-leverage situations, whether that comes in the ninth inning or earlier in the game.

Santana could start Friday's game against the Rockies, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic Los Angeles reports.

Santana, who was originally listed as Sunday's starter before Alex Wood (leg) had his scheduled start pushed back, is now the leading candidate to take the ball for what manager Dave Roberts is deeming a bullpen game Friday. The Dodgers could opt to go with a lefty reliever if the Rockies stack left-handed hitters at the top of their lineup, but Santana appears to be the leading candidate to get the ball first for Friday's series opener, assuming he goes unused in relief Thursday.