MLB Player News

Hand struck out a pair of batters over 1.2 perfect innings en route to his sixth hold of the season Monday.

After it appeared that the veteran lefty had taken over as San Diego's closer, manager Andy Green decided to roll with Brandon Maurer in the ninth for the second consecutive game. Hand has been the better reliever this season (1.82 ERA to Maurer's 6.00 ERA), but the Padres' skipper wasn't kidding when he said he would play matchups going forward. The 27-year-old still holds value due to his ability to rack up strikeouts (11.5 K/9) and convert the occasional save, but this is a closer situation that has clearly not settled quite yet.

Maurer struck out one in a perfect ninth inning for his seventh save of the season in Monday's 5-2 victory over the Cubs.

That's back-to-back saves for Maurer in two consecutive days after Brad Hand closed out the previous two chances. The hard-throwing right-hander managed to lower his ERA to 6.00, and he owns a nice 24:4 K:BB despite his struggles late in games. It looks as though manager Andy Green is content mixing and matching in the ninth, which will limit the appeal of both Maurer and Hand.

Gsellman (3-3) allowed one two runs (one earned) on three hits while walking two and striking out five over seven innings in Monday's 4-2 win over the Brewers.

Earlier in the day, skipper Terry Collins said Gsellman will move to the bullpen once Steven Matz (elbow) and Seth Lugo (elbow) returned from the disabled list. Gsellman then proceeded to post his best start of the season and third quality start in nine tries. Despite the quality starts he's tossed in his last two outings, the 23-year-old's 6.6 K/9 and 5.75 ERA indicate that he's better off in New York's bullpen. He'll at least benefit from one more start during the Mets' weekend series with the Pirates before likely transitioning into a relief role.

Moore (2-6) allowed two runs on six hits (one homer) while walking none and striking out five over seven innings in Monday's 3-0 loss to the Nationals.

After getting blown up for nine runs in 3.1 innings in his first start of the month of May, Moore has now delivered five straight outings with three or fewer runs, dropping his ERA to 4.98. The lefty is still a shaky shallow-league option because of his 7.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9, but as we've seen, he can be an effective matchup play in deeper leagues.

Manager Terry Collins said Gsellman will be moved to the bullpen once Steven Matz (elbow) and Seth Lugo (elbow) return from the disabled list, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

With Matz and Lugo both set to rejoin the Mets as soon as the upcoming weekend, it looks like Gsellman will be ousted from the Mets' starting rotation, though he'll remain with the big club as a reliever for the time being. In eight games as a starter this season, the 23-year-old compiled a 6.86 ERA and 29:14 K:BB across 40.2 innings. He's compiled a 2.25 ERA across three appearances (four innings) as a reliever this year, so he could prove to be a valuable piece in the struggling Mets bullpen if he's able to turn things around.

Grace was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

With Stephen Drew (hamstring) coming off the disabled list, Grace was the corresponding roster casualty. In his second stint with the big club this season, Grace tossed 2.1 scoreless innings (four appearances). He'll head back to Syracuse until the Nationals need another bullpen arm.

Stewart (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Monday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Given that Stewart has been sidelined all season with a shoulder injury, the Dodgers decided to shift him to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Brandon Morrow. He'll be eligible to return at the start of June, though Stewart will likely need more time before he's ready to rejoin the big club.

Maurer pitched a scoreless ninth inning without allowing a baserunner to collect his sixth save of the season in Sunday's win over Washington.

Brad Hand had closed out the previous two games but was used in the the eighth inning Sunday, and Maurer was tasked with the top of the order in the ninth frame. It's likely that the duo will continue to share closing duties until one ascends fully above the other and takes over the job. Maurer owns an underwhelming 6.30 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, but his 10.4 K/9 highlights his upside if he continues to receive save opportunities.

Yates (1-0) pitched 1.2 scoreless innings without allowing a baserunner and struck out two batters during Sunday's win over Washington.

Yates held down the fort after Jhoulys Chacin was chased in the bottom of the fifth inning, and the 30-year-old was credited with his first win of the season accordingly. With a 3.46 ERA and 1.46 WHIP, Yates doesn't project to make much of a fantasy impact going forward.

Nelson (3-3) pitched seven innings, allowing one run on seven hits with a season-high 10 strikeouts in Sunday's 9-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

This was Nelson's most complete performance of the season. While he didn't have to deal with Paul Goldschmidt, he held a formidable Arizona lineup to just seven hits and one run in seven frames. Nelson punched out a season-high 10 and did not walk a single batter. He also helped himself out at the plate, going 1-for-3 with an RBI groundout. Nelson has been inconsistent so far this season, but he has the ability to put up good strikeout numbers. Sunday was the fourth time he's struck out at least eight. Nelson will need to be just as sharp his next time out, as the Brewers host Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers on Friday.