MLB Player News

Hoffman (shoulder) covered three innings in his rehab start Tuesday for High-A Lancaster, surrendering two runs on five hits and no walks while striking out two.

Hoffman tossed 44 pitches in the outing and will likely need to build up to the 75-to-100 range before the Rockies are comfortable activating him from the 10-day disabled list. It will probably take him another two or three starts to get to that level, so don't expect the right-hander to be ready to go until later in the month. Unless the Colorado rotation is hit by further injury in the next couple of weeks or one of its members suffers a dramatic downturn in performance, it's likely that Hoffman will be optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque once activated.

Santillan tossed six scoreless innings Wednesday, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out eight for High-A Daytona.

He has 13 strikeouts and has not allowed a run through 10 innings to start the season. The hard-throwing righty has almost given up as many walks (four) as hits (five), which matches his reputation as an electric starter with shaky command/control who may eventually need to move to the bullpen. He turns 21 on April 15, and should continue to put up impressive numbers in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League.

Gsellman struck out the side in a perfect eighth inning during Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Marlins to pick up his second hold of the season.

Squeezed out of the rotation mix in the spring, Gsellman has instead been dominant out of the bullpen for the Mets, posting a 1.29 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 12:2 K:BB through six appearances and seven innings. It would likely take a couple of injuries to get him in contention for the closer spot, but in fantasy leagues where setup men with big strikeout rates have value, Gsellman should be rostered.

Alexander gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in Wednesday's 16-6 loss to Oakland.

It wasn't a great night for Dodgers pitchers, but this was the second time Alexander has given up multiple runs through five appearances. The 28-year-old has struggled with his control (six walks through 4.1 innings), but he has maintained his extreme groundball tendencies (10.0 GB/FB ratio). Alexander figures to turn things around after posting a 2.48 ERA and 3.27 FIP over 69.0 innings with the Royals last season, but he is currently behind Tony Cingrani on the Dodgers' depth chart in terms of left-handed relievers slated for late-inning appearances.

Neris blew his first save despite striking out a pair, as he allowed three hits and a run in the ninth inning Wednesday against Cincinnati.

Neris also gave up three runs on a pair of hits and a home run against Atlanta on Opening Day to take the loss in a non-save situation. He was nearly perfect in his three subsequent appearances, with four strikeouts and just one hit allowed in three innings. He remains the primary option in the ninth inning for Philadelphia.

Pivetta held the Reds to just two runs on five hits and no walks with seven strikeouts through seven innings but was stuck with a no-decision in Wednesday's start.

Pivetta was coming off 5.2 shutout innings with nine strikeouts in his last start. In 2017, Pivetta struggled mightily but had flashes of brilliance, with 140 strikeouts in 133 innings. Now, it looks like he's starting to put it together. Pivetta hasn't walked a batter in either of these past two starts. He walked 57 batters (3.9 BB/9) in his rough 2017 campaign, and if that control improvement proves to be real, Pivetta could do big things in 2018. It's too early to believe fully just yet -- these starts were against the Marlins and Reds, after all -- but Pivetta is becoming worthy of fantasy attention.

Suarez allowed four runs on four hits and struck out seven over 5.1 innings in a loss Wednesday against Arizona.

Making his major-league debut, Suarez pounded the strike zone, recording 62 strikes in just 83 pitches. But one could make the argument Suarez should have nibbled more. He served up three extra-base hits among the four hits he allowed, including a pair of home runs. Suarez's efficiency had to impress Giants brass, but his time in the majors could be short, as Johnny Cueto (ankle) is not expected to be out for long.

Garcia held the Mets hitless for six scoreless innings Wednesday, walking two and striking out three, but he came away with a no-decision in a 4-1 loss.

The young left-hander threw 44 of 77 pitches for strikes before Marlins manager Don Mattingly took him out of the game, and Drew Steckenrider then quickly gave up a hit in the seventh inning to break up the combined no-hitter bid. Garcia did more than enough to remain in the rotation for now, but if he stays on schedule he'll face a tough test in his next outing Tuesday on the road against the Yankees.

Vizcaino blew his first save of the season Wednesday against the Nationals, allowing one run on two hits in one inning of work.

Vizcaino started off strong, getting Anthony Rendon to groundout on the first pitch of the inning, but a misplaced fastball to the next batter, Matt Adams, resulted in a game-tying round tripper. He wasn't necessarily sharp thereafter, conceding a single to Michael Taylor and allowing him to advance to third on an errant pickoff throw and a wild pitch, but the 27-year-old was ultimately able to escape the inning with the score still tied, leaving the Braves in position to win the game in extra innings. Vizcaino should still have a solid handle on the ninth inning, but his margin for error could be dwindling with A.J. Minter excelling in a setup role ahead of him.

Garcia (elbow) is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Garcia has been sidelined all season while working his way back from Tommy John surgery that he underwent back in October of 2016. While this is the final step in his recovery, the Dodgers haven't specified how many rehab appearances Garcia will make before rejoining the big club, leaving his return date up in the air.