MLB Player News

Lopez is slated to start Thursday's game against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Summoned from Triple-A Las Vegas last weekend to fill the opening in the rotation created by J.T. Ginn's (quadriceps) move to the injured list, Lopez stepped in and delivered a gem in his second start of the season for the Athletics. Though he ended up taking a loss, he limited the Phillies to one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out eight over seven innings. The stellar performance will earn him at least one more start, and if Lopez can deliver another positive outing Thursday, he'll likely have a strong case for sticking around in the rotation over the struggling Gunnar Hoglund (5.13 ERA, 1.41 WHIP through five starts) once Ginn is back from the IL.

The Phillies appointed de Geus from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to serve as the 27th man for Thursday's doubleheader versus Atlanta.

De Geus, whom the Phillies claimed off waivers from the Marlins on April 1, will be making his Philadelphia debut if he gets used out of the bullpen for either game of the twin bill. The right-hander has been sharp at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season, logging a 0.95 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 14:7 K:BB in 19 innings.

Brasier worked around a hit to log a scoreless inning and earn a hold in a 2-1 win against Colorado on Wednesday.

After starter Matthew Boyd allowed only an unearned run across six strong innings, Brasier worked a clean seventh to pick up his first hold of the season. The veteran righty has rattled off four straight scoreless appearances since returning from the injured list Friday, and he has a stellar 2.08 ERA for the year, albeit in only 4.1 innings due to the time he missed with a strained left groin. Brasier could take on more high-leverage work moving forward if he stays healthy and continues to pitch well.

Pressly, who has rattled off eight straight scoreless appearances, last recorded a save on April 13.

Since allowing nine runs (eight earned) in a nightmare of an outing back on May 6, Pressly has gone on his ongoing scoreless streak, though he's fallen out of the closer role as well. Daniel Palencia, who recorded the save in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Rockies, now has four saves over the last week and a 1.64 ERA this month. As long as Palencia is pitching well, he should stay ahead of Pressly in the bullpen pecking order, with Porter Hodge (oblique) likely set to slide back into a setup role when he returns from the injured list. Pressly's subpar numbers, along with Palencia's emergence and Hodge's eventual return, has diminished the former's fantasy appeal.

Nelson's next start is expected to be Tuesday against Atlanta, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Nelson was in line to start Sunday's series finale against the Nationals, but Arizona is moving Corbin Burnes up the rotation to make that start on regular rest. The move means two extra days of rest for Nelson, who threw a season-high 84 pitches over 6.2 scoreless innings Monday against Pittsburgh. Nelson will continue to fill in for as long as needed while Eduardo Rodriguez (shoulder) works his way back from the IL. Rodriguez, who threw 55 pitches in a simulated game last Saturday, is expected to throw in the Arizona Complex League on Friday. It's unclear if that ACL game will be his lone rehab start or if more will be needed.

Leiter notched a save against the Angels on Wednesday, issuing one walk and striking out two batters over one scoreless and hitless inning.

Closer Luke Weaver was unavailable for a second straight day, and after Devin Williams nearly coughed up a three-run lead while narrowly notching a save Tuesday, manager Aaron Boone went to Leiter in the ninth inning Wednesday with New York clinging to a one-run advantage. Leiter got the job done, working around a two-out walk to record the save while striking out two of the Angels' best hitters (Taylor Ward and Logan O'Hoppe). It was the second save of the season for the right-hander, with his first taking place April 9 versus Detroit. Weaver remains the clear top closer for New York, and Williams figures to be next in line when Weaver is unavailable, so Leiter probably won't have a lot more save chances this season despite his 2.28 ERA and 35:7 K:BB over 23.2 innings on the campaign.

Palencia earned a save against the Rockies on Wednesday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning of work.

Palencia entered for the ninth inning with Chicago hanging onto a one-run lead, and he set the side down in order on 14 pitches (10 strikes) to secure a Cubs win. The right-hander had no saves midway through May, but since Porter Hodge (oblique) went on the IL on May 20, Palencia has racked up four saves in four chances while registering a 5:0 K:BB over four scoreless innings. Considering his success so far in the closer role, Palencia can be expected to get most of Chicago's save opportunities for at least as long as Hodge is on the shelf, which could be a while longer since manager Craig Counsell said Monday that Hodge isn't making much progress in his recovery.

Holderman (thumb) received a cortisone injection Wednesday and will not throw for at least one week, MLB.com reports.

Holderman was placed on the injured list May 20 due to inflammation in his thumb. Given that he won't throw until early June, he isn't likely to return for several more weeks.

Vodnik allowed one walk in a scoreless eighth inning Wednesday against the Cubs.

Vodnik was activated from the injured list Tuesday after a five-week absence due to a shoulder injury. Wednesday marked his first appearance since being reinstated, and he entered the game in the eighth inning with the Rockies down by one run. Vodnik has held opponents scoreless in seven of his 10 appearances, but he has a poor 8:7 K:BB and isn't likely to factor into the closer picture in Colorado until his performance improves.

Lauer didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Rangers after allowing no hits and two walks in 3.1 scoreless innings. He struck out four.

Piggybacking off opener Paxton Schultz, Lauer delivered his second outing of the season with at least three innings while yielding one hit or less. Lauer hasn't worked as a traditional starter for the Blue Jays, as he's made two starts and four relief appearances, but Toronto will likely need the veteran left-hander to help eat innings one way or another until Max Scherzer (thumb) re-enters the rotation. Lauer owns a strong 2.75 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 20:7 K:BB over 19.2 innings, but he'll have limited fantasy appeal if he's deployed as a bulk reliever his next time out versus a red-hot Phillies offense that's averaging 5.4 runs over their last 28 games.