MLB Player News

Axford has been diagnosed with a fractured right fibula and is expected to land on the disabled list, J.P. Hoornstra of The Orange County Register reports.

Axford suffered the injury after being hit in the leg with a comebacker against the Rockies on Sunday. The veteran reliever was able to stay in the game and complete his two-inning appearance, but tests later revealed the slight break in the tip of his fibula, and a DL stint seems highly likely considering the nature of the injury. Expect an official move to be made Tuesday.

Alexander was charged with a blown save after giving up four runs (three earned) on four hits over two-thirds of an inning in a 5-2 loss to San Francisco on Monday.

Alexander was done in by a parade of singles and a hit batsman before eventually being lifted from the contest. This was the second consecutive game in which the southpaw was unable to finish a frame after entering the ninth inning with a narrow lead. Alexander has been the primary option in a closing committee after Kenley Jansen (chest) hit the disabled list last weekend, but his recent struggles in the role has the closing situation in Los Angeles in flux. Manager Dave Roberts didn't comment on his plans for the club's struggling bullpen, but it wouldn't be surprising to see another reliever get the next save opportunity.

Gsellman tossed a perfect ninth inning and picked up the save in Monday's 8-5 win over New York.

Gsellman has gone 3-for-3 on save opportunities over his last 10 appearances out of the bullpen, and he should remain in the closer mix with Anthony Swarzak (shoulder) on the shelf. Jerry Blevins and Seth Lugo are also candidates to be used in the ninth inning. Gsellman owns a 3.84 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 58 strikeouts over 65.2 innings this season.

Venditte was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Venditte will return to the minors in order to clear a roster spot for Erik Goeddel, who was activated from the disabled list in a corresponding roster move. The switch-handed pitcher, who owns an unsightly 8.31 ERA across 4.1 major-league innings this season, hasn't made an appearance for the big club since June 8. He'll continue to serve as organizational pitching depth.

Jansen (chest) will throw a bullpen session sometime this week, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

This is encouraging news for Jansen, who landed on the disabled list last week due to an irregular heartbeat. The reliever is able to work out normally and hopes to beat his original month-long timetable, though that will likely depend on his progress in the coming weeks. Either way, it sounds like Jansen will be forced to undergo offseason surgery -- the same procedure (atrial fibrillation) he had six years ago to correct the same issue. In the meantime, it sounds like the Dodgers will go with a closer-by-committee approach with Jansen on the mend.

Garcia threw a scoreless inning in Sunday's loss to the Padres, striking out three while walking one.

Garcia has been used in a fairly high-leverage role this season, though he wasn't on Sunday, as he entered with a five-run deficit. His 3.58 ERA is solid, backed up by strong peripherals (including a 27.4 percent strikeout rate and a 7.4 percent walk rate), but four other Philadelphia relievers have lower ERAs, making him an unlikely candidate to move into a closing role.

Vizcaino (shoulder) is scheduled to resume throwing Wednesday, Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

As expected, Vizcaino has been cleared to resume throwing for the first time since landing on the disabled list nearly a month ago with shoulder inflammation. He'll still need to progress to mound work and complete a minor-league rehab assignment before rejoining the Braves, likely leaving him at least a couple of weeks away. A more concrete timetable for his return should emerge as he ramps up his throwing. In the meantime, A.J. Minter should continue to fill in as the team's closer.

Minter worked around a hit with a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless inning of work to earn his 10th save of the season Sunday against the Brewers.

Minter allowed the tying run to reach with one out and put him in scoring position with a wild pitch, but he struck out Christian Yelich to end the threat. He's settled nicely into his role as the team's closer, converting six of his last seven opportunties and allowing just one earned run in his last 10 appearances. Minter will hold the closer job as long as Arodys Vizcaino (shoulder) remains sidelined and could potentially hold onto it thereafter.

Smith got the save against the Pirates on Sunday, striking out two without allowing a baserunner over a scoreless ninth inning to preserve the Giants' 4-3 victory.

Smith had given up four earned runs over his last two appearances but he got back on track in this one, making quick work of the Pirates to lock down his eighth save of the season. He's having a fantastic campaign overall, with a 2.11 ERA and a microscopic 0.83 WHIP over 38.1 innings.

Rodriguez (6-1) got the win against the Pirates on Sunday, giving up one earned run on just two hits over seven strong innings, striking out four and walking one in San Francisco's 4-3 victory.

Rodriguez just continues to light it up, as this victorious effort marked his third straight start where he's gone seven innings and his ninth straight appearance where he's given up two or fewer earned runs. This latest stellar effort brought his ERA down to 2.25 and his WHIP to 1.00, so he's fully earned his 6-1 record. If there's any knock on his profile at this point, it's that his 65 strikeouts over 80 innings suggest his ratios aren't particularly sustainable. He'll look to keep it rolling in his next start against the Reds on Friday.