MLB Player News

Brebbia was credited with his first hold in a 13-4 win over the Reds on Thursday, firing a scoreless sixth inning in which he recorded two strikeouts.

A quick 15 pitches was all it took for Brebbia to dispose of Phillip Ervin, Tucker Barnhart and Alex Blandino in his one frame. The 27-year-old has generated a pair of perfect one-inning efforts in his first two trips to the mound this season, recording three punchouts in the process.

Mayers was credited with his first save in a 13-4 win over the Reds on Thursday, allowing two hits and a walk over three scoreless innings. He struck out two.

Manager Mike Matheny wasted no time getting Mayers some work following the 26-year-old right-hander's callup from Triple-A Memphis earlier in the day. Mayers' current big-league stint is expected to last through Sam Tuivailala's (knee) disabled-list stay at a minimum, and his ability to eat up multiple innings could possibly garner him a longer-term role.

Melancon (elbow) received a stem cell injection in his pronator Thursday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. He'll begin a throwing program in roughly two weeks.

Melancon met with Dr. James Andrews on Thursday, who confirmed that his right elbow ligament is fine. Despite that positive news, it seems that the veteran reliever is still a ways away from returning to the field, as he will be shut down from participating in baseball activities for another two weeks. He'll then need to begin a throwing program and likely toss a few minor-league rehab innings before making his way back from the disabled list. Barring a downturn in performance, Hunter Strickland will continue to occupy the ninth-inning role in Melancon's absence.

Wilson gave up four earned runs while retiring just two batters in Thursday's loss to the Pirates. He allowed three hits and three walks.

Wilson was entirely ineffective in this one, as he gave up a three-run home run and a solo home run in a disastrous seventh inning. Through his first 6.1 innings of work this season, Wilson has a disappointing 5.68 ERA and 1.89 WHIP, though he hadn't allowed an earned run before this implosion. The Cubs are counting on Wilson to be a key left-handed reliever, but he's mostly struggled since joining the team before the trade deadline last summer.

Yates (ankle) was throwing on the field Thursday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Yates was placed on the 10-day disabled list Monday with right ankle tendinitis, so it's just the first step in his recovery process. The 31-year-old still has some work to do in his recovery and there is no clear timetable for his return, although he is eligible to return from the DL April 18.

The Giants optioned Suarez to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Suarez allowed four runs on four hits and recorded seven strikeouts over 5.1 innings in Wednesday's spot start for the injured Johnny Cueto (ankle). The Giants are apparently confident that Cueto will be ready to return from the disabled list when eligible Tuesday and recalled Derek Law from Sacramento to bolster their bullpen depth in the meantime.

Law was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento prior to Thursday's game against San Diego, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Law will add a little extra depth to the Giants' bullpen as the club optioned Andrew Suarez back down to Sacramento following his start Wednesday. Over 41 appearances with the big-league team in 2017, Law posted a 5.06 ERA and 1.58 WHIP with a 35:14 K:BB in 37.1 innings of relief.

Erceg is 10-for-26 (.385) with four doubles, four RBI, and a 2:4 BB:K through six games with Double-A Biloxi.

Erceg is playing at the Double-A level for the first time, but he has not encountered any trouble yet, building upon the .864 OPS he posted over 26 games last August. Erceg's stock got a slight boost late last year, but it could see a far more significant bump if he continues handling Double-A pitching with ease.

Ortiz tossed six shutout innings Wednesday, giving up five hits and two walks while striking out eight for Double-A Biloxi.

The beefy right-hander has been pitching at Double-A since May of 2016, logging a total of 168.1 innings at the level over that span. Given his experience against this caliber of competition, it's hard to get too excited about anything he does until he gets a promotion to the much more challenging Pacific Coast League. That said, the eight strikeouts were a welcome sight, as his season high for strikeouts in 2017 was seven, on one occasion.

Mayers was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old was sent back to the minors earlier in the week, but he'll be summoned to the majors once again in response to Sam Tuivailala (knee) landing on the disabled list. Mayers logged two innings in his first stint with the Cardinals this season, allowing one run on three hits to go with a strikeout. He'll likely function in a middle-relief role.