MLB Player News

Atlanta announced Monday that Smith-Shawver (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2025 season.

This was the expected outcome after Smith-Shawver was diagnosed with a torn UCL in his pitching elbow, which he suffered May 29. Smith-Shawver was placed on the 60-day injured list the following day and is looking at a lengthy rehab. Prior to his injury, Smith-Shawver (3-2) made nine starts for Atlanta this season, registering a 3.86 ERA and 42:21 K:BB across 44.1 innings of work. Grant Holmes and Bryce Elder round out Atlanta's rotation behind Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach. Fellow starter Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) remains on the 60-day IL.

Gray (elbow) has recently progressed to throwing bullpen sessions of 30 pitches at the Nationals' spring training facility in Florida, MLB.com reports.

Gray isn't expected to resume pitching in games until late in the 2025 season after he underwent Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure July 24, 2024, but he seems to making good progress in his recovery. He'll likely remain in Florida for at least a few more weeks to conduct his rehab and will eventually move on to facing hitters in live batting practice before he's cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment.

Blackburn gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk over four innings Sunday to record his first career save in a rout of the Rockies.

The veteran righty took the mound to begin the sixth inning with the Mets ahead 7-2, and they only extended their lead from there. Blackburn tossed 71 pitches (47 strikes) in his second appearance of the season, which will likely leave him unavailable for long-relief duties during a three-game set against the Nationals to begin the current week.

Bellozo (1-3) took the loss Sunday against the Rays, coughing up three runs on two hits and a walk over 3.1 innings. He struck out three.

The Marlins went with a bullpen game Sunday, and Bellozo was the only Miami hurler to give up any runs in a 3-2 loss. Yandy Diaz was the right-hander's nemesis, clubbing a two-run homer off Bellozo in the fifth inning and adding a double to lead off the eighth. Bellozo has provided useful innings in a swingman role, pitching at least three frames in all nine of his appearances (five starts) and allowing more than one earned run only twice. On the season, he sports a 3.41 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 28:14 K:BB through 34.1 innings.

Caminiti struck out eight and allowed one run on one hit and one walk over five innings for Single-A Augusta on Saturday.

The 18-year-old southpaw got a late start to the season due to forearm tendinitis, but after four starts in the Florida Complex League to get built up, Caminiti was bumped up to Augusta and dazzled over 62 pitches (43 strikes). A first-round pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, the second-generation ballplayer -- his uncle was 1996 NL MVP Ken Caminiti -- won't be rushed up the ladder given his age, but he could be an option for the Atlanta rotation in a few years.

Verlander (pectoral) is scheduled to throw a simulated game Wednesday in Colorado, MLB.com reports.

On Friday, Verlander threw 35-to-40 pitches in a sim game at Oracle Park, and he'll presumably build on that workload while he faces hitters again Wednesday. If Verlander checks out fine physically following the upcoming sim game, he could be cleared to return from the 15-day injured list next week. Before landing on the shelf May 22 due to a right pec strain, Verlander went 0-3 with a 4.33 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 41:21 K:BB over 52 innings with the Giants.

Liberatore (fatigue) will start Wednesday against the Blue Jays, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Liberatore was lifted early from his last outing against the Royals due to fatigue-related issues, but he never underwent imaging and will not miss a turn in the rotation. The left-hander will get an extra day of rest between starts before taking the ball in the series finale versus Toronto.

Roupp (4-4) picked up the win Sunday against Atlanta, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts over six innings.

Roupp notched his fourth quality start in his last five outings, but he allowed three earned runs for the first time since April 30. The 26-year-old tied his season low in strikeouts Sunday. In his last five starts, Roupp owns a 2-1 record with a 1.27 ERA and a 21:10 K:BB across 28.1 innings. He'll look to keep the ball rolling in his next start, which is expected to come against the Dodgers.

Strider (0-5) took the loss Sunday against San Francisco, allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits and three walks across six innings. He struck out five.

Strider has taken a loss in all five of his appearances this season, but Sunday's outing marked his first time completing six innings this year. The 26-year-old hasn't been consistently healthy since 2023, but he's now made four straight turns through Atlanta's rotation. He's still finding his footing though, owning a 5.85 ERA and a 19:10 K:BB over 20 innings. Fresh off a quality start, Strider is on track for a matchup with the lowly Rockies next weekend.

Burns is being promoted to Triple-A Louisville.

Burns will make the jump to Triple-A after posting an impressive 1.29 ERA and 0.71 WHIP with 55 strikeouts over 42 innings in eight starts with Double-A Chattanooga. The right-hander is not only one of the top prospects in the Reds' farm system, but one of the top prospects in all of baseball. It seems likely that Burns will make his major-league debut this summer, but he'll have to prove himself at one final level before doing so.