MLB Player News

Vizcaino picked up his fourth save Wednesday against the Pirates. He was called on with two outs in the eighth inning and allowed one hit (a solo homer in the ninth) and struck out one.

Under the leadership of interim manager Brian Snitker (the Braves dismissed Fredi Gonzalez on Tuesday), Vizcaino was called on to get out of a jam in the eighth. He stranded the two runners he inherited by getting Andrew McCutchen to fly out. Vizcaino is 4-for-5 in save opportunities this season, however he is a low-end fantasy closer as the Braves don't win many games (league worst .256 win percentage).

Nelson struggled with his control Wednesday -- he walked four, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch -- but still managed to hold the Cubs scoreless on five hits over 7.1 innings. He struck out five and didn't receive a decision in an eventual 12-inning defeat.

Nelson's first scoreless outing of the season lowered his ERA to a shiny 3.07 and gave the Brewers a chance to win, but Jeremy Jeffress blew the save. Now seems like the most opportune moment to sell high on Nelson -- while he does have the upside to be this good, perception of his value may be at an all-time peak, while his peripherals are screaming for regression.

Rusin (1-2) held the Cardinals to two runs on six hits over six innings Wednesday, but was stuck with a tough-luck loss. He struck out five and walked two.

The lefty hasn't had much success either at Coors Field or on the road in his career, but he did take advantage of a road date this time; unfortunately, his efforts were in vain with Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis bullpen silencing the Rockies' offense. This was an impressive effort against the second-best offense in the National League, but Rusin's next task will be facing the best offense in baseball right now, the Red Sox, on Tuesday.

Castro (shoulder) was activated off the disabled list, and optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday.

Castro last played for the Rockies in an April 17 stint prior to injuring his shoulder and being placed on the DL. He made a rehab appearance with Albuquerque on Monday, and struck out one batter while also giving up a home run. He pitched very well with the Rockies earlier this season, so he figures to be back up with the big club later summer.

Gomez retired the side in order against the Marlins to record his league-leading 16th save of the season.

The 28-year-old has been absolutely sensational for the surprising Phillies. Gomez converted his first nine saves opportunities of the season before his first blown one and has recorded seven straight since then. His 16 saves leads all of baseball and no other closer has more than 13. Gomez also supports a 2.66 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 23.2 innings.

Smith (knee) is set to throw live BP on Saturday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Smith has thrown successful bullpen sessions and has completed PFP and agility drills as he continues his recovery from a torn LCL. The next step in the 26-year-old's rehab process is throwing live batting practice and then completing an eventual rehab assignment. If he can complete those steps without any setbacks, he should still be in line for a return to the Brewers bullpen sometime in mid-June.

Hoffman, 23, has submitted a 2.45 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 42:16 K:BB ratio across 47.2 innings at Triple-A Albuquerque.

While pitching at Albuquerque isn't quite as challenging as Coors Field, it's still a fairly hitter-friendly environment, so it's quite encouraging that Hoffman has excelled to this extent. The Rockies probably aren't tabbing Hoffman for a full-time role in the rotation until 2017, but he could push up that timeline if he continues to thrive at Triple-A or if one of the Rockies' back-end starters starts to falter.

Castro (shoulder) struck out a batter and served up a home run in an inning of work with Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday.

Castro's shoulder is feeling much better, but the Rockies want to build up his strength more in the minors, so he'll stay on his rehab assignment for a little longer. An exact timetable for his return is currently unavailable, but it should become clearer once he appears in a couple more games with the Isotopes.

Melancon recorded his 13th save of the season in Tuesday's 12-9 win over the Braves, surrendering one hit in a scoreless inning.

That's three saves in three days for Melancon, who has given up one run on two hits and a walk during that span. The increased workload of late could result in Melancon being unavailable for Wednesday's series finale, in which case Tony Watson would likely be called upon for any save situation that might arise.

Hernandez gave up two hits, but struck out the side in a scoreless inning to pick up a hold in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Marlins.

The dominant middle-relief duo of Hernandez and Hector Neris recorded all six of their outs via strikeout, forming an excellent bridge to closer Jeanmar Gomez, who claimed his 15th save of the season in the ninth inning. Though Gomez seems to enjoy decent security in his role, Hernandez still makes for an appealing roster option in deep or NL-only leagues due to his prolific strikeout rate. Hernandez's 13.5 K/9 rate is the highest among any pitcher in baseball who has covered at least 18 innings.