MLB Player News

Stephenson will take the mound against Atlanta on Saturday unless he pitches Wednesday in a relief role, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Stephenson was recently reinstated from the 10-day DL (shoulder) this past Sunday, and appears to be headed toward a return to the starting rotation, for one start at the very least. The right-hander came out of the bullpen during Sunday's game against Milwaukee, tossing two scoreless innings with a trio of strikeouts. His last start came on Aug. 2 versus the Pirates, where he allowed one earned run while striking out four in 5.2 innings.

Edwards struck out all three hitters he faced in the seventh inning of Tuesday's loss to the Reds.

Edwards entered a 0-0 game and made quick work of three Cincinnati hitters, striking them all out on 14 pitches (11 strikes). Since a four-run blowup on Aug. 6, Edwards has not allowed a run over his last four appearances. He's not receiving save opportunities, but his 13.0 K/9 could make him appealing in some formats.

Strop (3-3) was tagged with the loss in Tuesday's game against the Reds. He allowed one earned run on a hit and a walk over an inning of work.

Strop entered a scoreless game in the top of the eighth inning. After retiring the first hitter, he promptly walked Joey Votto and then gave up a single, which moved Votto to third. Votto would score on a Scooter Gennett sacrifice fly. Despite the hiccup, Strop still has a strong 2.51 ERA and 1.05 WHIP to go along with 50 strikeouts in 46.2 innings of work.

Lamet (7-4) gave up two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out seven over seven innings in a win over the Phillies on Tuesday.

A homer off the bat of catcher Jorge Alfaro in the fifth accounted for the extent of the damage against Lamet. He has quietly been very good over the past month, allowing two runs or fewer in each of his last five starts. The 25-year-old has given up a total of nine hits in his last four starts, and he now has 92 strikeouts in 75.1 innings with the big club this season, but Lamet will face one of his toughest tests yet in the Nationals this weekend.

Leiter (1-3) was charged with eight runs (four earned) on seven hits and three walks over five innings in a loss to the Padres on Tuesday. He hit a batter and struck out one.

The right-hander struggled from the start and gave up a pair of homers in his later innings, with a couple errors in the fifth compounding the problems. Leiter had allowed just one run with a 16:0 K:BB over 9.1 innings in his last two appearances coming into Tuesday, and it looks like he will continue on in the rotation for a while with Vince Velasquez (finger) on the DL, but more ups and downs should be expected in his first major-league season. He lines up for a road start against the Giants this weekend.

Iglesias allowed one run on three hits while striking out three over 1.2 innings against the Cubs on Tuesday en route to his 21st save of the season.

He put the tying run at third base with one out in the ninth, but Iglesias got Jon Jay swinging and Alex Avila looking to end the threat. While the righty has allowed five runs in his last seven appearances, Iglesias hasn't blown a save since June 11, and that's his only blown save to this point in the season. Iglesias figures to be unavailable Wednesday after throwing 37 pitches in this outing.

Vizcaino pitched a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts to pick up his seventh save of the season in Tuesday's win over the Rockies.

Vizcaino needed just 10 pitches to retire the side Tuesday and pick up his fifth save of the month and seventh of the season. The 26-year-old should be in line for plenty more save opportunities moving forward, as the Braves have a very manageable schedule the rest of the way. Vizcaino has allowed just one hit and one walk in his last five appearances and has established himself as a reliable closing option since taking over the ninth-inning duties from Jim Johnson roughly two weeks ago.

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.