MLB Player News

Smith-Shawver topped 99 mph with three fastballs during his last start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The 21-year-old right-hander is still learning the nuances of pitching after mostly playing quarterback in high school, so it's not surprisingly that Smith-Shawver is unlocking more velocity. He struck out a season-high seven batters in five innings for Gwinnett on Wednesday, and while Atlanta is limiting his workload by only having him pitch once a week rather than on a regular five-day schedule, he still figures to be an option for the big-league rotation at some point in 2024. After a couple shaky outings to begin the year at Triple-A, he's given up four runs with a 10:4 K:BB over his last 9.2 innings.

Henry (1-2) took the loss against the Dodgers on Monday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks without recording a strikeout over four innings.

Henry got another turn in the rotation with Merrill Kelly (shoulder) and Ryne Nelson (elbow) on the injured list, but he was mostly ineffective against a potent Dodgers offense. Though the extent of the damage on the scoreboard against the southpaw was a pair of second-inning runs, he didn't record a single strikeout, and only one of his 72 pitches was a swinging strike. Henry's overall body of work this season has been mediocre, as he's posted a 5.40 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 24:11 K:BB over 28.1 frames. He may be pushed out of the rotation before his next turn comes up with Nelson nearing a return to action.

Paxton (3-0) earned the win over Arizona on Monday, allowing four runs on six hits and five walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Paxton gave up constant traffic on the basepaths and needed 96 pitches to get through just five frames, but a potent Dodgers offense gave him enough support to keep his record spotless at 3-0 for the season. Despite the veteran southpaw's clean record, he's been a volatile rotation option for Los Angeles due largely to his control issues -- Paxton has walked five or more batters on three occasions this season after doing so only five times total across his first 10 big-league campaigns. Though Paxton has thus far done what it takes to pick up wins in spite of the issue with free passes, fantasy managers may be hesitant to deploy him given his ugly 15:22 K:BB and 1.68 WHIP through 25.2 innings on the season.

Waldron (1-3) was tagged with the loss against Cincinnati on Monday, allowing four runs on six hits and no walks while striking out four batters over six innings.

Waldron fell behind early on an Elly De La Cruz first-inning solo homer, and he gave up four runs across his first three frames. To his credit, the knuckleballer yielded just one hit and zero runs over his final three innings, but San Diego's offense was mostly held in check. Waldron has completed six frames in each of his past two appearances, and he's given up one run in half of his six starts on the season. However, his record sits at 1-3, and he's pitched to a mediocre 4.35 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 27:10 K:BB over 31 frames overall.

Lodolo (3-0) earned the win over San Diego on Monday, allowing one run on one hit and two walks while striking out 11 batters over seven innings.

Lodolo's outing got off to an inauspicious start when he gave up a home run to the first batter he faced (Jurickson Profar), but that would end up being the only hit given up by the 26-year-old hurler over seven frames. The southpaw finished with an impressive 22 whiffs and a season-high 11 punchouts, marking his second double-digit strikeout effort through four starts. Lodolo has given up one or zero runs in three of those appearances and is thriving thus far with a 1.88 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 31:6 K:BB over 24 innings.

Fried pitched six scoreless and hitless innings against Seattle on Monday, walking two batters and striking out seven in a no-decision.

Fried was dominant in the outing, racking up 15 swinging strikes and allowing just two baserunners, both of whom reached via walk. However, he didn't get a chance to try to extend his no-hit bid beyond the sixth frame because he needed 100 pitches just to get that deep. Still, he was in line for the victory until A.J. Minter gave up a walk-off homer to Mitch Garver in the ninth frame. Fried began the campaign with two poor starts but has turned things around since, tossing three quality starts among his past four outings. He hasn't given up any runs across 15 frames over his past two starts.

Gallen (hamstring) will make his regularly scheduled start Wednesday against the Dodgers, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Gallen's bullpen session earlier in the day went well, and skipper Torey Lovullo confirmed late Monday evening that the right-hander will indeed take the mound Wednesday after exiting his previous outing Friday due to hamstring spasms. Gallen owns a 3.38 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with a 35:9 K:BB across 32 innings this season.

Taillon didn't factor into the decision Monday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over 7.1 innings. He struck out one.

Taillon was able to complete six innings for the first time this season and managed to exceed seven innings in just 78 pitches. Taillon's lone blemish came from the first batter he faced as Brandon Nimmo clubbed a solo home run in the first frame. The veteran righty has yet to yield multiple earned runs through three starts, owning an impressive 1.50 ERA. However, he's only been able to punch out nine batters in his 18.0 innings of work. Taillon is set to close out a two-start week with a matchup against the Brewers on Saturday.

Severino didn't factor into the decision Monday, allowing one run on one hit and two walks over eight innings against the Cubs. He struck out five.

Severino was locked into a pitchers duel with Jameson Taillon, as the pair of starters each went deeper than seven innings while allowing just one run. Individually, Severino took a no-hitter into the eighth. However, Severino's efforts were for naught as Edwin Diaz surrendered a pair of runs in the ninth inning, leading to the Cubs' win. After posting a career-worst 6.65 ERA across 89.1 innings in 2023, Severino boasts a 2.31 ERA through 35.0 innings in his first season with the Metropolitans. He's lined up to face the Rays on Saturday.

Darvish (neck) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday's game against the Reds, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Darvish landed on the IL on April 17 with neck tightness, but he'll be ready to return when first eligible after he checked out fine while throwing a bullpen session last Wednesday. Before his brief shutdown due to the injury, Darvish didn't display his best stuff through his first five outings of the 2024 campaign, posting a 4.18 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 22 punchouts over 23.2 frames.