MLB Player News

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.

Grace (groin) will get the next two days off before being reevaluated Saturday, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Grace, who has been sidelined since April 21 with a strained groin, has made two rehab appearances for Double-A Harrisburg, allowing an unearned run on four hits while striking out three across two innings. The Nationals will see how his groin feels in a couple of days before deciding whether to bring him back to the big-league bullpen or keep him on a rehab assignment.

General manager Michael Girsch said Reyes is dealing with a "significant" lat strain and will miss several starts, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "Alex Reyes has a significant lat strain," Girsch said. "It is not going to be a couple starts. It's going to be more than a few starts."

This is a tough blow for the young right-hander, who suffered the injury in his first game back from Tommy John surgery. Reyes experienced a noticeable dip in velocity during Wednesday's outing against the Brewers, leaving the Cardinals worried, and a subsequent MRI confirmed the severity of the issue Thursday morning. He'll receive a second opinion in the coming days, but the Cardinals are preparing to move forward without Reyes for the foreseeable future. Carlos Martinez, who is on the shelf with a lat injury of his own, could rejoin the team's rotation next week in place of Reyes.

Venditte will head down to Triple-A Oklahoma City after just one day in the major leagues, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

Venditte allowed one run on two hits and struck out two in his lone relief appearance since being called up. He was sent back to Triple-A after the Dodgers officially activated Clayton Kershaw from the disabled list.

The Giants activated Law (ankle) from the 10-day disabled list Wednesday and optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento, MLB.com reports.

Law had already made a one-inning rehab appearance with Sacramento on Tuesday, so he'll simply stick with the affiliate after the Giants didn't have a need for his services out of the bullpen now that he's healthy again. The right-hander was sidelined for a little over two weeks with the ankle injury.