MLB Player News

Smith (knee) was able to do some throwing in the outfield on Sunday morning.

Smith's rehab from right knee surgery is still in its infancy, but it's an encouraging sign that he's able to begin a throwing program to some extent. He's still unlikely to return to action until late May or early June at the soonest.

Hoover claims to have made an adjustment during Sunday's side session that could potentially address the issues that the reliever has been having with hard contact, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Although Hoover failed to note exactly what the adjustment was, Buchanan suggests that he may have been tipping his pitches. If that turns out to be the case, there could be a notable improvement on tap for the former closer that has surrendered 13 earned runs over his first six innings of the season. Pitching to contact has been problematic this year for Hoover, as he enters Sunday with a career-high 28 percent line drive rate. If he can bring that down to his career average of right around 20 percent, it would be a good first step in ultimately earning back ninth-inning duties.

Garcia was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

A roster spot opened up for Garcia with the placement of Charlie Morton (hamstring) on the disabled list, but look for the right-hander's time in the majors to be short-lived. He'll provide bullpen depth for the time being, but will likely be a candidate to get sent down as soon as the Phillies settle on a replacement for Morton in the rotation.

De La Rosa (2-3) allowed just one run on three hits over six innings to beat the Pirates 7-1 on Saturday. He also struck out six and walked one.

He gave up a double in the first and solo homer in the second, but then just one hit after that. De La Rosa did have some problems with control, as he hit two batters, but he continued to walk very few hitters. He has 18 strikeouts and six walks in 16.2 innings. His next scheduled start is Thursday against St. Louis.

Garcia (biceps) was placed on the 15-day DL on Saturday, the Los Angeles Times' Andy McCullough reports.

He said his bicep felt like it was "asleep" and he was forced out of Friday's game with the ailment. It makes sense that the team would prefer to shut him down for a couple weeks and get another arm up to help out in the bullpen, rather than carry Garcia on the roster for several days without being able to use his services. Zach Lee was recalled as a corresponding move to pitch out of the bullpen, and Louis Coleman will return from the bereavement list Monday, and the two pitchers should be able to aptly cover for Garcia's absence.

Garcia (biceps) will be shut down for at least two more days, J.P Hoonstra of the Southern California News Group reports.

Garcia left Friday's outing with a sore right bicep and he told reporters that his right arm still feels "asleep" from the top of his bicep down to his wrist. He'll receive treatment over the next couple of days and the Dodgers figure to reassess him Monday.

Miller will start Tuesday's game against the Cardinals, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reports.

His start was in question, as the Diamondbacks were evaluating some of his mechanics, but he must have looked OK in a side session at Chase Field on Saturday. Miller's season is off to a really rocky start, but the fact that it could be mechanics-related and not injury-related, is a positive notion. Those in shallower leagues may want to sit Miller until he can start showing his prior form.

Bracho was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Saturday.

Bracho's brief stint with the big league club came to an end Saturday with the Diamondbacks replacing him in the bullpen with Enrique Burgos. In his lone appearance on his most recent stint with the Diamondbacks, Bracho was tagged for two runs on three hits while failing to record a strikeout over .1 innings of work. His ability to strike batters out in general should earn him a promotion back to the big leagues later in the season, however.

Melancon recorded his first multi-inning save since 2011 on Friday, allowing three hits in 1.1 innings against the Diamondbacks.

He had only thrown two innings in 10 days prior to Friday's outing, giving manager Clint Hurdle the flexibility to bring him in earlier than usual. Fantasy owners shouldn't expect Melancon to pitch in both the eighth and ninth innings except in extraordinairy situations such as Friday.

Rodney earned his third save with a scoreless ninth inning while allowing one hit and striking out one Friday against the Cardinals.

Rodney was provided a three-run lead, and despite allowing a base runner, easily closed out the victory for the Padres. On the season, he's yet to allow an earned run in any of his six appearances.