MLB Player News

Bennett (elbow) is scheduled to make a rehab start with Single-A Fredericksburg on Thursday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

The upcoming outing will mark Bennett's first appearance in affiliated ball since August 2023. The 24-year-old southpaw missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and currently resides on High-A Wilmington's 7-day injured list, but he may require just one or two starts with Fredericksburg before reporting to the Nationals' South Atlantic League affiliate.

The Cubs plan to select Flexen's contract from Triple-A Iowa, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Flexen could have opted out of his minor-league contract May 1 if not added to the big-league roster by then, and the Cubs have decided to keep him around. The righty changed his arm slot at Iowa and has posted a 1.16 ERA and 21:8 K:BB over 23.1 frames covering five starts. He's expected to serve in a long-relief role for now and will be officially added to the roster Wednesday or Thursday.

Peralta (3-2) got the win over the White Sox on Tuesday, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out five over six innings.

The White Sox quickly jumped on Peralta with two solo home runs in the opening frame, but he was able to settle in with five hitless and scoreless innings the rest of the way. Tuesday marked the first time in four starts that Peralta allowed a home run and also the second time this year he's reached six innings. He's allowed three runs or fewer in every start thus far, leading to a 2.52 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. Peralta lines up for a home start against the Cubs this weekend to wrap up a two-start week.

Alcantara (2-3) took the loss Tuesday as the Marlins were routed 15-2 by the Dodgers, surrendering seven runs on seven hits and five walks over 2.2 innings. He struck out two.

It was a disastrous outing right from the jump for Alcantara, as Shohei Ohtani roped the first pitch he saw from the right-hander down the right-field line for a leadoff homer. Alcantara got the hook after 79 pitches (43 strikes), and it's the second time in his last three trips to the mound that he's been tagged for at least six runs. The Marlins' gamble on waiting to trade Alcantara until he showed he was fully recovered from Tommy John surgery hasn't paid off -- through six starts and 26 innings, he carries a brutal 8.31 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 19:17 K:BB. He'll be tough to trust in an active fantasy lineup until he begins to show signs of life, but things won't get any easier for Alcantara in his next outing, a scheduled rematch with the Dodgers early next week back in Miami.

Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo said Wednesday that Cavalli (elbow) was pulled from his rehab start with Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday due to fatigue, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Rizzo did not seem overly concerned, noting that Cavalli was touching 98 miles per hour with his fastball during the outing. The right-hander allowed three runs over two innings in the start, throwing 37 pitches. It's not clear whether Cavalli -- who is coming back from March 2023 Tommy John surgery -- will be ready for his next rehab start or will need to be pushed back in the pitching schedule.

Pivetta (5-1) picked up the win Tuesday, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk over 5.1 innings in a 7-4 victory over the Giants. He struck out nine.

The right-hander continues to shine to begin his tenure with the Padres. Pivetta has yet to allow more than three runs in a start, and his new home stadium has been a perfect fit for the typically homer-prone veteran -- Willy Adames' solo shot in the fourth inning Tuesday was the first long ball Pivetta had served up in four trips to the mound at Petco Park, and just his second of the season. Pivetta will take a 1.78 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 39:8 K:BB through 35.1 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road this weekend in Pittsburgh.

Webb (3-2) took the loss Tuesday as the Giants fell 7-4 to the Padres, coughing up five runs on nine hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out six.

After getting two quick outs to begin the game, Webb watched five straight San Diego batters reach base in the first inning on four singles and a free pass, putting San Francisco in a 3-0 hole from which it never recovered. It was the first time this season the right-hander had been tagged for more than three runs, and despite the stumble he still sports a 2.83 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 50:11 K:BB through 41.1 innings, tying him for fourth in the majors in Ks with Boston's Garrett Crochet. Webb will look to bounce back in his next start, which lines up to come at home this weekend against the Rockies.

Peterson (2-1) got the win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, allowing one run on five hits while striking out two over five innings. He did not walk a batter.

Peterson got through four scoreless before the Diamondbacks finally pushed across a run with two singles and a double in the fifth. He did not come back out for the sixth despite being at 85 pitches and the Mets holding an 8-1 lead and hasn't reached six innings in any of his last three starts. Peterson's had two outings with nine strikeouts already this season but has combined to punch out only four in his last two starts. On a positive note, he has one walk over his last four outings and hasn't allowed more than three runs in a start thus far. He'll aim to beat the Diamondbacks twice in the span of a week when the Mets travel to face them Monday.

Rodriguez (1-3) took the loss against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing eight runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out one in four innings.

Rodriguez was tagged for eight runs over three innings after tossing a scoreless first. The Mets homered off him in each of those three frames, accounting for five of their runs scored. Rodriguez has given up nine-plus hits in two of his last three starts, and he now holds the third-worst ERA among qualifiers at 6.06. The 32-year-old lefty lines up for another tough matchup on the road versus the Phillies this weekend.

Smith-Shawver (1-2) left Tuesday's start against the Rockies after being hit in the right arm by a line drive, Owen Perkins of MLB.com reports. He picked up the win after allowing two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out five in 5.1 innings.

Smith-Shawver was in a rhythm before his night ended, pouring in 46 of his 59 pitches for strikes, and he gave up a season-low four hits and one walk. "It got the meaty part of my arm, so we'll see what happens [Wednesday]," Smith-Shawver said following the contest. "But for right now, I'm feeling pretty good." It sounds like there's a chance the right-hander's exit was precautionary, given Atlanta was leading 7-1 at the time of his departure. Smith-Shawver holds a 4.26 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 22:9 K:BB over 19 innings in 2025, and he can be deemed day-to-day for the time being. His next start tentatively lines up for next week at home versus the Reds.