MLB Player News

Castro (shoulder) struck out a batter and served up a home run in an inning of work with Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday.

Castro's shoulder is feeling much better, but the Rockies want to build up his strength more in the minors, so he'll stay on his rehab assignment for a little longer. An exact timetable for his return is currently unavailable, but it should become clearer once he appears in a couple more games with the Isotopes.

Melancon recorded his 13th save of the season in Tuesday's 12-9 win over the Braves, surrendering one hit in a scoreless inning.

That's three saves in three days for Melancon, who has given up one run on two hits and a walk during that span. The increased workload of late could result in Melancon being unavailable for Wednesday's series finale, in which case Tony Watson would likely be called upon for any save situation that might arise.

Hernandez gave up two hits, but struck out the side in a scoreless inning to pick up a hold in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Marlins.

The dominant middle-relief duo of Hernandez and Hector Neris recorded all six of their outs via strikeout, forming an excellent bridge to closer Jeanmar Gomez, who claimed his 15th save of the season in the ninth inning. Though Gomez seems to enjoy decent security in his role, Hernandez still makes for an appealing roster option in deep or NL-only leagues due to his prolific strikeout rate. Hernandez's 13.5 K/9 rate is the highest among any pitcher in baseball who has covered at least 18 innings.

Neris picked up his 10th hold of the season in the Phillies' 3-1 win over the Marlins on Tuesday.

Neris also struck out all three batters he faced, giving him a total of 33 strikeouts in 24 innings this season. He remains next in line for save chances should Jeanmar Gomez falter at some point.

Gomez gave up one run on two hits and one walk in an inning against the Marlins on Tuesday but escaped with his 15th save of the season.

The 28-year-old blew the chance at the shutout, but what really matters is that he nailed down the win. With another successful conversion, Gomez has now converted six straight save opportunities and 15 of 16 this season. Hector Neris has been outstanding, but Gomez seems to have built up a decent leash in the ninth-inning role.

Smith (knee) practiced PFP and completed agility drills Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Smith seems to be making steady progress in his recovery from a torn LCL. The left-hander is slated to throw a 45-pitch bullpen session Wednesday and then move onto facing live hitters. Following all of that, he should be primed for a rehab assignment, which keeps a mid-June return well within the realm of possibility.

Kontos (elbow) was activated from the disabled list Tuesday, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area reports.

After three rehab appearances at the end of last week, the Giants felt confident enough to activate Kontos off the DL. They may choose to ease the 30-year-old back into action, but he should be back to full capacity fairly soon. To make room for him on the active roster, right-hander Clayton Blackburn was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.

De Leon (shoulder) was placed on the 7-day DL on Monday, J.P. Hoornstra of Southern California News Group reports.

De Leon reported a sore arm last week and it appears that the issue has not been resolved as he requires a stint to the DL. The 23-year-old made 23 starts between High-A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Tulsa last year and recorded a 2.99 ERA and 163 strikeouts over 114.1 innings. Given the impressive numbers he posted last season, there is plenty of excitement in the Dodgers system over this young righty.

Ottavino (elbow) hopes to face live hitters later this month, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Ottavino is making steady progress on his return from Tommy John surgery, but he still is a ways away from returning. There's no firm timetable for his return, but if he is able to face live hitters later in the month, a return around the All-Star break is well within the realm of possibility.

De La Rosa was bothered by his groin during Sunday's outing against the Giants, FOX Sports Arizona's Jody Jackson reports.

De La Rosa still held the Giants to just one run on a hit and four walks over 6.2 innings, with seven strikeouts on 101 pitches. His previous start was pushed back a day because of triceps tightness, but he was also effective in that outing, allowing just one run over 7.1 innings. Despite the pair of minor injuries, De La Rosa has been fantastic since he rejoined the rotation, surrendering just seven runs in five starts with a 33:10 K:BB over 32.2 innings. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Cardinals on Saturday.