MLB Player News

Merryweather is dealing with right knee discomfort but has been cleared to continue pitching, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Merryweather has picked up a pair of losses while giving up four earned runs in 4.2 innings so far this season. It's possible his knee is partly to blame for that performance. He'll continue pitching through it while wearing a brace.

Wantz was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.

Wantz missed out on a spot on the Angels' Opening Day roster but will join the team ahead of Tuesday's game against the Astros. The 26-year-old received his first taste of big-league action in 2021 and had a 4.94 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 38:11 K:BB over 27.1 innings.

Chafin (groin) will make a rehab appearance for Low-A Lakeland on Thursday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Chafin missed the start of the season with a groin strain, but he's making progress and closing in on a return. If his outing Thursday goes well, he'll move up to Triple-A Toledo for two more rehab appearances. That puts his potential return date sometime in the middle of next week.

Jimenez fired a scoreless ninth inning in a win over the Orioles on Monday, allowing two hits and a walk while recording two strikeouts in a non-save situation.

The right-hander created some trouble for himself before escaping it, leading to a 24-pitch workload. Jimenez could be the preferred option for any save opportunities that may present themselves while Lou Trivino (undisclosed) remains on the COVID-19 injured list, but given he worked a particularly long inning Monday, Jimenez may be unavailable if such a scenario unfolded Tuesday.

Rosenberg completed an inning in relief against Houston on Monday, allowing a run on two hits and a walk while striking out two.

The southpaw had his contract selected earlier in the day and was brought in to make his big-league debut with the Astros up by four runs in the eighth inning. Rosenberg struck out the first batter he faced before allowing the next three hitters to reach base on a walk and two singles. The outing wasn't entirely bad for the reliever, as he notched four swings-and-misses and struck out two. Rosenberg figures to be used primarily in low-leverage spots while he remains up with the big club.

Hall, who has not pitched in a game this season, was transferred from Double-A Bowie to the development list April 8.

Hall's electric stuff is unquestioned, but his strike throwing and durability issues have led to some projecting a future home in the bullpen. Perhaps he is working on his command/control in extended spring training before heading out to a full-season league, as he only threw 31.2 innings in 2021 and will have to have his workload managed this season anyway.

Krehbiel (1-1) allowed three unearned runs on a hit and a walk while striking out two in two-thirds of an inning, taking the loss Monday versus the Athletics.

Krehbiel got the two strikeouts quickly, but a single, an error and a walk forced manager Brandon Hyde to turn to Marcos Diplan, who allowed three more runs to score before escaping the jam. The good news for Krehbiel is that all three runs on his line were unearned, keeping his ERA perfect through 5.2 innings this season. He's added a 5:2 K:BB with four hits allowed. He'll likely remain in the middle innings for now, but the early returns this season have been encouraging for the 29-year-old right-hander.

Pressly believes that his dip in velocity may have been caused by the knee injury that landed him on the injured list April 16, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Pressly was averaging just 92.8 mph on his fastball prior to being placed on the injured list, nearly three ticks off his pace from the 2021 season. He was still largely effective with the decreased velocity, as he successfully converted three of his four save chances. However, with Hector Neris and Rafael Montero pitching well in high-leverage roles out of the Astros' bullpen, Pressly will need to remain effective to maintain his status as the team's closer.

Fleming will work in a bulk relief role Tuesday against the Cubs, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Fleming has taken over the rotation spot vacated by Luis Patino (oblique), though he's set to follow Matt Wisler on Tuesday. Fleming has an impressive 11:1 K:BB across 6.2 innings this season, but he was tagged for three earned runs in his most recent outing. Assuming he is effective, Fleming should be able to work at least three frames and potentially more.

Alexander may be able to stick in the Tigers' rotation for an extended period of time with Casey Mize (elbow) on the IL and Matt Manning (shoulder) leaving his most recent start early, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Manning felt right shoulder discomfort during his outing Saturday, and while he hasn't been placed on the IL yet, the Tigers may exercise some caution. Michael Pineda is still ramping up in the minors after a late start to camp, but even his eventual return leaves a few holes in the rotation behind Eduardo Rodriguez and Tarik Skubal. Alexander's fantasy value will be increased as long as he's starting games and not working in long relief.