MLB Player News

Estevez has lost his job as the Rockies' closer, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

After blowing a second consecutive save Monday night, Estevez will be removed from his closing role, with Adam Ottavino taking over for the time being, per manager Walt Weiss. Estevez allowed three earned runs while recording just one out Monday night, and that came on the heels of a performance Friday in which he allowed four earned runs on three hits, while walking two, in a 5-3 loss to the Marlins. The right-hander will now move into a more traditional role, but there's a chance he could reclaim the closer job if Ottavino falters.

Almonte, 22, was promoted to Double-A Hartford over the weekend after posting a 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 134:39 K:BB in 138.1 innings in the hitter-friendly California League.

The Rockies acquired Almonte on the cheap, sending reliever Tommy Kahnle to the White Sox this past offseason, and that trade is starting to look like a heist for Colorado. Almonte sits in the mid-90s with his fastball and has touched as high as 98 mph, while also demonstrating impressive command in a difficult pitching environment. Rockies pitching prospects are always tricky to evaluate, but on pure stuff, Almonte needs to be on the radar in dynasty leagues.

Estevez (2-7) blew his fifth save as he allowed three runs on two hits and a walk and recorded just one out in Monday's loss to the Rangers.

Estevez has now allowed seven runs and recorded two combined outs in each of his past two outings, both blown saves. He has seen his ERA skyrocket from 3.66 to 5.18 as a result. It's worth noting two of his five blown saves came before he ascended to the closer position, but his position could be in jeopardy given his recent ineffectiveness. He has walked three batters in these two recent blown saves, and he'll need to rein in his control if he has any chance of figuring it out.

Coleman (shoulder) is expected to return from the disabled list as soon as he is eligible, J.P. Hoornstra of the Bay Area News Group reports.

Coleman was placed on the disabled list Wednesday and will be eligible to return August 18. He owns a mediocre 3.70 ERA and will continue to be used in the earlier innings upon his return, as his 89.2 mph fastball makes him more vulnerable than is ideal for a back-end reliever.

Vizcaino (oblique) is progressing and should return within a couple weeks, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Until then, Jim Johnson will remain the closer in Atlanta, and it's reasonable to think that the veteran may be a target for clubs looking to bolster their bullpen at the upcoming waiver trade deadline. A more precise timetable for Vizcaino's return should become available if he's sent on a minor league rehab assignment prior to his activation from the disabled list.

Jansesn struck out the side in a perfect inning of work to earn his 34th save of the season Sunday versus the Red Sox.

The dominant campaign continues for Jansen, who now owns a stellar 1.29 ERA and microscopic 0.63 WHIP through 49 innings pitched. His 67 strikeouts during that span amount to a 12.3 K/9 rate to boot, making Jansen one of the premier relief pitchers for fantasy purposes.

Gomez struck out one during a perfect inning for his 29th save of the season Sunday versus the Padres.

Gomez saw just his second save opportunity of the month, but he handled it with ease, throwing eight of 10 pitches for strikes in retiring the side in order. Though he was something of a surprise at the start of the year, Gomez has blossomed into an extremely stable fantasy reliever; he's converted an impressive 29 of his 32 save chances.

Rodney pitched a clean ninth inning Sunday at the Rockies to earn his first save since being acquired by the Marlins.

The veteran had really struggled to the tune of eight earned runs against in his previous 6.1 innings, but he took care of the side on just 14 pitches Sunday. Despite Sunday's development, A.J. Ramos should get the nod in the majority of save situations moving forward, leaving Rodney as a mere setup option for the club.

Melancon struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Sunday to pick up his 31st save of the season, and first with the Nationals, in a 1-0 win over the Giants.

It took a while, but Melancon finally got a chance to show why he was such an important pickup at the trade deadline by Washington. He's now got a 6:0 K:BB in four shutout innings over four appearances for his new club to lower his ERA on the season to 1.38.

Nelson (6-11) allowed seven runs, six of which were earned, on seven hits and three walks while striking out four over 4.1 innings to take the loss Sunday at Arizona.

After firing three scoreless innings, Nelson was bombed for seven runs between the fourth and fifth innings, leading to his 11th loss of the campaign. Since July 16, he's seen his ERA go from 3.39 to 4.02, and he's now been tagged with a loss in each of his last four starts. In addition, his 1.48 WHIP is the highest he's had in the three years since he's become a regular in the Brewers' rotation. He'll make his next start Friday against the Reds.