MLB Player News

Barraclough nabbed his second win of the season, striking out two with two walks over a scoreless inning in Thursday's win over the Cubs.

Thursday's appearance was a microcosm of Barraclough's season as he bolstered both his league-best 16.08 K/9 and his league-worst 7.28 BB/9 among qualified relievers. The horrendous walk rate has helped lead to a sub-par 1.45 WHIP, but Barraclough has been able to ride the strikeout to get himself out of trouble and maintains a solid 3.03 ERA over 29.2 innings pitched. Obviously, the 26-year-old reliever needs to work on his control, but he'll continue to see work in the late innings for the Marlins as long as he's able to consistently get outs.

Diplan, 19, has a 2.10 ERA and 76:25 K:BB in 55.2 innings for Low-A Wisconsin.

Opposing batters are hitting just .206 against Diplan, who is still being brought along slowly in terms of limiting his innings and pitch counts. It also remains to be seen if Diplan will end up as a starter or a reliever. Nevertheless, the strikeout ratio is certainly difficult to ignore.

Bickford, 20, fanned 13 batters in six innings in his debut for High-A San Jose on Sunday. The 6-foot-4 righty allowed two earned runs on two hits. He did not walk anybody.

Bickford saw little resistance at Low-A prior to being promoted. He notched a 2.70 ERA and 69:15 K:BB in 60 innings. Opposing batters hit just .220 against him. With massive strikeout potential, Bickford is certainly worth a stash in deeper keeper leagues.

Hoffman, 23, has a 3.53 ERA and 79:29 K:BB in 81.2 innings for Triple-A Albuquerque.

Hoffman's numbers look even better when taking into account the hitter-friendly confines of the California League. He is coming off one of his best starts of the season in which he fanned 11 batters in seven innings. The Rockies are always desperate for pitching, and as a result, Hoffman could get the call in short order.

Melancon has thrown seven shutout innings in June but has just four saves in seven outings.

Not coincidentally, the Pirates have won only five games in June. If the team continues to struggle, then Melancon could become a trade chip as he's slated to become a free agent following the 2016 season.

Guerra is hitting just .202/.274/.324 this season for High-A Lake Elsinore.

Guerra, one of the pieces San Diego received as part of the Craig Kimbrel trade with Boston this past offseason, has been disappointing so far after being named a top-100 prospect by many. His current batting line is well below the .279/.329/.449 numbers he put up in 2015 with Low-A Greenville. The Panamanian shortstop just recently turned 20, so there is still plenty of time for improvement and still reason for the Padres to be hopeful.

Reyes allowed a season-high five earned runs in five innings Thursday for Triple-A Memphis, allowing five hits and four walks with just three strikeouts.

Those looking for Reyes to get the call to the big leagues might have to wait a little longer, as the talented right-hander got knocked around for just the second time this season. After missing the first month and a half of the season due to a suspension for marijuana, Reyes had pitched very well before Thursday, piling up a whopping 45 strikeouts in his first 26 innings. He's widely regarded as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, and may well be starting for the Cardinals in 2017 if not later this season.

Estevez (1-4) entered a tie game in the ninth inning Thursday against Arizona and proceeded to allow a run on three hits to take the loss.

Hey, if this is what amounts to a Coors Field disaster for the Rockies' interim closer, his fantasy owners will take it. Estevez had delivered seven straight scoreless outings prior to this one; he's generally been an asset in the ninth, so he's worth owning while Jake McGee (knee) continues his recovery.

Rodney struck out a pair of Reds and walked one during a scoreless ninth for his 16th save Thursday.

After giving up his first earned run of while season while recording a save Tuesday, Rodney bounced back while still showing off the swing-and-miss stuff he's been flashing lately. The Padres' closer has whiffed an impressive 10 batters in his last 4.1 innings.

Vizcaino worked around a walk and benefited from a couple hard-hit outs Thursday against the Mets, collecting his ninth save with a scoreless frame.

Issuing a leadoff walk to Matt Reynolds could very well have come back to bite Vizcaino, as Curtis Granderson and Asdrubal Cabrera both scorched balls right at Braves fielders, then James Loney's hooking liner was tracked down by left fielder Emilio Bonifacio to end the game. The 25-year-old Dominican won't complain about the batted-ball luck, that's for sure. The walks, however, are a bit concerning -- he has a 4.31 BB/9 now.