MLB Player News

Nolin (elbow) might be headed for Tommy John surgery, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt reports.

Manager Craig Counsell said the team and the player will soon make a decision as to whether Nolin will undergo Tommy John surgery, and in cases like this, surgery typically ends up being the call. Nolin is not really on the fantasy radar, as he was likely to be converted to a reliever full time anyway. Look for the decision to come down in the coming days.

Jansen retired both batters he faced to earn his 12th save of the season Friday versus the Cardinals.

The Dodgers won the game by four, but Jansen was brought in after Joe Blanton created a save opportunity by putting a pair of men aboard, bringing the tying run to the on-deck circle. Jansen closed things out with his usual aplomb, remaining perfect in save situations, and he continues to serve as one of the premier fantasy relievers available.

Hand struck out three and walked two in a scoreless inning, against the Cubs on Wednesday.

Hand's production has been variable this season, as he's given up earned runs in six of his 16 appearances. The southpaw strikes batters out, as he's collected 18 strikeouts over 14.1 innings, but he still allows too many hits and walks, leading to a 1.74 WHIP. The 26-year-old will look to improve upon his peripherals in his mid-to-late-inning role as the 2016 season continues.

Bard was released by the Pirates on Saturday.

The former top relief prospect in the Red Sox organization has had a rough go of things ever since Boston greedily tried to convert him to a starter in 2012. He has not pitched in a professional game since 2014. This may be it for him as a baseball player.

Belisle (calf) has been throwing from flat ground and could get back on a mound this weekend, the Washington Post reports. "I've been putting a batter to stand in, been going through all my pitches and made sure to keep it going," Belisle said. "I think a lot of it is the mental side, too. Each throw, if I'm really working on what I'm doing, the transition [to real games] will be a lot easier. The mound is just an acclimation to the incline, then go, go, go."

Assuming he doesn't have any setbacks in his mound work, Belisle could be able to skip a rehab assignment and rejoin the Nationals' middle-relief corps in the next week.

Miller (1-4) made just one major mistake, but it cost him the game, as he allowed three runs on seven hits over 5.2 innings in a loss against the Giants on Friday. He also struck out two and walked two.

With a 1-0 lead in the sixth, Miller threw a middle-in fastball to Joe Panik during a 3-0 count, and he took it deep. Miller retired the next two batters but failed to get out of the inning. Miller has been very disappointing through eight starts this season. He has 23 walks, third-most in the league, and a career-high 2.06 HR/9 rate. Miller will look to turn things around in his next start against the Yankees on Wednesday.

Gomez notched his 14th save with a perfect ninth inning in Philadelphia's 3-2 win over the Reds on Friday night. He struck out one.

With the surprising Phillies now 21-15, Gomez has converted 14-of-15 save chances while maintaining a respectable 2.49 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP. Every year, someone comes out of the shadows to become a fantasy asset at the back of a bullpen, and Gomez is the leading candidate for that honor in 2016. With pretty pedestrian stuff, and a team that would appear to be playing a bit over their heads, it might be risky to expect these numbers to continue all season, but if you own him, enjoy the ride.

Kiekhefer was called up from Triple-A Memphis by the Cardinals on Friday.

The Cardinals optioned Seth Maness to Memphis on Friday, and subsequently called up Kiekhefer. He had given up two earned runs, while striking out nine batters in 13.1 innings in Memphis. This will be the 27-year-old south paw's first stint in the big leagues.

Smith (knee) completed a 25-pitch bullpen session Friday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The mound session was Smith's first since suffering a torn LCL in his right knee while attempting to take a shoe off in the clubhouse in late March. He decided to forego surgery and take the rest and rehab route, and while Smith seems happy with his progress to this point, he's not out of the woods yet by any means. The lefty will continue to build up strength for now with eye toward ultimately heading out for a rehab assignment.

Nolin (elbow) hasn't started throwing following the elbow injury he incurred during spring training, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Nolin was in Milwaukee on Friday to have his elbow examined, but it appears that he hasn't done much in terms of baseball activities to move along his rehab process. It doesn't appear that the left-hander will be back very soon.