MLB Player News

Strop (knee) was activated from the 15-day disabled list Friday.

As expected, Strop will return to the Cubs bullpen prior to Friday's afternoon tilt with the Cardinals. The right-hander is expected to pitch in five games prior to the start of the postseason, so he figures to get plenty of high-leverage work with the season winding down.

Jansen struck out two during a spotless inning of work to earn his 46th save of the season Thursday versus the Rockies.

The big righty had five days of rest prior to Thursday's outing, and he was in top form as he threw 10 of 13 pitches for strikes while retiring the side in order. Jansen now sits second in baseball in saves behind Jeurys Familia, and will remain a top-notch fantasy reliever over the season's final week.

Manager Pete Mackanin said he would think about making a change at closer after Gomez blew a save in Thursday's 9-8 loss to the Mets, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Gomez blew a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth Thursday after he allowed a two-run homer to Jose Reyes. He now has an 11.20 ERA in his last 17 appearances. Hector Neris is the likely favorite for saves, but Edubray Ramos, Michael Mariot and Joely Rodriguez could also be options.

Manager Pete Mackanin said that Gomez will pitch the ninth inning if a save situation arises in Thursday's game, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Gomez's status as the Phillies closer came into question over the past few days, but despite his recent struggles, it seems that the Phillies are willing to stick with him for at least another game. The 28-year-old has an impressive 37 saves on the season, but the 13 earned runs he's allowed over his past 14 appearances is very troubling, as it could impact his ability to retain the closer's role into next season.

Moore was shelled Wednesday, giving up six runs over just an inning in a 9-3 loss to the Dodgers.

Moore turned in his worst performance as a Giant in a game that the team needed to desperately win. San Francisco may have been surprised by this outing, but Moore's fantasy owners are well aware of his propensity to implode on occasion. Any pitcher with a 4.34 ERA, 1.23 HR/9 and 3.45 BB/9 would normally be considered waiver wire fodder in standard formats, but the lefty's decent strikeout rate and favorable home ballpark numbers keep owners coming back for more. His next start is scheduled for Wednesday against the Rockies, but there is an outside chance that Moore could return to the mound on three days' rest this Sunday due to his low pitch count Wednesday and Johnny Cueto's (groin) possible unavailability, CSN Bay Area reports.

Chavez has a 3.57 ERA in 22.2 innings (1.77 ERA in his last 20.1 innings) since being traded to the Dodgers from Toronto at the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

Chavez has allowed 30 baserunners during that stretch, so he's been a bit shaky at times. However, since a pair of poor outings to open his tenure in Los Angeles, Chavez has been much better.

Manager Pete Mackanin said he was undecided when asked before Wednesday's game if Gomez would close should a save opportunity arise, Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice reports.

The Phillies ended up winning by five runs Wednesday, so we did not get to see if Mackanin has decided to make a change at closer. Gomez has seen his ERA jump from 2.52 to 4.03 over his last 16 appearances and 29 of 67 batters he has faced have reached base during that stretch. Hector Neris is the likely candidate to take over closing duties if Mackanin makes a change.

Hudson got the final four outs, including a strikeout, in Wednesday's win over San Diego for his fourth save.

He lived dangerously, allowing three line drives -- all caught, fortunately. The Diamondbacks don't offer Hudson a whole ton of save chances, but he's been at his most effective lately; over his last seven appearances (7.1 innings), he's allowed just a single run on seven hits with a 12:2 K:BB.

Nelson (8-15) gave up four runs on six hits over five innings in Wednesday's loss to the Pirates. He struck out five and walked two.

He had a rough start to the game, giving up an Andrew McCutchen solo homer and then a rally capped by a two-run single, but did at least manage to settle down and allow only one run (another solo homer) over the next four frames. It's hard for Nelson owners to find positives in this season -- in nearly the same number of innings as last year, he's walked more hitters, struck out fewer, and allowed more hits and homers. Once upon a time, he was one of the game's most highly regarded pitching prospects, but at 27, Nelson still hasn't put it all together.

Stephenson (2-2) gave up four runs on eight hits in just 3.2 innings Wednesday against the Cubs. He struck out two and walked two.

The rookie's now allowed four runs in three consecutive starts and four of six overall in the majors, and the homer he gave up to Dexter Fowler on Wednesday was his seventh in just 29 innings as a Red. After two consecutive seasons with an ERA over 4.00 in Triple-A, a lot of the shine has come off Stephenson's prospect status, and his tough start in the majors hasn't helped. That said, he's still only 23 and should get a chance to compete for a rotation spot next year.