MLB Player News

Garcia allowed one run on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts through six innings but was stuck with a no-decision Monday against the Dodgers.

Garcia remains white-hot, a lone bright spot on what has been an unfortunate Marlins club in 2018. He has now thrown at least five innings and allowed one run or fewer in each of his past four starts. Garcia's slider in particular was nasty Monday, as he drew six whiffs with it on just 23 offerings. Garcia owns a nasty 1.00 ERA and will look to keep his brilliant season going Sunday in Miami against the Rockies.

Hernandez (mouth) will begin a rehab assignment at High-A Jupiter on Tuesday, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Once he's healthy, Hernandez will join the big club and look to get his first chance to pitch in the majors. Hernandez, a Rule 5 pick that was formerly a member of the Astros, spent most of the 2017 season at High-A Buies Creek. Over 15 games (63.1 innings) with Buies Creek he posted a 3.98 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.

Melancon (elbow) will begin a throwing program Thursday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Melancon seems to be on track with his recovery, as he is returning to baseball activities two weeks after having a stem cell injection in his pronator on April 12. Tests revealed no ligament damage in Melancon's right elbow, but the team can't put an approximate timetable on his return until he begins throwing. More news will come as the 33-year-old progresses through his program. Hunter Strickland appears to be locked in as the closer for the time being.

Lamb agreed to a minor-league contract with Colorado, Baseball America reports.

The southpaw has never seen MLB action, and he struggled to a 7.46 ERA in 35.0 innings pitched at Triple-A last season. Lamb's a former third-rounder, but unless he shows massive improvement of his control, it's unlikely he will see the majors anytime soon.

Smith (elbow) is scheduled to pitch Wednesday and Thursday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Since starting his rehab assignment at High-A San Jose in mid-April, Smith has reached Triple-A Sacramento where he's thrown three perfect innings over three games. In that time he's struck out six batters. The Giants current plan is for Smith to pitch Wednesday and Thursday before getting some rest and facing a couple more batters Sunday. Barring any setbacks, it's expected that Smith will come off the DL shortly after.

Rusin was placed on the 10-day disabled list Monday with a right intercostal strain.

Rusin apparently picked up the injury during his relief appearance against the Cubs on Sunday, when he struck out four and walked one batter across 1.2 scoreless innings of work. It's unclear how long the issue will keep him sidelined at this point, but he'll be eligible to return as early as May 3 should he prove ready. Harrison Musgrave was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque in a corresponding move and will likely take Rusin's place in the Rockies' bullpen as a long reliever for the time being.

Estevez (elbow strain) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Monday.

His diagnosis has gone from bad to worse, as he was initially listed as being out with an oblique injury, but further tests have apparently revealed an elbow strain. He'll be unavailable to return until late May now. Harrison Musgrave will take his place on the 40-man roster for the time being.

Santillan gave up one run on six hits and a walk and struck out six over 6.2 innings to pick up the win Sunday for High-A Daytona in the club's 5-1 victory over Dunedin.

The right-hander cruised through the first five frames before allowing a solo home run to the leadoff batter in the bottom of the sixth, ending a streak of 21 scoreless innings to begin the season. Santillan escaped the sixth without any further damage and retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the seventh before departing, bringing his ERA down to 0.40 for the season. The 21-year-old has supported the stellar ERA with a 4.8 K/BB, doubling the rate he submitted in what was a solid season at Low-A Dayton in 2017.

Fields notched his second win of the season after firing a scoreless inning Sunday. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two in a comeback victory over the Nationals.

Fields has gotten off to a strong start this year, posting a 0.90 ERA with a 14:3 K:BB ratio over 10 innings. The veteran reliever also owns a 1.30 FIP, indicating that his minuscule ERA may not be a mirage (4.22 FIP last season). Kenley Jansen bounced back with a strong outing Sunday, but the closer's early season struggles have been well-documented. Fields' hot start could give him value as a ratio-boosting reliever in deeper formats, but his main appeal is as a possible replacement for Jansen if he is unable to smooth out his velocity and performance issues on a consistent basis.

Jansen picked up his third save of the season, allowing two hits and striking out two in a scoreless inning Sunday against the Nationals.

Jansen blew a save opportunity Tuesday against the Padres, but he's bounced back with two scoreless appearances since. After two blown saves early in the season, the 30-year-old closer will look to put his struggles behind him and build off his recent performance after slamming the door Sunday. He currently owns a 6.23 ERA and 1.62 WHIP across 8.2 innings.