MLB Player News

Neris converted his eighth save of the season Thursday against the Giants, striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning.

Neris needed just 13 pitches -- 10 of which were strikes -- to sit the Giants down in order. He's now kept the bases clean in two straight appearances after blowing a save against the Nationals over the weekend. The 28-year-old now owns a 3.68 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 19:9 K:BB across 14.2 innings this season.

Lopez was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs on Thursday.

Lopez will head back to the minors in order to open up a roster spot for Boone Logan (triceps), who was activated from the disabled list in a corresponding move. The 25-year-old allowed three runs across four innings (two appearances) during his most recent stint with the big club, bringing his ERA up to 5.14 through seven innings on the season. Lopez will continue to bounce between the majors and minors as bullpen help is needed.

Mayers was called up from Triple-A Memphis prior to Thursday's game against San Diego.

In a corresponding move, the Cardinals placed Carlos Martinez on the 10-day disabled list due to a right lat strain. Mayers has shuffled back and forth from the big leagues to Memphis over the opening months of this season, posting 1.86 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 9.2 innings with St. Louis. He will serve out of a middle-relief role for manager Mike Matheny.

Hernandez (mouth) was activated from the 10-day disabled list Thursday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

The 23-year-old has been sidelined all season due to an infection following surgery to remove his wisdom teeth, but he'll finally return from the DL after three rehab starts. Hernandez likely won't have a big role with the Marlins right now, but he seems like a lock to stick with the big-league club given his status as a Rule 5 pick. Merandy Gonzalez was sent back to Double-A to clear a spot on the active roster for him.

Yates struck out two over a clean inning en route to his fifth hold in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Washington.

The 31-year-old now owns a 0.79 ERA and 11.1 K/9 over 11.1 innings. Brad Hand has been on a roll of late, so only an injury or a rest day would open up save opportunities for Yates. The veteran's excellent ratios and clear setup role make him a strong option in holds leagues, however.

Law was sent back down to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Law has been bouncing between Triple-A and the majors over the first couple months of the 2018 season, having recently returned to San Francisco from the minors prior to Tuesday's game. During four appearances with the Giants, he's logged a pedestrian 7.00 ERA and 1.78 WHIP over nine innings of relief. Expect to see him back at the major-league level within the next couple weeks.

Vizcaino allowed one hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to collect his sixth save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Rays.

After picking up only one save through April 24 and appearing to be in danger of falling into a timeshare at closer with A.J. Minter, Vizcaino has reeled off five saves in his last six appearances while lowering his ERA to 1.62. The 27-year-old is still walking too many batters, leaving him with a 17:10 K:BB through 16.2 innings, but as long as those free passes aren't coming back to haunt him, his spot in the ninth inning seems fairly secure.

Curtis was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday.

Curtis allowed two earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out a pair over two innings of relief against the Giants during Wednesday's game, and will now head back to Lehigh Valley in exchange for Jake Thompson. During his brief stay with the Phillies, Curtis wasn't able to find the strike zone, walking a total of seven batters across just 5.1 innings. With the revolving door that is a major-league bullpen, expect to see Curtis back with Philadelphia at some point later on this year.

Morejon threw seven scoreless innings for High-A Lake Elsinore on Wednesday, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out seven.

This was the first time Morejon logged more than six innings in a pro start, and the seven strikeouts were one shy of tying his career high. The 19-year-old southpaw now boasts a 3.68 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 30:11 K:BB in 29.1 innings through six starts. He is the second youngest player in the California League and appears to be coming into his own as a pro.

Reyes (elbow) started High-A Palm Beach's loss to Jupiter on Wednesday and fired 3.1 scoreless innings in which he allowed four hits and a walk while recording six strikeouts.

The 23-year-old's long road back from February 2017 Tommy John surgery reached its most momentous milestone yet with Wednesday's outing. Reyes has been steadily making progress throughout the current calendar year, and Wednesday's appearance, in which he encouragingly worked up to 67 pitches, figures to be one of several at multiple levels of the Cardinals organization before he's deemed ready for activation.