MLB Player News

Robles has completed his two-game suspension and will be available out of the Mets' bullpen moving forward, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

Robles received a two-game suspension for throwing at the Phillies' Cameron Rupp late last season, but he has served his time, and will now officially join the Mets' bullpen. Expect Robles, who posted a 1.02 WHIP and struck out 61 batters in 54 innings last season, to work in middle relief.

Strop struck out three in 1.1 innings against Arizona on Thursday.

Strop's hot spring has continued into the regular season, and he has not yet given up a hit or walk in 2016. It's just 2.1 innings in the regular season but including spring training, it's eight innings and nine strikeouts of perfection.

De La Rosa (0-1) lasted only 3.1 innings Thursday against the Cubs, allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits, three walks and a hit batsman.

Well, that's a rough start to the year. At least after surrendering a whopping 32 homers last season, De La Rosa was able to keep the ball in the park Thursday, but that's an awfully thin silver lining. Although he has some strikeout upside, De La Rosa's much too blowup-prone to trust in most fantasy formats. It wouldn't be surprising to see him get displaced from the rotation at some point this season.

Manager Pete Mackanin said he was going to give Gomez a chance to close Thursday if the situation arose, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.

The 2016 season is less than a week old, and the Phillies closer spot is already a carousel. After the implosions of both David Hernandez and Dallier Hinojosa earlier in the week, it seems that Gomez is next in line. Mackanin doesn't seem to be too set on naming one single closer, but if Gomez can pitch well when he's given the opportunity, he could garner the role for a longer period of time than his two predecessors.

Reyes, who will open the season on the Triple-A Memphis roster, only has 39 games remaining on his marijuana suspension thanks to time served in the Arizona Fall League, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold reports.

The 21-year-old received a 50-game suspension, but his AFL games apparently count towards that penalty, so he will be available for Memphis on May 17. His assignment to Triple-A is also noteworthy, as he only made eight starts at Double-A last year, so the Cardinals appear to be fast-tracking the young flamethrower, or at least giving him the opportunity to reach the big leagues ahead of schedule. He has as much strikeout potential as anyone in the minors, and improved command would allow him to project comfortably atop a big league rotation. Stashing him in single-season leagues would be risky, but owners should definitely start monitoring his performance at Triple-A once his suspension lifts.

The Reds optioned Stephenson to Triple-A Louisville following Thursday's game.

Stephenson tossed five innings and picked up the win in his big league debut Thursday, but he was simply being used as a spot starter, and will head back to Louisville for more seasoning. He is one of the Reds' top pitching prospects, so chances are good he will be back with the big club at some point later this season.

De Leon is dealing with a minor ankle injury and won't join Triple-A Oklahoma City until later in April, the Dodgers' official site reports.

This looks very minor and could just be one way to keep De Leon's innings count down this year. He's a candidate to make his big league debut at some point in 2016.

Hernandez picked up a hold with a clean inning of work Wednesday against the Reds.

Manager Pete Mackanin sent Hernandez out to work the eighth inning for the second straight game Wednesday. He hit 94 mph with his fastball and eight of his 12 pitches were strikes. Hernandez could still work his way into closing duties for the Phillies and is worth stashing for those hunting for potential saves.

Melancon picked up an easy save Wednesday against the Cardinals, as he was asked to get just one out and he did so cleanly in four pitches.

It was one of those tying-run-on-deck saves, as the Pirates were leading 5-1 while the Cardinals had two on and two out in the ninth when Melancon was called upon to retire Kolten Wong. Of course, his fantasy owners certainly won't complain about Pirates manager Clint Hurdle playing to the save rule. Melancon's now appeared in all three games so far this year, a luxury permitted by the many off days in the first week of the season. It's nice to see him get off to a good start this time around after last year's early struggles, though he only has one strikeout to show for 2.1 innings so far.

Matzek (personal) has been throwing bullpen sessions but still has no timetable for a return to game action, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports.

Matzek has been dealing with some performance anxiety issues, which kept him out of the majority of spring training. It's a good sign that he's been able to get some pitching in, though, which should make his transition back into game action a bit easier. He should slot into the rotation with Triple-A Albuquerque once he does return.