MLB Player News

Manager Bruce Bochy reported Tuesday that Melancon is still dealing with some discomfort in his throwing elbow, Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Melancon tossed a scoreless seventh inning in Tuesday's win over the Marlins, but admitted to feeling some lingering discomfort in his throwing elbow. It doesn't sound like the discomfort will send him back to the disabled list, but it's certainly something worth monitoring at this point. Sam Dyson will continue to operate as the Giants' closer until Melancon begins to feel comfortable again.

Banda (1-3) allowed eight runs on nine hits and three walks across four innings in a loss to the Astros on Tuesday. He struck out three.

Banda was knocked around in the second inning to the tune of five runs on six hits and a wild pitch. He was touched up for another three runs over the next two frames and was removed after working up to 91 pitches. Banda delivered a quality start in his second big-league outing, but his other three starts have been ugly. He figures to lose his rotation spot once Robbie Ray (concussion) is cleared to return, but with that not expected to happen until next week, Banda should pick up another start Sunday against the Twins.

Gsellman (hamstring) was activated from the 10-day DL and will start Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

Seth Lugo was placed on the 10-day DL with a shoulder impingement, so Gsellman essentially switches spots with him, and should stick in the rotation for the foreseeable future. Gsellman posted a 2.92 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and nine strikeouts in 12.1 innings across four rehab starts. His 6.16 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 76 innings in the big leagues prior to his injury make him an extremely risky fantasy option.

Garcia was placed on the 10-day DL on Tuesday with a left biceps strain, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

While his 3.43 ERA and 0.99 WHIP are quite solid, Garcia's 18.5 percent strikeout rate and 4.94 xFIP point toward imminent regression. This is the type of injury that will likely sideline the lefty for more than the minimum 10 days.

Barraclough (shoulder) was reinstated from the DL prior to Tuesday's game against the Giants, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

He has been out with a shoulder injury since July 24, but after logging two rehab appearances in the lower levels of the minors, Barraclough is ready to assume a late-inning role for the Marlins. Prior to Barraclough's injury, manager Don Mattingly said that he would be the top candidate to take over in the ninth inning if A.J. Ramos got traded, but then by the time Ramos got dealt, Barraclough was on the shelf. Brad Ziegler has not allowed a run while striking out three in five innings and is 4-for-4 on save chances since taking over as the closer, so it remains to be seen if Barraclough will immediately be used as a closer or as a setup man. Still, even as a setup man, he would be a couple bad outings from Ziegler away from getting saves, so he is worth adding in standard leagues.

Rodney tossed a shutout ninth inning to earn his 27th save of the season in Monday's 2-0 victory over the Astros. He gave up one hit and struck out a batter.

Ace Zack Greinke did the heavy lifting for the Diamondbacks' pitching staff with 6.2 scoreless innings, but Rodney and two other Arizona relievers closed the door, allowing a combined two runners to reach base for the rest of the evening to seal the shutout victory. After back-to-back blown saves early in July, Rodney has rebounded nicely in converting six consecutive chances while posting a 15:3 K:BB and 2.00 ERA over his last 10 appearances.

Hand worked around a hit to earn his 10th save with a scoreless ninth inning Monday against Philadelphia.

Hand has now struck out at least one batter in 18 straight appearances. He has 30 strikeouts in 19 innings over that stretch with a 1.42 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. Hand has more than earned the closer's job in San Diego, and he is now a solid 8-of-9 in the role.

Montero allowed two runs on five hits and two walks across six innings in Monday's no-decision against the Yankees. He struck out six.

Montero allowed just one run through five, but he lost his lead when a solo home run from Aaron Judge tied the score in the sixth, just before his exit. He was effective for much of the night, inducing six groundball outs while tying his second-highest strikeout total of the season. Montero's quality start came at a good time, as he had been tagged for 13 earned runs across 13.1 innings over his previous three outings. He will look to build on this performance Saturday against the Marlins.

Blach (8-8) allowed six runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out just a single batter through six innings during Monday's loss to Miami.

The lefty had pitched at least six innings in each of his previous seven outings and allowed two runs or fewer in five of those starts for a 2.98 ERA and 1.22 WHIP during that stretch. While Blach tossed six innings Monday, the impressive run ended. It's important to note that even when he's pitching well, his 4.3 K/9 significantly limits his fantasy upside. Blach projects to face the Phillies at AT&T Park in his next outing.

Leiter will start against the Padres on Tuesday, Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Leiter has made three starts for the Phillies this season and has a 3.31 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 16 strikeouts over 16.1 innings. The 26-year-old has pitched well since being recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in late July as well, and he's a solid plug-and-play option as he faces the Padres in spacious Petco Park.