MLB Player News

Williamson (2-2) took the loss Wednesday as the Reds were downed 6-1 by the Rays, coughing up five runs on seven hits and three walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out three.

A third-inning solo shot by Junior Caminero marked the only extra-base hit off Williamson, but the southpaw has trouble putting hitters away and tossed 54 strikes among his 87 pitches. He's failed to last five frames in three of his five starts so far this season, producing a 5.40 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 15:16 K:BB over 25 innings, With Nick Lodolo (blister) getting close to making his 2026 debut, Williamson's time in the rotation could be nearing an end.

The Cardinals are likely to insert Dobbins (knee) as part of a six-man rotation during their stretch of 17 games without an off day that begins Friday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Coming back from last year's ACL surgery, Dobbins is slated to make a fifth rehab start with Triple-A Memphis on Saturday. That would put him in line to make his Cardinals debut as soon as April 30 in Pittsburgh, and he appears likely to receive multiple turns as the club looks to keep their rotation members rested. Acquired over the offseason from the Red Sox in the Willson Contreras trade, Dobbins holds a 3.86 ERA and 16:4 K:BB over 18.2 frames covering his first four rehab outings with Memphis.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday that Peterson will have his turn in the rotation skipped this week and will work out of the bullpen, SNY.tv reports.

While starting in each of his first four appearances of the season, Peterson struggled to a 6.41 ERA and 1.83 WHIP, but he delivered better results while working in bulk relief behind opener Tobias Myers in Sunday's loss to the Cubs, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings. Despite the strong showing out of the bullpen, Peterson's grasp on a full-time spot in the rotation still appears to be tenuous, and the Mets will skip his turn this week and instead call up Christian Scott from Triple-A Syracuse to serve as their fifth starter Thursday versus the Twins. The Mets haven't revealed their plans for the rotation beyond this week, but if Scott performs well in his 2026 big-league debut, it's possible that he sticks as a starter over Peterson moving forward.

The Padres signed Giolito to a one-year contract Wednesday.

He'll earn a prorated $3 million, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The deal also includes a mutual option for 2027 that could feature a sizable buyout. Giolito posted a 3.41 ERA and 121:56 K:BB over 145 innings for the Red Sox during the 2025 regular season. Elbow soreness prevented Giolito from being available for the postseason, but he had a normal offseason throwing program and said earlier this month that he's been maintaining a pitch count of around 75 during live batting practice sessions. Per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, Giolito will be assigned to Single-A Lake Elsinore, where he will knock off some rust before eventually joining the San Diego rotation.

Strider (oblique) struck out eight and permitted one hit and one walk over 4.1 scoreless innings in his rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Gwinnett.

After tossing 3.1 scoreless frames for High-A Rome during his first rehab start last Thursday, Strider moved up a couple levels for his second minor-league outing but was unfazed by the jump in competition. The right-hander pumped in 46 of his 65 pitches for strikes, topping out at 98.1 miles per hour with his fastball and inducing 15 swinging strikes, 10 of which came via his slider. Strider will look to build up to the 80-pitch mark his next time out in what will likely be his final rehab outing in the minors before Atlanta brings him back from the 15-day injured list. He tentatively lines up to make his 2026 MLB debut during Atlanta's three-game series in Colorado next weekend.

Priester (wrist) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Priester has been on the shelf all season while recovering from symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome in his right wrist, but he's made enough progress with his throwing program to advance to final stage of the rehab process. According to Sophia Minnaert of Brewers.tv, manager Pat Murphy said that Priester is scheduled to cover three innings or 45-to-50 pitches Wednesday and will require at least two starts in the minors before returning from the 15-day injured list, potentially in early May. As the Milwaukee rotation currently stands now, Brandon Sproat (6.88 ERA, 1.71 WHIP in 17 innings) would likely be most at risk of losing his spot once Priester is activated.

Paddack (0-4) took the loss Tuesday as the Marlins fell 5-3 to the Cardinals, surrendering five runs on eight hits and a walk over 4.2 innings. He struck out seven.

The seven Ks were a season high, but it was otherwise another shaky performance from Paddack, who failed to last five innings for the fourth time in five outings. The veteran right-hander has served up five homers in 24 innings, leaving him with a 6.38 ERA and 1.54 WHIP despite a seemingly strong 25:6 K:BB, and Paddack may be running out of time to turn things around before he gets bumped from the rotation by younger arms like Robby Snelling. Paddack's unlikely to collect his first win of 2026 in his next start, which is set to come on the road early next week against the Dodgers.

Perez is slated to start Thursday's game against the Nationals in Washington, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

After being re-signed last week, Perez slotted back into the Atlanta rotation for his third start of the season and delivered a gem in last Friday's 9-0 win over the Phillies, tossing six scoreless frames. The veteran lefty is now holding down a 2.21 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over 20.1 innings on the season, but he could soon be moved out of the rotation with Spencer Strider (oblique) trending toward a potential return from the injured list next weekend. How Perez fares Thursday could decide whether he receives another start before Strider returns or shifts into a long-relief role.

May (3-2) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing one run on six hits and one walk over 5.1 innings in a 5-3 victory over the Marlins. He struck out five.

The right-hander served up a solo shot to Jakob Marsee to lead off the bottom of the first inning, but May cruised from there, eventually getting lifted after 97 pitches (59 strikes). He saw his quality start streak end at two, but after a shaky beginning to his St. Louis tenure he's delivered a 1.56 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB over 17.1 innings in his last three trips to the mound. May will look to keep rolling in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week in Pittsburgh.

Harrison didn't factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks over three-plus innings in a 12-4 rout of the Tigers. He struck out three.

Making his first start since April 11 due to wrist and knee soreness, Harrison looked good through three innings before running into trouble in the fourth by loading the bases with nobody out. The left-hander got the hook after 72 pitches (39 strikes), but Grant Anderson was able to escape the jam by letting only one of the inherited runners cross the plate. Harrison sports a 3.06 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB through 17.2 innings over four outings, and he'll look to provide a little more length in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home this weekend against the Pirates.