MLB Player News

Montero will start Thursday's game against the Padres, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Jacob deGrom was initially tabbed as Thursday's starting pitcher, but with rain looming on the horizon, the Mets opted to hold him back a day to ensure his start isn't cut short due to the weather. Montero will fill in for him, taking the mound against San Diego rookie Dinelson Lamet.

Maurer -- who was used in the eighth inning Wednesday -- is still in the mix for save opportunities despite Brad Hand getting the nod in the ninth inning of a 6-5 win over the Mets, MLB.com's AJ Cassavell reports.

With a 6.50 ERA and two blown saves through 18 innings, it is no surprise that manager Andy Green is exploring other options at the tail end of his bullpen. Despite Hand being clearly the superior option, it appears that the San Diego's skipper will play matchups in the ninth like he did Wednesday against the lefty-heavy portion of the Mets' lineup. Owners chasing saves have no choice but to hang on to Maurer until he is officially removed from the closer role.

Moore (2-5) gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits over six innings Wednesday. He walked three and struck out four in a 5-4 loss to the Cubs.

The veteran lefty has either been prone to blow ups or downright dominant this season, so it was odd seeing him pitch a game that was neither. It is tough to decipher whether Moore's 5.28 ERA and 1.53 WHIP are due for an improvement due to his inconsistent results on a year-to-year basis. Shallow league owners could probably find more consistent options on waivers at this point, but those in deeper formats have no choice but to hang tight and hope the good outweighs the bad the rest of the way.

Chafin was credited with the win in Wednesday's 8-6 triumph over the White Sox. He gave up one hit in one inning and recorded all three of his outs via strikeout.

After Archie Bradley, Chafin may have a case for being the Diamondbacks' most reliable reliever this season. He's given up only three runs over the entire campaign, and has reeled off eight scoreless appearances in a row. During that span, he's covered eight innings and given up just five hits while running up a 17:1 K:BB. He likely won't be first in line to challenge for closing duties should veteran Fernando Rodney be removed from the role at some point this season, but Chafin has made himself an indispensable part of the Diamondbacks' bridge to the ninth inning.

The Phillies activated Gomez (elbow) from the 10-day disabled list Thursday.

The right-hander will take the roster spot left by Adam Morgan, who was demoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday. Gomez seems to be over his elbow impingement and should return to a role toward the back of the Phillies' bullpen, but likely not as closer. Gomez carries a 7.94 ERA in nine games despite striking out an uncharacteristic 8.7 per nine innings so far.

Iglesias gave up a hit and a walk while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to notch his eighth save of the season in a 4-3 win over Cleveland.

It's been nearly two weeks since Iglesias' last save opportunity, but he's remained sharp in the interim and the 27-year-old now sports a 0.73 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 28:11 K:BB in 24.2 innings on the season. The Reds have a number of issues on their pitching staff, but the closer spot isn't one of them.

Gselllman allowed three runs on six hits and a walk over six innings in a no-decision against San Diego on Wednesday. He whiffed three.

He was in line to win, but stop us if you've heard this one before: The Mets' bullpen blew it. Gsellman's time as a reliever lasted just two appearances, but the team's hard up for starters right now, so he's likely to hold down a rotation spot at least until Steven Matz and Seth Lugo come back to offer reinforcements.

Manager Andy Green said Hand, who earned his first save of the season Wednesday night, is not the Padres' new closer, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

While Green decided to give regular closer Brandon Maurer the eighth and Hand the ninth, he confirmed that won't necessarily be the norm going forward. However, the skipper did say he'll look to give both Hand and Maurer opportunities on a situation by situation basis. Hand currently owns a 1.80 ERA and 0.92 ERA with 33 strikeouts through 25 innings (21 games) this season, so if Maurer doesn't bring down his 6.88 ERA and 1.41 WHIP, Hand could take over the ninth inning.

Rodney walked a batter in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to pick up his 12th save of the season in an 8-6 win over the White Sox.

It's his eighth straight appearance without allowing a run, but it speaks to how poorly Rodney was pitching before that stretch that his 7.13 ERA is the lowest it's been in a month. The veteran closer's job security might last only until his next rough patch, but at least for now he's on something of a roll.

Montero could make a spot start Saturday against the Pirates, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

With Tommy Milone (knee) landing on the disabled list, Montero and Josh Smoker are being looked at to fill his turn in the rotation Saturday. Given Montero struggled in a spot start earlier in the season -- allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks across 3.2 innings -- the Mets may be leaning towards Smoker, though confirmation on who is starting should come before the weekend.