MLB Player News

Cimber gave up a hit and struck out a batter over a scoreless inning in a loss to the Pirates on Thursday.

Cimber allowed a run in each of his first three appearances this month, but he followed that up with three scoreless outings. The 27-year-old rookie has been a pleasant surprise for the Friars, posting a 2.92 ERA and a strong 5.2 K/BB over 24.2 innings. He is still behind Brad Hand, Kirby Yates and Craig Stammen in the bullpen, so he won't see many hold or save opportunities for a struggling San Diego club.

Reyes (elbow) threw a bullpen session Thursday ahead of Saturday's scheduled rehab start at Double-A Springfield, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Reyes dazzled his last time on the mound Monday night in a start for Low-A Peoria against Clinton, fanning a jaw-dropping 12 hitters over five innings. The right-hander is eligible to return from the disabled list May 29, which would leave him over 15 months removed from Tommy John surgery.

Melancon (elbow) threw live batting practice Thursday and could be ready to start a rehab assignment over the weekend, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The righty lasted 20 pitches during Thursday's session and apparently was effective enough to where the Giants are mulling sending him on a rehab assignment as early as Sunday. Melancon has been on the shelf since the start of the season, so he'll likely need a multi-week stay in the minors before being activated off the 60-day disabled list. Hunter Strickland, who has nine saves in 11 attempts, will continue to close for the Giants in Melancon's absence.

Neris recorded the final out of Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Orioles but was not credited with a save.

The outing served as a useful reminder about the specifics of the save rule, as he wasn't eligible to receive one since he didn't throw a full inning or enter with the tying run on base, at bat or on deck. The game did very little to clarify the current status of the Phillies' bullpen hierarchy. Edubray Ramos, who received the Phillies' most recent save opportunity, was brought on to start the ninth with the three-run lead, in typical closer fashion. After Ramos struck out the first two batters he faced, Neris was called on to deal with Chris Davis, as the team evidently liked his splitter as a weapon against lefties. Whether it's a good sign that Neris pitched in the ninth or a bad sign that he wasn't given the whole inning remains to be seen.

Chafin struck out a batter in a perfect ninth inning during Thursday's 8-2 loss to the Brewers.

With the outcome already decided heading into the late innings, Diamondbacks manager elected to rest the club's top three relievers (Archie Bradley, Brad Boxberger and Yoshihisa Hirano), leaving mop-up work available for Chafin. Chafin was able to retire the side in just seven pitches and has now put together nine scoreless appearances in a row. It's worth noting, however, that Chafin recorded two or fewer outs in five of those outings, as the southpaw is often summoned just for lefty-on-lefty work.

Arano (shoulder) will transfer his rehab assignment to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Arano made his first rehab appearance Monday at Double-A Reading, tossing an inning and giving up a run on two hits while striking out two. He'll likely toss another inning for Lehigh Valley on Thursday or Friday, and if all goes well, he could be activated from the 10-day disabled list at some point over the weekend.

Hicks (2-1) fired a scoreless seventh inning in Wednesday's win over the Twins, issuing one walk, but picking up the win in relief.

Hicks lowered his ERA to 0.92 with Wednesday's effort, his seventh consecutive scoreless appearance. The 21-year-old right-hander isn't necessarily racking up the strikeout numbers his triple-digit fastball would presumably make him capable of, but his stellar efforts against big-league bats after making the jump from High-A is impressive nonetheless.

Hernandez allowed a run on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts over five innings in a no-decision Wednesday against the Dodgers.

After a couple outings in the bullpen, Hernandez performed admirably in his first major-league start. Hernandez almost entirely used a fastball-changeup combination, with a fastball that averaged 91.0 mph and a changeup that induced a solid three whiffs in 19 offerings. Considering Hernandez is a 23-year-old Rule 5 selection with just two appearances above High-A to his name, that's a pretty impressive showing. Hernandez likely did enough to hold the fifth spot in the Marlins' rotation for at least another turn, set for Monday against the Mets.

Vizcaino saved his eighth game with a scoreless ninth and struck out a batter Wednesday against the Cubs.

Vizcaino bounced back well from his first blown save in his last eight chances. He has struck out a batter in five straight outings and is now 8-for-10 in save opportunities with a strong 2.61 ERA. Dan Winkler and A.J. Minter seem to be in the mix for saves, but Vizcaino still looks like the primary option in the ninth inning.

Edwards (2-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Braves, allowing three earned runs on three hits and two walks while recording just a single out.

Edwards had his worst outing of the season and saw his ERA jump from 2.41 to 3.79 in the process. He got the first batter he saw in the eighth inning, but things unraveled quickly, as Edwards proceeded to allow three straight hits followed by two walks (one intentional) before getting the hook. The 26-year-old had a 0.53 ERA as recently as Friday, but he's allowed seven earned runs in two innings of work since then.