MLB Player News

Elder tossed eight shutout innings Monday against Triple-A Louisville, allowing just two hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. He now has a 5.10 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 33:10 K:BB across 30 innings for Gwinnett.

Elder was masterful, as he had a no-hitter going through six before settling for a merely excellent outing rather than a legendary one. He mostly struggled through four starts in the majors this year and has had a couple of blowups in the minors as well, but Elder still has intriguing potential. It all comes down to his control -- when it's there, he's dominant, but when it isn't, the wheels can come off quickly. Elder has issued three-plus walks in five of his nine starts this season between Triple-A and the majors; he's posted a 1.97 WHIP and 15:21 K:BB in those outings. In the other four, he's put up a 0.68 WHIP and 30:3 K:BB. That's about as stark as it gets in terms of game-to-game variance. If Elder can find a way to locate his pitches more consistently, the upside could be tremendous, but there's obviously a lot of volatility here.

McGuire signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Thursday and was assigned to Triple-A Louisville.

He debuted for Louisville on Saturday, covering 4.1 innings while giving up five earned runs on four hits and two walks. The 32-year-old right-hander previously made 27 big-league appearances with the Reds, Blue Jays and Angels between the 2017 and 2018 seasons, logging a 5.23 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 51.2 innings. He most recently pitched in the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball with the Gastonia Honey Hunters before landing the minor-league deal with Cincinnati.

Nicolino signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Thursday and was assigned to Triple-A Louisville.

He made his Louisville debut Sunday, giving up six earned runs on six hits and three walks over 3.1 innings while taking the loss. The appearance was Nicolino's first in affiliated ball since 2019, as the 30-year-old had stints in the Chinese Professional Baseball League and the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball before getting an opportunity with the Reds. Nicolino previously made 50 appearances in the majors with the Marlins from 2015 through 2017, logging a 4.65 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 201.1 innings over that stretch.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirmed Keller will start Tuesday's game against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

After turning in a 6.61 ERA and 1.53 WHIP across his first seven starts of the season, Keller has been deployed in long relief in his most recent two appearances. Though he fared much better in that capacity -- he struck out six and allowed two runs on eight hits and three walks over six innings -- the Pirates will plug Keller back into the rotation this week. Following Tuesday's game, the Pirates will have off days Thursday and Monday, so the Pirates could look to reorder their rotation and push Keller to the back of their pitching schedule. Keller could change those plans, however, if he's able to keep the powerful Dodgers offense at bay.

Peterson didn't factor into the decision in Monday's 13-5 win over the Nationals, giving up four runs on six hits and four walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out one.

Despite massive run support, Peterson wasn't efficient enough to quality for a win, getting the hook after tossing only 44 of 88 pitches for strikes and loading the bases with two outs in the fifth inning. Injuries to the likes of Max Scherzer (oblique) and Tylor Megill (biceps) should keep the southpaw in the Mets' rotation for now, but Peterson's 5.17 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 13:8 K:BB through three starts and 15.2 innings in May don't make him a priority waiver add.

Feltner (1-1) picked up his first career win in the majors Monday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings in a 7-1 victory over the Marlins. He struck out six.

Aside from a towering 496-foot solo homer by Jesus Sanchez in the second inning -- the longest home run hit this season, and the longest ever by a left-handed hitter in Coors Field -- Feltner shut down Miami's bats. He threw 94 pitches (62 strikes). The performance should buy him some extra time in the Rockies' rotation as he looks to prove he deserves a full-time starting role, and through three outings this season he boasts an impressive 3.71 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 20:5 K:BB through 17 innings.

Lopez didn't factor into the decision in Monday's 7-1 loss to the Rockies, allowing three hits and four walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out five.

The right-hander pitched around trouble and tossed only 58 of 99 pitches for strikes, but Lopez still exited the game with the Marlins ahead 1-0, only to see Cole Sulser and the bullpen implode. Lopez delivered his fifth quality start of the season, and he'll take a stellar 1.83 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 61:15 K:BB through 59 innings into his next outing.

Buehler didn't factor in the decision against Pittsburgh on Monday, pitching six innings and allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out seven.

A pair of homers put Buehler and the Dodgers behind 4-0 through three innings, but the right-hander settled down after that and didn't give up any runs over his final three frames. This was one of Buehler's least impressive starts of the season, as he notched a modest eight swinging strikes and surrendered four runs for only the second time among 10 outings. He still has a solid 3.22 ERA on the campaign, and he'll try to improve on that in his next start, which lines up to come at home versus the Mets this weekend.

Strider (1-2) was tagged with the loss against Arizona on Monday, allowing five runs on four hits and two walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out seven.

There was lots of hype about Strider's move into a starting role after he tallied a 2.22 ERA and 13.7 K/9 across 11 appearances as a reliever to begin the season, but the transition didn't go as smoothly, at least initially, as Atlanta hoped. The right-hander gave up three runs in the first inning and two more in the fifth before he was lifted for a reliever after 72 pitches. On a more positive note, Strider racked up 14 swinging strikes and seven punchouts, showcasing his ability to fool batters when he's at his best. Should he stick in the rotation, Strider will face a challenge in his next start, which is scheduled to take place in Colorado this weekend.

Gallen (4-0) earned the win over Atlanta on Monday, tossing 5.2 innings and allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out six.

Gallen allowed plenty of traffic in the outing -- he had only one 1-2-3 frame -- but the right-hander mostly navigated around trouble to record his fourth victory. The Arizona ace had surrendered a season-high six earned runs in his previous start, so this was a nice bounce-back, though he gave up exactly the same number of hits (seven) and walks (two) as in the previous appearance. Gallen has yielded two or fewer earned runs in all but one of his nine starts this season, and he'll carry a shiny 2.32 ERA into his next outing, which lines up to come in Pittsburgh this weekend.