MLB Player News

Howard (back) will begin a rehab assignment at Low-A Bradenton on Friday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Howard was shut down late in spring training due to back spasms, but it's encouraging that he's now been cleared to appear in minor-league games. It's not yet clear when the southpaw will be able to make his season debut with the Pirates, but he appears to be trending toward a return.

Floro (shoulder) threw a bullpen session prior to Thursday's game against the Phillies, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander appears to be fully recovered from his bout of tendinitis, and is focused on building up his arm strength after missing the last part of spring training. "I think he's on the build train," manager Don Mattingly said after the session. "He threw another bullpen today. I know he's feeling good physically. Now, we've just got to build him up and get some arm strength in there." When he gets activated from the injured list, Floro should slot back into a high-leverage role and potentially even bump Anthony Bender from the ninth inning.

Gott tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Thursday's 5-1 victory over the Cardinals.

Gott entered Thursday's contest in the sixth inning with the Brewers up five runs, and he blanked the Cardinals over two frames while facing just one batter over the minimum. Gott did not appear in a big-league game in 2021, but he is doing his best to hold down a spot in the Brewers' bullpen, giving up just two hits and posting a 5:0 K:BB over three scoreless innings to date.

Smith has recorded two holds in three appearances to begin the season, posting a 0.00 ERA and 6:0 K:BB through 3.2 innings.

The right-hander put up strong numbers in 2021 in a middle-relief role, but Smith appears to have graduated to the setup corps this season. He's crediting usage of a sharper slider, as opposed to the cutter he had been leaning on as a breaking pitch, for his excellent early results, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports. "I just felt like when I threw the cutter and didn't get it where I wanted to get it, if I left it middle at all, it was just kind of flat and that's when I would give up damage," Smith said after Tuesday's win over the Phillies. "I kept the same grip. I just manipulate it a little differently now. I think curveball in my head while I'm holding it with my cutter grip, which turns it into a slider. It works for me, and it's been good. I'm happy where it's at right now."

VerHagen allowed one run on one hit and one walk with three strikeouts in 2.2 innings versus the Brewers on Thursday.

VerHagen followed starter Adam Wainwright, who was chased after 4.1 innings. The lone blemish on VerHagen's line was an RBI single by Kolten Wong in the sixth inning. This was the right-hander's first major-league appearance since 2019 after he spent two years in Japan. He wasn't able to win a job in the rotation during spring training, but he could be a candidate for spot starts later in the season if he continues to pitch well out of the bullpen.

Sanmartin pitches five scoreless innings against the Dodgers on Thursday, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out two. He didn't factor in the decision.

Sanmartin was originally scheduled to start the contest, but the Reds instead tabbed Luis Cessa to work as an opener with Sanmartin following behind him. Cessa didn't perform well in the role, giving up five hits and three runs in one frame, but Sanmartin allowed Cincinnati to get back in the game with five scoreless innings. The left-hander yielded only two baserunners -- both on singles -- and threw 48 of 75 pitches for strikes. It remains to be seen how the Reds will use Sanmartin moving forward; if he moves back into a starting role, his next start will likely come in San Diego against the Padres next week.

Adon (0-2) allowed six earned runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out five across 4.2 innings to take the loss Thursday against the Pirates.

Adon was handed a three-run lead prior to taking the mound, but he was unable to maintain the advantage. He surrendered a pair of home runs that accounted for half of the damage against him, and he also struggled to get pitches in the zone. Across a pair of starts and a total of nine innings, Adon has allowed 10 earned runs and seven walks. Prior to earning a spot in the Nationals' rotation to open the campaign, Adon had thrown only 23.1 combined innings between the upper levels of the minors and the major leagues. That makes a demotion to Triple-A Rochester a realistic possibility if his struggles continue, though for now Adon is projected to start Tuesday against Arizona.

Bender allowed two hits but threw a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Thursday against the Phillies. He didn't record a strikeout or issue a walk

Bender was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning. He allowed a leadoff single, but then induced a double-play from the next batter he faced. After allowing a second knock, the right-hander got Bryce Harper to fly out to end the game. Bender has allowed two earned runs across 3.1 frames to begin the season, but he has also also tallied two saves and is the team's clear closer for the time being.

Lambert (forearm) has resumed throwing, Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette reports.

Lambert has been dealing with elbow pain since the start of spring training, and he's on the 10-day injured list as a precautionary measure to begin the regular season. The right-hander was expected to be on a pitch count in 2022 after missing most of last year while recovering from Tommy John surgery, so it's unlikely that his absence will impact his availability for this season overall. However, it's not yet clear when Lambert will be able to return to game action.

Rodriguez was placed on the 7-day minor-league injured list for an unspecified reason Thursday, Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register reports.

Rodriguez allowed four runs in two innings during his first two relief appearances at Triple-A Iowa this year, but he's now dealing with an injury that will force him to miss at least a week. The nature of the issue isn't yet clear, and a timetable for his return isn't known.