MLB Player News

Nelson left Friday's game against the Cubs after five scoreless innings despite just 79 pitches thrown, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

There was no official injury report made, but Nelson appeared to jam his right arm sliding back into first base after hitting a single off the wall in the fifth inning. He pitched a scoreless bottom of the fifth but was removed before the start of the sixth. The Brewers are calling the injury right arm soreness -- not much to go on for now, so we'll consider him day-to-day.

Melancon (forearm) will undergo season-ending surgery Tuesday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Recent reports indicated that Melancon was aiming to wait to go under the knife until the season was over. However, those plans won't come to fruition, as he'll undergo surgery early next week. If his recovery goes as planned, Melancon could begin throwing as soon as six weeks after the surgery is performed. Barring any setbacks, Melancon is expected to be back in full health well before spring training begins.

Barraclough allowed a hit and struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning Thursday to pick up his 22nd hold of the season in a 6-5 loss to the Braves.

Brad Ziegler blew his second straight save in the ninth, and with Barraclough showing markedly improved control -- he has a 1.38 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 20:1 K:BB in 13 innings since coming off the DL in mid-August -- it may only be a matter of time before the Marlins audition the flamethrowing righty in the closer role.

Yates struck out two batters over a scoreless inning Thursday, picking up his 17th hold in a 3-0 win over the Cardinals.

Yates hasn't allowed an earned run in four September appearances after posting atrocious results in August (12.19 ERA). The Friars' setup man can once again be relied upon as a source of strikeouts (13.9 K/9) and holds (17) now that he appears to have rediscovered his midseason form.

Hand allowed three hits in the ninth inning against the Cardinals on Thursday but escaped the jam to earn his 16th save.

He didn't make things easy on himself, giving up a trio of singles to bring the go-ahead run to the plate, but Hand ultimately struck out Dexter Fowler to leave the bases loaded. The lefty has been a little shaky in his first three appearances of September (seven hits, three runs in three innings), but he should have plenty of leash in the role after going two months without an earned run allowed earlier this summer.

Kontos (groin) was activated from the 10-day disabled list Thursday, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Kontos was able to get through a 20-pitch simulated game with no issues Tuesday, clearing the way for him to return before Thursday's series finale against the Cubs. The 32-year-old, who owns a 3.65 ERA through 56.2 innings this season, should immediately return to pitching high-leverage innings for the Pirates.

Strop (4-4) picked up the win in Wednesday's 1-0 victory over the Pirates. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning with a walk and a strikeout.

After Jose Quintana and Hector Rondon blanked the Pirates through seven innings, Strop followed suit in the eighth. He then picked up the win when the Cubs broke up the scoreless tie in the top of the ninth. Strop should continue working in high-leverage situations for Chicago the rest of the way.

Rodney struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his 36th save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Dodgers.

The 40-year-old now has a 1.89 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 23:6 K:BB in 19 innings with a perfect 14-for-14 mark in save situations over the course of the second half. Rodney's erratic track record keeps him out of the ranks of elite fantasy closers, but he's pitching as well as any of them right now.

Lamet (7-7) took the loss despite holding the Cardinals to two runs on three hits and four walks with eight strikeouts over six innings Wednesday.

Lamet cruised through six shutout innings, but a leadoff single followed by a two-run home run in the seventh ended his night after 101 pitches. The flamethrowing rookie owns a 1-3 record over his last five starts despite posting a 2.73 ERA and 11.5 K/9 over that span. While the Padres' futile offense has failed to reward Lamet with the wins he deserves, his solid ratios have been enough to place him back on the fantasy map after an inconsistent start to the season. The 25-year-old will look to continue lowering his 4.32 ERA in his next start against the Twins on Wednesday.

Vizcaino gave up a pair of hits in a scoreless ninth inning en route to his 10th save Wednesday against Texas.

After giving up runs in a pair of recent appearances, Vizcaino's delivered two straight scoreless outings now. Now finally the Braves' closer, he's looking to close out a strong 2017 on a positive note by racking up a few more successful conversions -- which would in turn solidify his status for next season.