MLB Player News

Garcia would have been used for a save chance Thursday had the Phillies not scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Corey Seidman of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Garcia ended up getting the final three outs Thursday in a non-save situation. He's worth a speculative add given Hector Neris' inability to lock down the closing gig. However, manager Pete Mackanin did consider sending Pat Neshek back out for the ninth inning after he threw just five pitches in the eighth, but said Neshek told him he didn't feel like he could after pitching for a third straight day Thursday. Neshek disputes that story, but the relevant point for fantasy owners is Garcia may not be the preferred ninth-inning guy despite the fact he would have been used in a save chance Thursday. Given how few save chances the Phillies generate, no matter which pitcher you roster, it is unlikely they will rack up many saves, and it does seem like the team ultimately would prefer Neris in the closing role given how many opportunities he has received this season.

Leiter has been confirmed as Friday's starter against the Diamondbacks, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

This will be Leiter's first start in the majors. He is taking Jerad Eickhoff's (back) spot in the rotation. Leiter, who has been working as a starter at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, had a 4.74 ERA and a 12:14 K:BB in 19 innings out of the Phillies' bullpen earlier this season. It looks like Friday may be a good day to stack Diamondbacks hitters in a daily fantasy lineup.

Jansen tossed 1.1 scoreless innings against the Mets on Thursday en route to his 16th save of the season.

Jansen failed to record a strikeout, snapping a streak of 12 consecutive appearances with at least one strikeout. He was dominant nonetheless, and the 29-year-old right-hander is now 16-for-16 in save chances with zero walks in 31 innings this season. Jansen leads all pitchers (min. 75 batters faced) in lowest expected wOBA, per MLB.com.

Montero will get the start for Sunday's game against the Giants, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

With Zack Wheeler (biceps) on the shelf, the Mets had an open spot in the rotation for Sunday, and Montero being unavailable for Wednesday's game hinted at the idea of him taking a temporary spot in the rotation. In two starts this season, Montero has a 10.8 ERA over a total of 6.2 innings. The Mets selected Chasen Bradford's contract to take Montero's spot in the bullpen for the time being.

Peralta has allowed runs in his last two outings and multiple baserunners in his last three outings.

In what seems to be a related note, Peralta leads the Reds in appearances, pitching in 32 games so far this season. After an electric start, he has given up five runs in his last two outings, raising his ERA to 3.73. His drop in performance is a microcosm of the Reds' overworked bullpen, as they have worked a greater percentage of their team's innings than any other major-league team.

After a perfect eighth inning Wednesday, Hernandez has retired all 14 batters that he's faced so far this season.

Hernandez has been hard to hit both in the majors on the minors, but in 33 innings at Double-A Pensacola he has walked 20 batters, suggesting that despite his great debut, there's still more refining necessary. Nonetheless, he has a live enough arm that it's not hard to project he could be helpful in a late-inning relief role.

Estevez was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

With Tyler Anderson returning from the disabled list, Estevez will again head back to Albuquerque to serve as organizational depth. To sum up how his year is going in the majors, the 24-year-old actually lowered his ERA to 8.10 after allowing two runs over 2.1 innings in his most recent stint with the big club.

Floro will be called back up by the Cubs prior to Thursday's outing against the Marlins, Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago reports.

Floro has spent a little time with the big-league club this season, but in his most recent appearance against the Brewers in late May, he struggled to get through two innings of work. The right-hander allowed five earned runs off seven hits during his brief stay with the Cubs. But his other relief appearance was solid, as he only gave up one run off six hits while striking out five in over four innings on the mound against Colorado. Floro has been relatively solid at the Triple-A level with Iowa this year, accumulating a 3.48 ERA with a 17:7 K:BB in 33.2 innings, and should be able to provide a few decent middle-relief appearances with Chicago.

Leiter is in line to get the start against the Diamondbacks on Friday, Ryan Lawrence of The Philly Voice reports.

The Phillies will likely call up Leiter for his first start at the major-league level within the next 24 hours. Tom Eshelman is also a candidate for the bump on Friday, but he is scheduled to pitch at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday. During 12 appearances with Philadelphia this season, Leiter has compiled a 4.74 ERA with a 12:14 K:BB in 19 innings of relief work. This start would come due to Jerad Eickhoff's back injury that has placed the right-hander on the disabled list. If Leiter winds up being the man for Friday's contest, he could earn another start with a good outing while Eickhoff recovers.

Barraclough (3-1) walked one and struck out one in a scoreless eighth inning Wednesday to pick up the win in a 2-1 victory over the Nationals.

It was the first batter he'd walked in his last seven appearances, as Barraclough seems to be getting a handle on the control issues that have left him with a 6.4 BB/9 and 1.52 WHIP on the season. If he's able to limit the free passes while still striking out batters, the 27-year-old could work his way back into the discussion as a possible closing option for the Marlins down the road.