MLB Player News

Nelson (0-1) took the loss despite a quality start Tuesday against the Giants, as he allowed two runs on five hits and a walk over 7.1 innings. He struck out three.

Nelson was super efficient, as he needed just 88 pitches to get 22 outs and threw 59 strikes against 29 balls. Nelson had a problem with walks last year, as he allowed 3.3 per nine innings, and if he can tighten up his control, it would be a huge step towards becoming the top-half-of-the-rotation pitcher the Brewers hope he can be. Nelson walked one batter or fewer in just nine of his 30 starts last year, and only four of those nine went longer than seven innings.

Bracho was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old labored through 1.1 innings in Monday's season opener (40 pitches), and the team decided to swap him out with a fresh arm in Kyle Drabek. Bracho was gaining steam as a supersleeper for saves after posting a 15.4 percent swinging-strike rate and an eight percent walk rate in 13 appearances with the big club this year, but he may be on the shuttle regularly in the early going.

Williams remained in extended spring training to work through a minor shoulder issue, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Williams is not expected to begin the season on the disabled list, so it appears that this issue is not very serious. He should be able to rejoin one of the lower-level members of the Brewers organization pretty early in the season and continue developing.

Vizcaino is considered the primary option at closer, according to manager Fredi Gonzalez, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

With the heart of the Nationals' order due up in the eighth inning Monday and the Braves clinging to a 3-2 lead, Gonzalez turned to Vizcaino, who allowed one walk but no hits in a scoreless frame. Grilli came on for the ninth inning and blew the save, and while he was somewhat unlucky, the skipper made it clear afterward that Vizcaino is the preferred option over Grilli. Perhaps situations like Monday's will keep Vizcaino from seeing the usual number of save opportunities, but it sounds like Vizcaino will get the save chance more often than not.

Treinen (1-0) worked a scoreless ninth inning Monday, walking one and striking out one, to pick up the victory in an extra-inning win over the Braves.

The Nationals' presumed setup men, Shawn Kelley and Felipe Rivero, both struggled Monday, with Kelley looking especially bad. It's too early to anticipate a shake-up in the bullpen pecking order, but if Treinen continues to be effective he could work his way into more high-leverage situations.

Hernandez allowed three runs on two walks and a hit after being brought in to protect a one-run lead in the eighth inning Monday against the Reds. He did not record an out before being lifted from the game.

Hernandez certainly didn't help his chances of earning future save opportunities with Monday's performance. He struggled to locate and his velocity was down. Hernandez told Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia that he's healthy, but it's fair to wonder whether that's truly the case, particularly because he missed time this spring with triceps tendinitis. Dalier Hinojosa looks like the best bet for save chances in Philly at the moment.

Iglesias picked up a quality start despite a no-decision in Monday's Opening Day start against the Phillies, as he allowed two runs on six hits over six innings. He struck out seven and didn't walk a batter.

Iglesias was limited to 90 pitches because he was only able to make three starts in spring training, but he looked sharp in his first six innings of 2016, drawing eight swinging strikes and showing stellar control. Unfortunately, the Reds offense gave him just one run of support; they didn't break through until scoring five runs in the eighth inning. Given the Reds' shallow roster this season, this type of game could be a regularity for Iglesias.

Stephenson will start Thursday's series finale against the Phillies, the Cincinnati Enquirer's Zach Buchanan reports.

The Reds will send Stephenson down to the minors to ripen further, but he should be up again later this season when another need arises. This is a perfect opportunity for Stephenson to get a taste of the big leagues without completely throwing him to the wolves, as the Phillies should have one of the worst lineups in baseball this year. Everyone knows Stephenson has the pure stuff to succeed and even thrive in the majors, but his control will be what makes or breaks his potential future as a high-end starter.

Pomeranz will start Saturday versus the Rockies, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

It was unclear whether Pomeranz or Colin Rea would become the fourth starter to start the season, but manager Andy Green ended up going with Rea. This means that Pomeranz will oppose Jorge De La Rosa on the hill Saturday.

Chafin pitched 7.1 innings this spring, posting a 3.68 ERA along with a 0.82 WHIP and a 10:1 K:BB.

After posting a 2.76 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 75 innings out of Arizona's bullpen last year, Chafin will again serve in a middle-relief role this season. The 2011 sandwich-round pick showed an intriguing ability to miss bats this spring, and if that translates into an improvement over last year's 58:30 K:BB, he could end up seeing some save chances down the road.