MLB Player News

Neris allowed one run on three hits in an inning of relief Saturday. He struck out one and walked one.

Neris has hit a rough patch over his last six outings. He has allowed five runs on eight hits with a 4:6 K:BB in 4.2 innings. It might be wise to bench him until he gets back on track.

Manager Walt Weiss named Estevez the Rockies' closer while Jake McGee (knee) is out, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Weiss was hesitant to name either Jason Motte or Estevez the closer prior to Saturday's matchup, but after Estevez came into a tough situation that Motte created and completed the save, Weiss felt confident enough to give the 23-year-old the job. Estevez does have some closing experience, as he amassed 24 saves between High-A, Double-A, and the Arizona Fall League, so as long as he can continue performing like he did Saturday, he could be a decent fill-in until McGee returns from the DL.

Miller (finger) will make another minor league rehab start, Jody Jackson of FOX Sports Arizona reports.

The right-hander made a case to return after just one rehab outing, fanning 11 batters over six scoreless innings Thursday against High-A competition (78 pitches), but it seems the Diamondbacks want Miller to build his pitch count up more. Another strong showing could be big for Miller's confidence as he looks to bounce back from a miserable first two months of the 2016 campaign.

Bowman has a 3.75 ERA and 1.08 WHIP after pitching 24 innings in his first MLB season.

After a brutal outing where he gave up four earned runs in less than an inning, Bowman has taken steps in the right direction, giving up four runs across the following 12 innings. With seven of his 18 appearances being for two innings or more, Bowman's shown he has the endurance to pitch long stretches out of the bullpen, but his 1.1 HR/9 could be problematic as the season carries on.

Making a rehab start with High-A Visalia on Thursday, Miller pitched six scoreless innings while giving up just two hits. He struck out 11.

The start didn't come against top competition, but it's encouraging nonetheless to see Miller have success. He threw 78 pitches in this one and will probably make at least one more start to build his pitch count up before returning to the Diamondbacks.

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.