MLB Player News

Garcia was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday.

With Vince Valasquez (biceps) heading to the DL, Garcia got the call-up, his second appearance in the majors this season. The right-hander has compiled a 2.77 ERA over 26 innings in Triple-A this season and will most likely serve as bullpen depth for the Phillies. It's unknown who will be taking Valasquez's spot in the rotation.

Nelson (5-5) gave up eight hits and a couple walks over 5.1 innings Thursday, but limited the Mets to two runs in a losing effort. He struck out five and hit a batter.

He was fortunate that the Mets left a small village on the bases, as things could have gone much worse. Still, a pair of outings against NL East teams has provided a harsh wake-up call to Nelson, who's allowed 15 hits and eight runs over just 9.1 innings spanning starts versus the Mets and Phillies. That's taken a little of the shine off his season stats, particularly his WHIP (now inflated to 1.28), but he's nonetheless generally provided a rare degree of stability in the Milwaukee rotation. That said, his FIP (4.91) is almost a point and a half higher than his 3.43 ERA, suggesting that continued BABIP regression will bite Nelson as the season goes on. Of course, we're talking about a guy who throws hard and just two years ago was arguably the best pitcher in the minor leagues; it's not inconceivable that he could make some adjustments and improve his efficiency moving forward.

Iglesias (shoulder) will report to Double-A Pensacola for rehab, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Iglesias appears to be making progress on his recovery after spending some time at extended spring training. Now that he is beginning his rehab assignment, the Reds will likely release more information regarding the timetable for his return soon. It was announced earlier in the week that Iglesias will work in relief when he returns to the majors, which could mean he'll be the team's closer. This is not the role his owners signed up for, but he should retain some value in most formats.

Rusin (2-4) held the Dodgers scoreless over six innings Wednesday, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out three in a 1-0 win.

He'd dropped four straight decisions despite drawing a number of road starts, but this time, Rusin was able to make his one run of support hold up. Unfortunately, the Rockies have plenty of Coors Field action left to go, and Rusin has a 6.62 ERA in his five games (two starts) at home this year. He's cut his homers down impressively from last year, but Rusin's inability to miss bats in combination with his home park leaves him among the lowest-end fantasy rotation options.

Manager Bryan Price indicated Wednesday that Stephenson could be joining the Reds soon, John Fay of the Cinicnnati Enquirer reports.

Fay indicates that Stephenson and another top pitching prospect in Cody Reed are both candidates to join the big league club, but didn't specify whether both or which of the two would be doing so. The team will announce the move if or when it is made official, so expect another update at that point.

Vizcaino recorded his seventh save Wednesday in San Diego, tossing a scoreless ninth with a walk and a strikeout.

After he imploded against these same Padres on Tuesday, this was a nice bounce-back effort for the 25-year-old closer. If we can mix our sports for a moment, the Braves win about as often as the Golden State Warriors lose, which means there aren't too many chances for Vizcaino to nail down saves, but the Dominican's been rather reliable when he gets the call. His fantasy owners also aren't complaining at all about those 35 strikeouts in 25 innings.

Pomeranz (5-6) suffered the loss against the Braves on Wednesday after allowing three runs on nine hits over five innings. He struck out six and walked one.

One measure of a pitcher's development is whether he can avoid having bad starts turn into total meltdowns, and that's just what Pomeranz did in this one. He struggled through the first inning, giving up four hits and two runs, but settled down thereafter and maintained his season-long proclivity for strikeouts. The 27-year-old lefty has now punched out a startling 83 batters in 70 innings, and while his walk rate remains a little high, he's limited the hits to a spectacularly low 46 -- only four of which have left the yard. That .250 BABIP may come up, bringing his ERA up a bit with it, but Pomeranz has officially arrived. Now the only question is whether the Padres will end up limiting his innings.

Ottavino (elbow) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with High-A Modesto on Friday, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

There seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel for Ottavino's recovery from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander is slated to pitch in three or four games with the Nuts, and if everything goes as planned, he'll be transferred up to Triple-A Albuquerque to continue his rehab. No firm timetable for his return has been set, but he appears to be primed to return either in late June or in early July.

Hader was called up to Triple-A Colorado Springs on Wednesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Hader was dominating the competition at Double-A Biloxi with a 0.95 ERA in 57 innings of work, to go along with a 1.00 WHIP and a 73:19 K:BB ratio. More impressively, he has not given up more than one earned run in any start this year. The 22-year-old has never been above Double-A ball in his five year professional career, but will now make the next step with Colorado Springs.

Gsellman was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reports.

The 22-year-old had a 2.71 ERA and 1.09 WHIP through 11 starts at the Double-A level and will now continue his progression through the minor leagues with Triple-A Las Vegas.