MLB Player News

Boyd (elbow) has been throwing off a mound twice a week and is making good progress, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

The Giants signed Boyd to a one-year, $5.2 million deal in mid-March knowing full well that he wouldn't be recovered from September elbow surgery until June. It looks as though he's still on that pace.

Johnson recently had Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2022 season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

The 21-year-old righty struck out 50 and walked 28 in 38 innings across 12 starts at Low-A last year. He will need to make a full recovery and improve his strike throwing to make it as a starting pitcher.

Cecconi struck out six and gave up one run on four hits and zero walks in four innings in his debut for Double-A Amarillo.

Cecconi was seen as a high-upside righty with an excellent 6-foot-4 frame coming out of Miami, but he had an uneven debut year in 2021. Wrist and elbow injuries limited him to 74 innings across High-A and the Arizona Fall League.

Nelson, who opened the year at Triple-A Reno, has allowed just two runs while striking out 13 in eight innings.

One of Arizona's top pitching prospects, Nelson could make his big-league debut this summer. He has allowed eight hits and surrendered one home run while issuing just one walk through two starts.

Gallen will be pushed back in the rotation by a few days due to a small cut on his thumb, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

The Diamondbacks didn't initially provide a reason for scratching Gallen from his scheduled start Tuesday against the Astros, but he's apparently dealing with a minor thumb injury. Madison Bumgarner will now start Tuesday, while Merrill Kelly will take the mound Wednesday. In spite of Gallen's minor delay, he's expected to start at some point during the team's weekend series against the Mets.

Kelly is listed as the probable starter for Wednesday's game against the Astros.

Kelly initially lined up to start Friday's series opener against the Mets, but he'll be moved up to start at home Wednesday since Zac Gallen (undisclosed) is no longer scheduled to pitch Tuesday. Kelly had an uptick in his fastball velocity in his season debut against the Padres on Friday, and he allowed four hits and two walks while striking out seven in four innings.

Gallen will no longer start Tuesday's game against the Astros, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.

Gallen was scheduled to make his season debut in Tuesday's series opener against Houston, but Madison Bumgarner is now listed as the projected starter for Tuesday, with Merrill Kelly scheduled for Wednesday. It's not yet clear whether Gallen is dealing with an injury or whether the Diamondbacks simply chose to adjust their rotation early in the year. The right-hander managed shoulder inflammation during the offseason that delayed his spring progression, but he was expected to avoid a trip to the injured list to begin the season.

Woodford allowed two hits and a walk while striking out three in three scoreless innings in Sunday's 9-4 loss to the Pirates.

Woodford was in contention for the fifth spot in the starting rotation right to the end of spring training, but Jordan Hicks ultimately won the job. Woodford's first turn as a long reliever this season was strong after Steven Matz (finger) was hit hard in three innings and developed a blister. The 25-year-old Woodford will continue to operate out of the bullpen, where he'll give the Cardinals a multi-inning option. That will limit his fantasy appeal, as his groundball style doesn't lead to enough strikeouts to make up for his lack of a starting role.

Matz developed a blister on his left hand in his Cardinals debut during Sunday's 9-4 loss to the Pirates, an issue manager Oliver Marmol attributed to the southpaw's poor outing, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

While Matz struck out five batters while walking just one, he also allowed seven runs on nine hits in his three innings, giving him a loss in his first outing of the season. Five of those runs came in the third inning -- the frame in which the blister reportedly developed -- with two more scoring in the fourth before he was able to record an out. The rough season debut followed a shaky spring in which he stumbled to a 5.23 ERA in three starts, but the Cardinals are seemingly considering all of his struggles Sunday to be blister-related and aren't worried about him long-term. He's expected to take his next turn in the rotation, which lines up to come Friday in Milwaukee.

Williams (0-1) got tagged with the loss Sunday against the Nationals, giving up two unearned runs on two hits in one inning of relief.

Mets manager Buck Showalter said before the game he wanted to find work for his two bullpen arms -- Williams and Chasen Shreve -- that hadn't pitched yet this season, and he stuck to his guns even with the team clinging to a 2-1 lead heading into the eighth inning. Shreve, who had relieved Carlos Carrasco back in the sixth, gave up a leadoff single, and rather than turn to high-leverage relievers like Seth Lugo, Trevor May or Adam Ottavino, Showalter instead handed the ball to Williams. The result was a three-run Nats rally. The right-hander got no help from his defense, but the outing still reinforced that Williams is a better fit for middle relief and lower-leverage spots. He had zero wins, saves or holds last year in 10 appearances for the Mets in 2021 after coming over from the Pirates.