MLB Player News

Freeland (elbow) threw from about 50 feet Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Freeland has been able to play catch for around the last 10 days, and he threw his fastball with a regular pitching motion Sunday. He still doesn't have a date to return throwing from a mound and will need to progress to bullpens and live batting practice sessions before engaging in a rehab assignment. The Rockies have projected Freeland will return in mid-June, though his current pace in recovery suggests that's an optimistic timeline.

Montgomery allowed four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three in six innings Sunday against the Tigers. He did not factor into the decision.

Montgomery surrendered a third-inning home run to Spencer Torkelson, and the Tigers got to him for additional runs in the fifth and sixth. He came back out to begin the seventh and allowed a leadoff walk before exiting the game for good, and that runner eventually came around to score. Montgomery managed to reach six innings for the fourth time in six starts but has not struck out more than four batters in any of those four outings. Though a small sample size, Montgomery's strikeout rate this year is on pace to be the lowest of his career, and he's also walked multiple batters in four straight starts. The 31-year-old owns a 4.98 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 20:11 K:BB in 34.1 innings. He lines up for a home meeting with the Marlins his next time on the mound.

Gonzales (forearm) will be assessed later in May to determine when he can resume throwing, MLB.com reports.

Gonzales has been sidelined since mid-April but is expected to avoid surgery. He's experienced several consecutive symptom-free days, so he could be cleared to resume throwing by the close of the month. Even so, Gonzales is likely to be sidelined until at least mid-July.

Houser is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Guardians at Progressive Field.

Houser had made his last two appearances as a reliever, but he'll slot into the rotation at least temporarily and afford all other five starters some rest while the Mets are in the midst of a stretch of 13 games in 13 days that ends Wednesday. After Thursday's off day, the Mets will have another stretch of 13 games in 13 days, but unless he impresses Tuesday, Houser may not be the top choice to stick around in a starting role if New York expands its rotation to six men. Rather than Houser, Jose Butto -- who posted a 3.08 ERA over seven starts before being optioned to Triple-A Syracuse last Wednesday -- would look to be a more worthy candidate to rejoin the big-league rotation.

Cecconi is expected to operate as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Joe Mantiply in Monday's game against the Dodgers, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Two of the Dodgers' usual top three hitters (Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman) bat from the left side, so manager Torey Lovullo will likely have the left-handed Mantiply work the first inning or two before turning the game over to the right-handed Cecconi. The arrangement should increase Cecconi's chances of qualifying for the win while perhaps helping him generate better results after he tagged for six earned runs in two of his previous three starts.

Greene did not factor into the decision Sunday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out eight over 6.1 innings.

Greene's one major mistake in Sunday's outing was surrendering a two-run homer to Andy Pages in the fourth. That was the only extra-base hit he allowed in the game. He racked up over six strikeouts for the first time since April 16 and generated 22 whiffs, with a good majority of those coming from his fastball that was averaging 98.8 MPH on the afternoon. He now owns a 2.03 ERA over his last five starts, and for the year owns a 3.22 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 66:24 K:BB in 58.2 innings. He currently lines up for a rematch with the Dodgers at home this weekend.

Knack did not factor into the decision in Sunday's win over the Reds, allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out five over 4.2 innings.

Knack tossed four shutout frames before the Reds tacked on a run in the fifth after back-to-back doubles. Knack tied his season-high in strikeouts despite not reach five innings for the first time in four starts and registered a 35 percent CSW on 64 pitches. He lowered his ERA to 2.61, which is the lowest of any Dodgers pitcher with multiple starts this season. It's possible Knack will head back down to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday, but he would likely be the leading candidate for another call-up if an opening in the rotation arises.

Elder (1-2) took the loss Sunday against the Padres, allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and three walks while striking out three over three innings.

The Padres put up a quick three runs on Elder in the first inning, all with two outs, highlighted by a two-run blast by Jake Cronenworth. Elder held them scoreless for the next two frames but ran into more issues in the fourth, allowing four straight hits and three more runs to begin the inning before he got pulled. Sunday was the second time in his last three starts he's failed to reach four innings, both of which he's given up seven runs and walked at least three batters. For the year, Elder owns a troublesome 6.46 ERA, 1.94 WHIP and 19:11 K:BB in 23.2 innings. He currently lines up to face the Pirates his next time on the mound.

Darvish (4-1) got the win over Atlanta on Sunday night, throwing seven shutout innings while allowing just two hits and a walk. He struck out nine.

Darvish continued his excellent run since returning from the injured list April 30 and is now up to 25 straight scoreless innings, having last given up a run April 14. He had one instance with facing runners in scoring position after a first inning double by Marcell Ozuna. He ended his night by retiring the last 13 batters he faced in order and generated a season-high nine strikeouts while getting 14 whiffs on 99 pitches. Darvish also picked up career win No. 200 and will take an excellent 2.08 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 46:13 K:BB into his next start, which lines up to be against the Yankees during a weekend series.

Manaea (3-1) earned the win Sunday against Miami, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk over five innings. He struck out four.

Manaea allowed three or fewer runs for his sixth straight appearance, but he did yield his second homer of the campaign when Dane Myers hit a two-run blast in the second inning. Although Manaea hasn't gone deeper than six innings this year, he owns a solid 3.11 ERA with 41 strikeouts across 46.1 innings. He's on track for a home start against the Giants next Sunday.