MLB Player News

Giolito (1-4) took the loss Wednesday, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven over 6.1 innings against the Cardinals.

It wasn't a bad outing for Giolito, who induced 15 swings and misses , but he was ultimately done in by the long ball. All three runs came via home runs, including a solo shot by opposing pitcher Carlos Martinez. Despite some very unsightly numbers -- including a 7.03 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 18:23 K:BB -- the 23-year-old has strung together back-to-back solid starts. He'll look to keep moving in the right direction Tuesday against the Pirates.

Stroman (0-4) took the loss Wednesday, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five over seven innings against the Twins.

Though he yielded a home run and took the loss for the third consecutive start, there was finally a sign of Stroman turning the corner after a miserable April. The one walk, two hits and seven innings were all his best tallies in his six starts, and his ERA fell over a full run in the process from 8.88 to 7.52. He'll look to string together another solid outing and try to notch his first win of the year next time out in Seattle on Tuesday.

Snell did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out four over 6.2 innings in the 12-inning loss to the Tigers.

Snell allowed a game-tying solo home run to the final batter he faced with two outs in the seventh inning, otherwise he likely would've gone even deeper as he needed just 86 pitches (57 strikes). The lefty didn't induce many strikeouts in this one after fanning at least nine in three of his previous four starts, but the effort was still good for his fifth straight quality start. He'll carry impressive ratios with a 2.55 ERA and 0.94 WHIP into his next start against the Braves next Wednesday.

Manager Aaron Boone said German will replace Jordan Montgomery (elbow) in the starting rotation for the time being, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

With Montgomery expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks with a left elbow flexor strain, German will be afforded the first opportunity to fill in for him in the rotation. The 25-year-old came on in relief Tuesday after Montgomery exited and tossed four scoreless innings, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out four. Through five appearances this season, German owns a 3.77 ERA and 18:7 K:BB across 14.1 innings. It's unclear if he'll remain in the rotation for Montgomery's entire absence at this point, but that could depend on how he fares early on. His first start figures to come Sunday against the Indians.

Montgomery (elbow) will be shut down from all throwing activities for 2-to-3 weeks with an initial timetable of 6-to-8 weeks before he returns to the big-league club, Sweeny Murti of Sportsradio 66 WFAN reports.

Montgomery landed on the 10-day disabled list due to a left elbow flexor strain that he suffered during Tuesday's outing in Houston. The club has yet to confirm who will be taking Montgomery's place in the rotation, but Domingo German appears to be the best bet.

Montgomery was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left elbow strain Wednesday.

The southpaw was lifted from Tuesday's contest after just one inning of work due to elbow soreness, but that has since been upgraded to a full-blown elbow strain. It's unclear how long he'll be out, but elbow injuries are never a good sign for pitchers. David Hale will replace Montgomery on the active roster, though Domingo German seems like the top candidate to slide into the rotation to replace him.

Eovaldi touched 99 mph in a live bullpen session, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Eovaldi is looking good while rehabbing from late-March arthroscopic elbow surgery. He's targeting a late-May return and remains ahead of his original timetable. The Rays could certainly use him, as the back of their rotation looks shaky even after cutting down to a four-man setup.

Nicasio notched his 11th hold in a win over the Athletics on Tuesday, firing a scoreless eighth inning in which he recorded two strikeouts.

Nicasio continues racking up holds and impressive outings, with Tuesday serving as the latest example. The veteran reliever fired 12 of 14 pitches for strikes while generating his fifth perfect one-inning outing over his last seven trips to the mound. Nicasio has proven to be one of manager Scott Servais' most reliable workhorses out of the bullpen, as he's already logged 14.2 innings across 14 appearances.

Rodriguez was put on family medical leave but remains on track for Saturday's scheduled start against the Rangers, Sean McAdam of the BostonSportsJournal.com reports.

Rodriguez will be away from the team for the next few days in order to deal with a family issue. In a corresponding move, the Red Sox recalled Marcus Walden from Triple-A Pawtucket to serve as depth out of the bullpen.

Cease tossed seven shutout innings while striking out 12 Tuesday for High-A Winston-Salem against Lynchburg. He allowed two hits and zero walks.

At one point in the 22-year-old righty's career outing he retired 19 batters in a row. Cease now ranks eighth among all minor-league pitchers with 36 strikeouts over 26.1 innings this season. He consistently threw his mid-90s fastball in this outing, reportedly touching 100 mph on the ballpark's radar gun, which is not a new development for the fireballer. Cease also credited mixing in his changeup in this one to keep hitters off his fastball, MiLB.com's Andrew Battifarano reports. The number one statistic to keep an eye on with Cease in 2018 is innings pitched. He has never topped 100 innings in a season as a pro (career-high 93.1 innings last year) and will need to start eclipsing that mark if he wants to shed the future reliever label.