MLB Player News

Melancon needed just two pitches - both strikes - to record the final out and notch a save in the Pirates 4-1 win over Cincinnati on Friday night.

The Pirates entered the ninth with a 4-0 lead, but Arquimedes Caminero allowed a pair of hits and a run to set up Melancon to come on and record his sixth save of the year. He has struggled a bit lately, allowing five hits, two walks, and two runs over his last three innings, but he remains one of the better bets to close games.

Garcia was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday.

Garcia has only appeared in one game with the Phillies this season, giving up one hit and no runs. With an MLB career ERA of 3.90, he will continue developing his game in Triple-A, but has the chance to get called back up later this season. Adam Morgan was called up to replace Garcia and will start Friday.

Hudson picked up his fourth hold of the season in Thursday's win over St. Louis.

Hudson lowered his ERA to 0.84 by pitching a scoreless inning with one strikeout. The righty has entrenched himself as Arizona's eighth inning guy, and figures to be a good source of holds the rest of the way. Of course, he'd also be the obvious choice to step in at closer if anything happened to incumbent Brad Ziegler.

Matzek (personal) will throw batting practice for the first time in extended spring training Friday, CBS Denver reports.

It's good to see Matzek making progress in his return from performance anxiety issues, but he still has a ways to go before returning to game action. If he can get through a few batting practice sessions, the next steps would be to throw in simulated games and rehab assignments before returning to the mound full-time. His timetable for return should become clearer once he makes the next step in his rehab process.

De La Rosa (3-3) dominated the Cardinals on Thursday, striking out 10 while allowing just two his and two walks over seven shutout frames.

After posting a 9.31 ERA over his first four appearances of the year, De La Rosa's won thrice in a row (a relief appearances and two starts). In that time, he's spun 14 innings with 19 strikeouts and just one run on five hits and four walks. Of course, fantasy owners have seen stretches of dominance from De La Rosa before, only to see him blow up in their faces. The strikeout upside is enticing, though, and he has a solid matchup on the docket against the Marlins on Monday.

Gomez gave up a single while capturing his seventh save of the season in Thursday's 3-0 win against the Nationals.

Manager Pete Mackanin was reluctant to call Gomez his closer at the beginning of the season, but there's no doubt about it now. Gomez is off to an incredible start as he remained a perfect seven-for-seven with his latest close. Entering the year, the righty had one save in his six-year career, but now appears to be one of the more reliable ninth-inning arms in the game (at least for now). Considering the Phillies are unlikely to win games by large margins, Gomez could see plenty of opportunities to rack up saves and be one of the great surprises in 2016.

Castro (shoulder) threw 25 pitches off flat ground Wednesday, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports.

Castro was nervous about throwing at first, but once he got through the session, he said that he felt good and that his shoulder is feeling better. The right-hander is able to come off the disabled list Monday, and he could meet this goal if he continues to feel well while ramping up his throwing program during his recovery.

Lopez, 22, has a 4.91 ERA and 19:8 K:BB through 22 innings for Double-A Harrisburg.

The flamethrowing righty has been snake bitten by the home run ball, allowing five dingers through four starts. Lopez also remains a tad wild. His upside is high, but he remains a project, and his future role is still yet to be determined.

Gearrin didn't allow a hit while walking one and striking out two in 1.1 innings of work Wednesday.

In a game where the Giants' bullpen surrendered four runs, Gearrin was the clear standout. Through 10.1 innings he has posted a 2.61 ERA with two holds. If the rest of San Francisco's middle relievers continue to struggle, then Gearrin should gain manager Bruce Bochy's trust to be used in in the later innings while Sergio Romo (elbow) and George Kontos (elbow) are sidelined.

Leone was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Wednesday.

A corresponding roster move will be announced on Thursday, the team reports, and it figures to be another arm. Leone tossed just 1.2 innings for the Diamondbacks in one appearance since an April 25 call-up, giving up four hits and three earned runs. He figures to be an option for the bullpen down the road if a need arises.