MLB Player News

Minter struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Friday to pick up his fifth save of the season in an 8-5 win over the Nationals.

The left-hander has been scored upon only once in his last 13 appearances, converting all three of his save chances successfully during that stretch. With Arodys Vizcaino battling shoulder issues, there could be a lot more save opportunities ahead for Minter in the second half, although he may have to share closing duties with Dan Winkler while Vizcaino is sidelined.

Gsellman picked up his fifth save of the season Friday, allowing two unearned runs on two hits and two walks over two innings while striking out two in a 7-5 win over the Yankees.

Jeurys Familia was kept off the mound with a deal to Oakland apparently imminent, forcing Gsellman into a multi-inning save. Once Familia is officially a member of the A's, look for Gsellman to officially assume the closer role for the Mets.

Barraclough is unavailable for Friday's game against the Rays due to an illness, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Barraclough will be day-to-day moving forward as he's currently under the weather. His next opportunity to return will come Saturday.

Romero was placed on the minor-league DL on Friday due to a sprained oblique, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

The Phillies didn't describe a timetable for Romero but it's expected that he will be out a couple weeks while recovering from this injury. Through 18 starts with Double-A Reading, he's logged a 3.80 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with 100 strikeouts in 106.2 innings.

De Los Santos was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

De Los Santos allowed five runs over 4.1 innings in the final game before the All-Star break Sunday, and will return to the IronPigs with Zach Eflin (finger) eligible to come off the disabled list early next week for the Phillies. The 22-year-old has a 6.75 ERA and 1.50 WHIP across two starts in the majors this season.

Suero was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

Suero rejoined the Nationals on July 10 and fired 2.2 scoreless innings during this stint in the majors, and now has a 3.15 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over 20 major-league innings this season. The 26-year-old will likely be one of the first options to return to Washington when it needs an additional arm as the team starts the second half with only a six-man bullpen.

Smith was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

Smith will provide additional depth to New York's bullpen ahead of this weekend series against the Yankees. He's only made three appearances at the big-league level this year, though he was sporting a 2.76 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 32.2 innings with Las Vegas at the time of this promotion. Look for him to be utilized in low-leverage situations.

Rusin produced a 2.31 ERA in his final 12 appearances before the All-Star break.

The 2018 campaign has been a down year for the veteran lefty, as his season ERA sits at a lofty 6.18 despite the recent string of strong appearances. Home runs and a lack of control are largely to blame, as his 1.6 HR/9 and 4.4 BB/9 are easily career highs. However, he hasn't allowed a homer since June 7 and has walked just seven hitters since then. If Rusin can keep this up in the second half, he could see more high-leverage situations again and gather more holds down the stretch.

Wilson threw seven scoreless innings Thursday for Double-A Mississippi in a win over Montgomery, giving up three hits and a walk while tying his season high with nine strikeouts.

The 20-year-old right-hander has been absolutely brilliant since the calendar flipped to July, allowing only two runs in 27 innings over four starts with a 34:4 K:BB. Wilson's overall numbers in his first exposure to Double-A haven't been exceptional since an early May promotion from High-A (4.13 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 81:23 K:BB in 72 innings), but it looks like he's figured things out. The Braves' No. 13 fantasy prospect could still see a late-season move up to Triple-A Gwinnett if he continues to dominate the Southern League, but even if he remains in Double-A through the rest of the year, Wilson is on track for a potential 2019 big-league debut.

Strop retired the final batter of the game in Thursday's 9-6 win over the Cubs to secure his third save of the season.

With regular closer Brandon Morrow (biceps) landing on the disabled list before the game, Strop moved up in the bullpen pecking order. Morrow doesn't figure to be out long, so Strop's window for save opportunities might be brief, though it's encouraging to see that the team definitely trusts him in high-leverage situations. Strop has earned that trust with a strong 2.50 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 39.2 innings this season.