MLB Player News
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German Marquez SP | SD
Rockies' German Marquez: Facing hitters at extended spring
Rockies manager Bud Black said April 24 that Marquez (elbow) hasn't experienced any setbacks since he resumed facing hitters at extended spring training in Arizona, MLB.com reports.
Marquez opened the season on the 60-day injured list while he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent May 12, 2023. Closing in on the one-year mark in his rehab program, Marquez appears to be coming along as expected, but the Rockies haven't indicated when he'll be able to resume pitching in minor-league rehab games. The team is preparing for Marquez to return from the 60-day IL at some point around midseason.
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Nick Martinez SP | TB
Reds' Nick Martinez: Returns to relief role
Martinez made his most recent appearance as a reliever in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Orioles, striking out two and allowing no hits and one walk over two scoreless innings.
Martinez's prior two appearances came as a starter, but he moved back to the bullpen over the weekend in anticipation of Frankie Montas' (forearm) return to the rotation. With the Reds officially activating Montas from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Martinez should stick in the bullpen moving forward until one of Cincinnati's five starters succumbs to another injury.
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Frankie Montas RP | NYM
Reds' Frankie Montas: Activated ahead of Tuesday's start
The Reds activated Montas (forearm) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
Montas is set to rejoin the rotation Tuesday versus the Diamondbacks after missing the last two weeks with a bruised right forearm. The Reds have opted to bring him back without a rehab start, as Montas evidently looked good enough in a couple bullpen sessions to convince the team he was ready. Because of that, he might not be be able to handle a full workload. That, combined with his uneven performance before the injury, makes Montas an iffy fantasy start Tuesday.
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Tylor Megill SP | NYM
Mets' Tylor Megill: Pitches well in rehab start
Megill (shoulder) struck out seven over four scoreless, no-hit innings in a rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday.
Megill issued one walk and threw 62 pitches over his four frames. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza had indicated previously that Tuesday could represent Megill's final rehab start, and he certainly looks to have passed the test. However, whether he'll go back into the Mets rotation or remain at Syracuse hasn't yet been determined. The Mets could use a six-man rotation for a while, or Megill could replace Jose Butto, who is starting Tuesday for the big club.
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Randy Vasquez SP | SD
Padres' Randy Vasquez: Draws start Tuesday
Vasquez is slated to start Tuesday's game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
As was expected after he was promoted from Triple-A El Paso on Sunday, Vasquez will end up filling the rotation spot vacated by Joe Musgrove (elbow), who was moved to the 15-day injured list. Vasquez has previously made a pair of starts for the Padres this season, covering 7.2 innings between those outings while giving up eight runs (five earned) on 11 hits and three walks.
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Noble Meyer SP | MIA
Marlins' Noble Meyer: Fans career-high nine
Meyer gave up only one hit over five scoreless innings for Single-A Jupiter on Saturday, walking two batters and striking out a career-high nine.
Still only 19 years old, Meyer flashed the upside that made him a first-round pick in 2023. He's struggled with his control to begin his first full professional season, posting a 19:15 K:BB through 19 innings, but that's in part due to the Marlins having him work on his changeup -- per Alyssa Gomez of MLB.com, Meyer threw 15 changeups among his 85 pitches, but only one went for a strike. The right-hander has already improved his velocity from when he was drafted however, and he topped out at 96.2 mph with his two-seamer. Miami won't push Meyer too aggressively this year due to his age, but if his changeup becomes an effective third pitch to complement his fastball and slider, he could make a quick rise through the system beginning in 2025.
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Roddery Munoz RP | HOU
Marlins' Roddery Munoz: Knocked around by Dodgers
Munoz (1-1) took the loss against the Dodgers on Monday, allowing six runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out five batters over 4.2 innings.
Munoz pitched well in his first two major-league starts, giving up three earned runs and posting a 14:3 K:BB over 11 innings, but he was no match for one of the league's top offenses. The rookie right-hander was blasted for four homers in his first three innings and needed 104 pitches to make in through 4.2 frames. In addition to the long balls, Munoz struggled with his control, issuing a career-high four free passes -- more than he had allowed in his first two starts combined. With both Jesus Luzardo (elbow) and Braxton Garrett (shoulder) currently in the midst of minor-league rehab assignments, Munoz could lose his spot in the Marlins' rotation in short order.
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Walker Buehler SP | SD
Dodgers' Walker Buehler: Mixed results in season debut
Buehler allowed three runs on six hits and no walks while striking out four batters over four innings in a no-decision against Miami on Monday.
Buehler had a favorable matchup in his first major-league start since mid-June of 2022, as he squared off against the team with the third-worst record in baseball. That didn't seem to matter early, though, as the Marlins jumped on the right-hander for a pair of first-inning runs on a trio of singles. However, Buehler's fastball velocity averaged a solid 96.6 mph in the frame, per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, which foreshadowed him settling down to allow just one more run over the remainder of his outing. Not surprisingly, the 29-year-old wasn't pushed too hard in his return to the majors, as he was pulled after 77 pitches and four frames rather than being allowed to complete the fifth and qualify for the win. Assuming Buehler comes out of the start without any setbacks, Monday's outing will likely serve as a foundation on which he can build up to a higher pitch count moving forward. He's tentatively lined up to make his next start on the road in San Diego this weekend.
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Zack Wheeler SP | PHI
Phillies' Zack Wheeler: Another dominant start
Wheeler (4-3) earned the win Monday against San Francisco, allowing one unearned run on four hits and one walk with 11 strikeouts over seven innings.
Wheeler didn't allow an earned run for the third time in his last four starts as he shut down the Giants with a season-high 11 strikeouts. After seeing his ERA rise above 3.00 a season ago for the first time since 2019, Wheeler has cruised to a 1.64 ERA across 49.1 innings this season and is tied for the league lead in strikeouts with 63. He'll look to extend his win streak to five next time out, with a tentative matchup with the Marlins on the docket for Sunday.
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Kyle Gibson SP | BAL
Cardinals' Kyle Gibson: Hurls fourth straight quality start
Gibson allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out four batters over six innings in a no-decision against the Mets on Monday.
Gibson yielded a run in the first inning Monday, but he didn't allow the Mets to score again until they put up two runs against him in the fifth frame. The veteran hurler completed one more scoreless inning after that to record his seventh straight outing of at least six frames to begin the campaign. Gibson's ability to eat up innings didn't correlate with success early in the season -- he gave up 13 runs across his first 19 frames -- but he's turned things around admirably since, posting four consecutive quality starts during which he's allowed just five earned runs across 25 innings. The right-hander has thus lowered his ERA to 3.68 and become at least a semi-viable fantasy target for managers in need of starting pitching despite his tepid 33:16 K:BB across 44 frames.