MLB Player News

Weber was called up Friday from Triple-A Gwinnett.

This was a corresponding move to the Braves sending down Matt Wisler on Thursday following their game against the Phillies. Weber has spent some time with the major league club this season, appearing in five games while allowing 11 earned runs and 20 hits over 10.2 innings of work. He has faired much better at the Triple-A level, but has only managed to fan 35 batters during 55 innings with Gwinnett.

Neris earned his 19th hold of the season Thursday with a scoreless inning against the Braves.

Neris has six holds this month with a 1.86 ERA and a 13:1 K:BB in 9.2 innings. There is a chance the Phillies could try to cash in on his success this season and move him for a package of prospects if they can get something similar to the return on Ken Giles this past offseason. If the Phils move closer Jeanmar Gomez at the trade deadline and Neris stays, he'll be in the mix to take over the ninth inning job.

Chapman may not be available out of the bullpen for Friday's day game against the Mariners, Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago reports.

The flamethrowing lefty has pitched two consecutive days, and with a matinee game looming Friday, manager Joe Maddon may avoid using Chapman in order to preserve his arm. Chapman recorded a four-out save Thursday, tossing 24 pitches. If he's indeed unavailable Friday, Hector Rondon would be the likely candidate to take the mound should a save opportunity arise.

Gomez allowed a run on two hits and a walk, but escaped Thursday's game against the Braves with his 27th save of the year.

Gomez earned his 27th save in 30 chances, but it was an awfully shaky appearance. He allowed the first two batters to reach before inducing a double play, giving up an RBI single and finally shutting the door with a strikeout to end it. The Phillies closer entered the season with one career save, but now has the fifth-most in the NL heading toward the back stretch of 2016.

Reyes won't get a spot start with the Cardinals this weekend, MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports.

He was in the mix, but ultimately the team decided to go with Jaime Garcia on short rest Saturday against the Marlins. Reyes will be the logical replacement option if anyone in the Cardinals' rotation suffers an injury over the rest of the season. Even if all five Cardinals starters remain healthy, Reyes would likely get the call at some point in August or September to bolster the big league bullpen.

Estevez retired the Mets in order with a strikeout Thursday for his 11th save in a 2-1 win.

Fantasy owners have been reaping great rewards from Estevez, as he's recorded five saves in the last eight days and is carrying terrific rate stats by Colorado pitching standards. In fact, he's only given up one run in his last nine appearances. Adam Ottavino has made a successful return to the Rockies, but Estevez has a pretty solid hold on the closing job at this point.

Lopez appears to be the leading candidate to be recalled to start Saturday's game against the Giants.

He tossed a shutout with seven strikeouts on July 24 for Triple-A Syracuse, so he could take the ball Saturday with a couple extra days of rest. Lucas Giolito could also be an option, as he last pitched July 24 for the Nationals and has since been optioned to Triple-A. Lopez has proven that he is capable of racking up strikeouts against big league hitters, punching out nine in 4.2 innings in his lone start in the majors earlier this month. However, his command needs a lot of refinement, making him a high-risk/high-reward option if he does indeed take the ball for the Nationals on Saturday.

Nelson (6-9) was beaten up for eight runs (six earned) on nine hits and a pair of walks over 4.2 innings in Wednesday's loss to Arizona. He struck out seven.

Only the whiffs offer a dim silver lining to this tart, the third time in Nelson's last 10 outings that he's given up six earned runs. The 27-year-old righty's been having a nice year on the whole, but with his strikeouts down and his walks up, the writing's been on the wall for regression. He's likely got more coming to him, too, as Nelson's peripherals suggest his ERA ought to be a full run higher than its current 3.71 mark.

Estevez sent down the Orioles in order in the ninth inning Wednesday to preserve a 3-1 lead and earn his 10th save of the season.

Estevez continues to shine in the closer role, picking up his second save in as many days. He needed just seven pitches to pick up this one, shutting down a powerful Orioles offense and punching out All-Star catcher Matt Wieters for the final out. Estevez has now converted 10 of 11 save chances on the season, and should get plenty more chances if the Rockies continue their recent winning pace.

Chapman made his Cubs debut Wednesday, coming on with a seven-run lead and striking out two in a perfect ninth against the White Sox.

The Cubs didn't need their new closer to preserve a tight one -- they just wanted to give him a chance to get his sea legs under him after Monday's trade, so they tossed him in on the back end of a blowout of their crosstown rivals. The transition to pitching in the NL Central won't be a hard one for Chapman, who spent six seasons with the Reds and should remain one of the top few closers in the game.