MLB Player News

Mayers (lat) has started playing catch, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Mayers' road to picking up a baseball again was a long one, considering he's been on the injured list since April 16. Now that he's reached that benchmark, the right-handed reliever will remain on an every-other-day throwing schedule for the time being, with the goal of starting bullpen sessions within the next 2-to-3 weeks.

Clarke will be called up from Triple-A Reno to start Saturday against the Giants, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.

The Diamondbacks moved Zack Godley back to the bullpen once again, prompting the need for an additional starter. Clarke pitched well during his first major-league start May 7 with two runs allowed over six innings, but was still returned to the minors as a part of a roster shuffle. Arizona doesn't have another off day until June 6, so Clarke could be in store for a longer stay in the majors this time around.

Hader didn't allow a baserunner and recorded two strikeouts in 1.2 innings to record his 12th save of the season during an 11-9 victory against the Reds on Wednesday.

With runners on first and second and one out during the eighth, the Brewers called upon their closer to face the heart of the Reds' order. Hader retired the next two batters quietly to escape the eighth and induced two strikeouts along with a popout to end the game in the ninth. Hader's 2.52 ERA is perhaps higher than some expected, but he also owns a dazzling 0.64 WHIP and 49 strikeouts in just 25 innings. Hader is also 12-for-12 in save opportunities this year.

Yates bagged another save against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, retiring all three batters he faced in a scoreless ninth inning to preserve a 5-2 victory for the Padres. He struck out one.

Yates simply can't be stopped at the moment, as this was his third straight game with a save to bring his total up to 20 on the season. He continues to act as the top closer in baseball to start 2019 as the Padres have been providing him with a ton of opportunities. He boasts a 1.13 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and a phenomenal 44:8 K:BB over 24 innings.

Scott Oberg, not Estevez, will be the Rockies' primary closer while Wade Davis (oblique) is on the injured list, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

A case can be made that Estevez deserves the look more than Oberg. For starters, Estevez throws his fastball about three mph harder than Oberg on average, and the peripherals point to Estevez being the far better pitcher so far this season. However, Oberg has been able to overcome the poor peripherals and turn in strong results so far, so for now manager Bud Black will turn to Oberg and possibly Jake McGee, when the matchups call for a left-hander in the ninth.

Strop (hamstring) could begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

He threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, which apparently went well, and will throw another such session this weekend. If that goes well, a rehab assignment could be next, meaning he could return in late May or early June if everything goes smoothly through the rest of his recovery. In the meantime, Steve Cishek has proven more than capable of handling the ninth inning for the Cubs.

Sewald was designated for assignment on Wednesday, Mike Mazzeo of Yahoo Sports reports.

The Mets needed to clear a 40-man spot for Rajai Davis to add outfield depth on the big-league roster, and Sewald was the casualty. He will serve as organizational bullpen depth if he passes through waivers.

Hoffman will likely be called up to start Friday's game against the Orioles, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Hoffman, a former top prospect, has been a strikeout machine at Triple-A and in his lone MLB start this season, tallying 50 strikeouts in 40.2 innings across the two stops. However, he has not been successful at preventing runs in his harsh pitching environments, giving up 34 earned runs over those 40.2 innings. Given that it is a home start, he is a very unappealing streamer, assuming he is indeed tabbed as Friday's starter.

Hoffman could be promoted from Triple-A Albuquerque to start Saturday's game against the Orioles, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Due to a slew of off days, the Rockies have been able to get by without a fifth starter since Tyler Anderson was demoted to Triple-A on May 4. A need for another starter will finally arise Saturday, and Hoffman looks like the top candidate to fill the opening in light of his recent turnaround with Albuquerque. Over his last four outings, Hoffman has posted a 4.50 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 31:9 K:BB across 24 innings. With Anderson having since developed a knee injury that will require potential season-ending surgery, Hoffman could be in line for an extended stay in Colorado if he fares respectably in his initial outings.

Estevez could factor into the ninth-inning mix with closer Wade Davis (oblique) landing on the injured list Wednesday.

This is a tough one to call. The Rockies have an experienced righty in Seunghwan Oh and another candidate in Scott Oberg who currently has a 1.77 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. However, Oh is probably out of the conversation for now, having posted a 9.60 ERA in his first 15 innings. Things look far worse for Oberg under the hood; he has just 13 strikeouts in 20.1 total innings, and a 1:5 K:BB so far in the month of May. Meanwhile Estevez leads the team in holds with five, and his K-BB rate sits at a healthy 22.1 percent. Lefty Jake McGee could also see chances based on matchups.