MLB Player News

Almonte will be called up as the 26th man for Monday's doubleheader against the Giants, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

Almonte owns a strong 2.45 ERA in 11 innings for the Rockies this season, though his 8:6 K:BB suggests he hasn't pitched nearly that well. His ERA in 24 innings for Triple-A Albuquerque is a mediocre 4.88. He'll likely head back to the minors following the doubleheader.

Coonrod will join the Giants as their 26th man for Monday's doubleheader against the Rockies, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Coonrod has appeared in three games for the Giants this season, allowing one run in three innings of work. He's spent most of the season with Triple-A Sacramento, where he owns a poor 7.42 ERA in 30.1 innings. He'll likely pitch in a low-leverage role if he appears at all.

Grace (0-2) took the loss against the Phillies on Sunday, giving up a walkoff solo home run to Maikel Franco in the ninth inning.

After he struck out Jay Bruce on three pitches to begin the inning, Nats manager Dave Martinez elected to leave the southpaw in to face Franco, with disastrous consequences. Grace now carries a 6.09 ERA and 22:8 K:BB through 34 innings on the season, with only four holds in 39 appearances.

Clarke (back) allowed three hits, no walks and struck out three over six scoreless innings in a rehab start for High-A Visalia on Saturday.

Clarke was sharp, needing just 70 pitches to get through the six innings, and appears likely to rejoin the Diamondbacks' rotation Friday against the Brewers, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Manager Torey Lovullo will monitor how Clarke feels in the coming days before finalizing a decision.

Kelly struck out both batters he faced against Boston on Sunday to earn his first save of the season.

With usual closer Kenley Jansen already out of the game, Kelly was brought on to face his former team in the 12th inning with the Dodgers staked to a three-run lead. He needed only 11 pitches to strike out Brock Holt and Jackie Bradley Jr. for his first save this season and third in his career. After a difficult start to his first campaign with the Dodgers, Kelly has turned things around in June and July, allowing only two earned runs while striking out 22 batters in 14 innings over that stretch.

Jansen worked 1.2 scoreless innings against the Red Sox on Sunday, walking one batter and striking out three.

With the game tied 4-4 and the winning run on second base with one out for Boston in the ninth inning, the Dodgers turned to Jansen, who retired the final two batters to end the threat and send the game into extra innings. He returned to pitch the 10th and worked around a one-out walk to record an additional three outs in a game the Dodgers would go on to win in the 12th inning. Jansen has once again been one of the most reliable closers in baseball this season, converting 23 of 26 save opportunities while posting a 3.05 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 51:8 K:BB in 38.1 innings.

Stephenson was fantastic in relief on Sunday against the Rockies, throwing two perfect innings with four strikeouts.

Stephenson had been a little shaky since coming off the IL in mid-June, but he's been strong in two outings after the All-Star break. With David Hernandez really struggling, Stephenson's role in the bullpen could be changed to include more critical situations soon.

Minter gave up one hit in a scoreless ninth inning against San Diego on Sunday to earn the save.

Minter retired the first two batters he faced before Fernando Tatis Jr. stroked his fourth single of the game, but Atlanta's backup closer -- Luke Jackson had recorded saves the previous two days -- responded by getting Eric Hosmer to fly out to end the game. While he stills holds an unsightly 6.56 ERA and 1.80 WHIP on the season, Minter has been much better since returning to the majors June 11, holding opponents scoreless in 10 of 14 appearances while racking up 14 strikeouts in 12.1 innings.

Young is listed as the Diamondbacks' scheduled starter for Tuesday's game against the Rangers.

After Young tossed six scoreless innings to earn his second win of the season in the Diamondbacks' final game before the All-Star break July 7, there was little doubt that he would be awarded another turn through the rotation. In total, Young has allowed just one run on three hits and two walks in his first 13.1 big-league innings, but a .061 BABIP and 100 percent strand rate both suggest major regression is ahead for the lefty. Young could be in for a rude awakening when he takes the hill at the hitter-friendly Globe Life Park in Arlington after his first three MLB outings came in venues that skew more favorably to pitchers (Oracle Park, Dodger Stadium and Chase Field).

Pomeranz was available out of the bullpen in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Brewers, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Pomeranz had been listed as the Giants' scheduled starter for the first game of Monday's doubleheader with the Rockies at Coors Field, but manager Bruce Bochy has since clarified that Jeff Samardzija will take the hill for the afternoon contest while Dereck Rodriguez starts in the nightcap. Since Pomeranz went unused in relief Sunday, he'll be available to start Tuesday's game, but it's unclear if Bochy still views the lefty as a member of the rotation. Pomeranz has been striking out batters at a healthy clip since the beginning of June (11.8 K/9) but has failed to surpass five innings in any of his six starts during that span while supplying a 4.13 ERA and 1.62 WHIP. Even if he rejoins the rotation Tuesday, Pomeranz won't make for a comfortable streaming option in light of his erratic form and the unfavorable pitching environment.