MLB Player News

Nelson (shoulder) is getting close to being ready to throw bullpen sessions, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

It's not exactly clear where Nelson stands in his recovery from shoulder surgery, as he has not yet been able to do any more than mimic throwing from a bullpen mound without a baseball being involved. However, things are seemingly moving in the right direction, as no setbacks have been reported along the way. Nelson still has too many steps to go in the process to provide an accurate estimate at his return date, but that will become much clearer once he is cleared to throw baseballs -- and not just air -- from a mound.

Erceg (head) returned to action Thursday for Double-A Biloxi, going 0-for-3 with a run, a walk and a strikeout in Birmingham.

He was sidelined for a couple days after a pitch struck his helmet in Monday's game, but fortunately avoided a DL stint, and presumably avoided a concussion. Erceg has cooled off a bit, hitting .222 with one home run and eight strikeouts over his last 36 at-bats, but still boasts an impressive .306/.378/.417 slash line on the young season.

Wilson (2-0) fired 6.2 scoreless innings for High-A Florida in Thursday's win over Lakeland, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out four.

The right-hander has been dealing to begin the season, and Wilson now boasts a 0.45 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB through his first 20 innings at High-A. The Braves' system is loaded with pitching prospects and the organization has little reason to rush the 20-year-old, but if Wilson keeps putting up numbers like this, he'll get his first crack at Double-A over the summer.

Edwards recorded his fifth hold of the season in Thursday's win over the Brewers by tossing a scoreless inning with a strikeout.

Edwards has been dominant this season as a key middle reliever for the Cubs. After Thursday's outing, his ERA is down to a miniscule 0.77, and he has 21 strikeouts in just 11.2 innings. Brandon Morrow is locked in as Chicago's closer, but Edwards holds fantasy value due to his strong ratios and strikeouts, and the holds are an added bonus in leagues that count the stat.

Koch (1-0) allowed two earned runs on six hits while walking two and striking out four across six innings to earn the win Thursday against the Phillies.

Koch recorded a quality start in his second straight outing, needing 102 pitches to complete his six innings of work. He has relied heavily on groundballs in each of his first two starts this season, with 20 of the 30 balls put in play against him coming on the ground. For his success to continue he will need his groundball rate to remain high, as he displayed little ability to miss bats throughout his time in the upper minors. While Koch's ratio stats are excellent for the time being, he is relying on a .056 BABIP and 100 percent strand rate, meaning his results may change for the worse as those numbers normalize.

Vizcaino allowed one hit and one walk in a scoreless inning against the Reds on Thursday to collect his second save of the season. He struck out one batter.

Vizcaino was passed over for A.J. Minter in a save situation Wednesday, but he returned to the ninth inning Thursday and was able to get the job done. While manager Brian Snitker said he would be flexible with how he deploys Vizcaino and Minter in the ninth inning moving forward, VIzcaino owns an impressive 1.54 ERA through 11.2 innings this season, so he should still see a good amount of save chances when the matchups are in his favor.

The Dodgers activated Garcia (elbow) from the 10-day disabled list Wednesday and optioned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City, MLB.com reports.

Garcia has reached the finish line in his recovery from October 2016 Tommy John surgery, as he made four rehab appearances with the Triple-A club, giving up two runs on five hits over four innings. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said earlier this week that the team plans to add Garcia to the active roster at some point in May, but the righty will presumably need to prove effective at Oklahoma City before garnering a promotion.

Brebbia was sent down to Triple-A Memphis prior to Thursday's game.

Brebbia was replaced on the Cardinals' roster after earning the first save of his major-league career during Wednesday's victory over the Mets. During three scoreless appearances with St. Louis this season, Brebbia has allowed just two baserunners while striking out seven in five innings of relief. He will likely return to the fold in the near future but will head back to Memphis as the club replenishes its bullpen with the call-up of John Gant in a corresponding move.

Hader recorded the final two outs of the eighth inning -- both via strikeout -- in Wednesday's victory over the Royals.

In the latest example of manager Craig Counsell not sticking to traditional bullpen roles, Hader was used in a key spot and then promptly removed despite not experiencing any issues -- likely because Counsell had an eye on the Brewers' as-big-as-it-gets-for-April series with the Cubs that starts Thursday. Hader is giving fantasy players exactly what they want in the strikeout and ratio departments; just don't expect him to pile up the save numbers most relievers of his caliber do.

Miller (elbow) pitched against hitters in batting practice Wednesday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Miller had previously been limited to throwing side sessions, so the fact that he's now facing hitters amounts to a step forward in his recovery. The right-hander is still probably multiple weeks away from kicking off a minor-league rehab assignment, but remains on track to return from the 60-day disabled list at some point in June or July.