MLB Player News

Chafin pitched a perfect ninth inning in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Padres, striking out two batters and inducing a groundout.

Chafin has conceded just one run over five innings in his eight appearances to date, but there doesn't seem to be much impetus for manager Torey Lovullo to carve out a more vital role for the left-hander. With Fernando Rodney locked in as the team's closer and some combination of J.J. Hoover, Tom Wilhelmsen, Archie Bradley and Randall Delgado looking like the top setup options, Chafin will see most of his duties against same-handed hitting and in lower-leverage situations.

Pivetta allowed one run on four hits over six innings Thursday to pick up his third win of the season for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He struck out 11 and walked two.

Pivetta has allowed just two runs and 12 hits over his first three starts at Triple-A this season with a 24:2 K:BB in 19 innings. He hasn't been as hyped as some of the Phillies' other pitching prospects, but he has the potential to be a mid-rotation starter in the majors. Given how well he is pitching, it shouldn't be long before he gets his first opportunity with the Phillies.

Manager Pete Mackanin did not name an official closer after Neris converted the save opportunity Thursday against the Mets, Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice reports. "It just occurred to me: It's nice to have two guys who can close. It was a good opportunity for me to use Neris. He came through very well," said Mackanin.

Struggles from veterans Jeanmar Gomez and Joaquin Benoit opened the door for Neris to get the save opportunity Thursday, but Mackinin does not seem pressed to firmly name one closer just yet. Mackanin's comments suggest that Neris and Benoit could split closing duties for the time being. Neris was particularly impressive in his outing against the Mets, working a perfect ninth inning on 17 pitches.

Montero was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.

The 26-year-old has been less than stellar out of the Mets' bullpen this season, as he's currently sporting a 9.45 ERA and 3.60 WHIP in six appearances. With Jeurys Familia returning from the restricted list Thursday, Montero will head back to the minors to get some more work in.

Beede pitched 6.2 scoreless innings for Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday, giving up three hits and three walks while striking out four.

He now boasts a 3.78 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in his first 16.2 innings in the Pacific Coast League, which are impressive marks given the extreme hitting environment. However, his 14.7 percent strikeout rate is somewhat concerning. That said, he remains the most appealing of the Giants' Triple-A starters from a fantasy perspective, whenever the team is ready to pull the plug on Matt Cain (5.31 FIP).

Jackson was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

The 25-year-old right-hander pitched in the past three games, and after giving up a pair of runs in Wednesday's outing, he'll head down to the minors to make room for Aaron Blair to join the bullpen. Jackson could be back with Atlanta once he has a chance to catch his breath, but he'll need to be a bit sharper if he wants to stick with the big-league club.

Banda, 23, has turned in a 5.79 ERA and a 9:10 K:BB ratio over 14 innings with Triple-A Reno this season.

Given the hitter-friendly venues of the Pacific Coast League, Banda's poor ERA wouldn't normally be worth fretting over, but the fact that's it's accompanied by a sky-high walk rate makes it more of a concern. Banda had already turned in a below-average 3.3 BB/9 rate across 150 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last season, so his early-season woes in that regard can't be entirely dismissed as the product of a small sample. The left-hander will likely need to make vast improvements with his control over an extended stretch of starts with Reno before he gets a trial in the big-league rotation, perhaps at some point in the second half of 2017.

Murray (back) was activated from the disabled list at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Murray opened the minor-league season on the disabled list while he recovered from a back injury that he suffered late in spring training. He will work in middle relief for the IronPigs.

Jansen picked up the save Wednesday against the Rockies, firing 1.1 perfect frames with two strikeouts.

For the second outing in a row, the right-hander was asked to enter in the eighth inning in a dicey situation and was able to work his way out of it to close out the victory. This was Jansen's fourth save of the season, and it seems like he's starting to get back into the swing of things after having few opportunities early on in the campaign.

Maurer picked up his second save of the season Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, allowing a hit and fanning two in a scoreless ninth.

The right-hander's outing started off on a bad note with a leadoff single by A.J. Pollock, but Maurer managed to right the ship and finish the game unscathed. His ERA is still sitting at a rough 4.76, and with Carter Capps' (elbow) return from the DL looming, Maurer's days as the Padres' closer may be numbered.