MLB Player News

Maurer notched his sixth save Thursday against Arizona, but not before allowing a hit, a walk and an unearned run.

An error by Ryan Schimpf led to a longer inning for Maurer, who ended up needing 26 pitches to record his first save in nearly a week. He doesn't see a whole heck of a lot of save chances as the Padres' closer and Maurer doesn't exactly have elite ratios (4.72 ERA, 1.25 WHIP), but no one's coming for his job in the near term so he should continue offering some ninth-inning utility for fantasy owners down the stretch.

Vizcaino faced four Nationals hitters without recording an out Thursday in his return from the DL, ultimately getting charged with four runs (three earned) on one hit, two walks and a hit batsman.

An oblique injury sidelined him for more than a month and after this uninspiring return, it seems like Vizcaino might take a little while to regain the closing role in Atlanta. Even if you chalk up this outing to rust it's hard to do that for the 1.47 WHIP he carried into his DL stint. As promising as his high-90s heat may be, the 25-year-old righty currently looks like he's at best the Braves' third-best ninth-inning option behind Jim Johnson and Mauricio Cabrera (who throws even harder).

Whalen (1-2) surrendered three runs -- only one earned -- on three hits in six innings Thursday against Washington, but ended up on the losing side. He struck out six and walked three.

This was a much-improved effort by Whalen after these same Nationals blasted him for six runs just last week. The 22-year-old righty excelled in the minors this year, posting a composite 2.40 ERA over 120 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A, and while he's still gaining his footing in the big leagues Whalen's shown enough promise that fantasy owners in deeper formats should take notice. However, he next draws the dangerous Diamondbacks on Tuesday, so consider your options carefully before deploying him.

Lopez (2-1) struck out 11 while allowing only two runs -- one earned -- on four hits and two walks over seven innings in a win against the Braves on Thursday.

Prior to this outing we hadn't seen Lopez flash too much of the high-end strikeout ability he'd displayed in the minors, but it's clear he's getting more and more comfortable as he goes along. It's helpful that he's faced the sad-sack Braves in consecutive starts and it's impressive that the opposition's familiarity didn't hold him back Thursday. Owners in keeper leagues need to make sure Lopez -- owner of a 10.7 K/9 in the minors this year -- is rostered and his upside makes him worth owning in a lot of yearly formats too.

Chapman worked around a hit and struck out two en route to his 27th save of the year Thursday's versus the Brewers.

Thursday marked the left-hander's seventh save as a member of the Cubs, making him 7-for-8 since joining the team. Chapman has been a perfect 6-for-6 this month while not allowing a run, owning a 0.57 WHIP and striking out 11 hitters over eight appearances (seven innings) in August.

Gearrin (shoulder) was activated off the 15-day disabled list Thursday.

Gearrin takes the place of right-hander Matt Cain, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a strained lower back. The 30-year-old reliever has made three rehab appearances over the past week, notching three scoreless frames and registering zero free passes. He'll add a righty arm for the Giants out of the bullpen.

Hader will not be recalled to start Friday's game against the Mariners.

There was some speculation that Hader would be the minor league starter to get the call for Friday's start, as he is the Brewers' top pitching prospect and also lined up to make that start. However, Brent Suter will get the call from Triple-A Colorado Springs instead. Considering he was bypassed this time around and is not on the 40-man roster, Hader may not make his big league debut until 2017.

Suter will come up from Triple-A Colorado Springs to start Friday's game against the Mariners.

The Brewers have an open spot in the rotation Friday and while there was some speculation that Josh Hader could get the nod, it will be Suter who takes the hill. The 26-year-old has never pitched in the big leagues but has amassed a 6-6 record and 3.50 ERA across 110.2 Triple-A innings this season. While Suter will likely only make one start, the fact that he's now on the 40-man roster increases his chances of earning a September call-up.

Vizcaino will be eased back into action and will not immediately reclaim the role of Braves closer, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Vizcaino was dominant out of the Braves' bullpen for roughly the first three months of the season, but he began to falter in late June, struggled in his first outing after the All-Star break, and then ended up on the disabled list. It's rare to lose a job because of injury, but that will happen in this case, as Jim Johnson -- who was excellent working as the closer in Vizcaino's absence -- will hang onto the job. Vizcaino could get another shot to close before the season ends, but for now he will not even work as the setup man, as Mauricio Cabrera will handle those duties in front of Johnson.

Vizcaino (oblique) was activated from the DL on Thursday.

The oblique strain cost Vizcaino more than a month but he has been cleared to return following a pair of rehab appearances. Although manager Brian Snitker has not said so explicitly, it seems likely Vizcaino will return to the closer role immediately despite not throwing on back-to-back days while on his rehab assignment. The 25-year-old Vizcaino has had some issues with walks but has struck batters out at a 28.8 percent clip and is 10-for-13 in save chances this season.