MLB Player News

Horton was removed Wednesday from his start with Triple-A Iowa due to right lat soreness, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Horton allowed two runs and recorded just three outs Wednesday before being lifted. The right-hander has been sent to Chicago to be examined. Horton has offered a mixed bag of results since being promoted to Iowa earlier this month, striking out 22 over 18 innings but also walking 11 and giving up 15 runs. Between the uneven recent results and the injury, it's unlikely the top prospect will be seen in the big leagues anytime soon.

The Pirates optioned Jefferies to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

Jefferies was up as the 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader in Detroit but didn't make an appearance. The right-hander will rejoin the rotation at Indianapolis, where he's allowed six runs with a 4:4 K:BB over six innings covering two starts since being acquired via trade from the Giants.

Blach (2-2) earned the win over the Guardians on Wednesday, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over seven innings while striking out five.

Th lefty got touched for two runs in the first inning, but was fortunate to receive plenty of run support early after the Rockies got to Logan Allen for seven runs over the first two frames. Blach would not allow another run after the first and produced three 1-2-3 innings en route to posting his second win of the season. He struck out a season-high five batters in the contest while also going seven innings for the first time in the campaign. He's now logged back-to-back quality starts and has won two of his last three decisions (spanning four outings).

Schwellenbach (0-1) took the loss against Washington on Wednesday, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five batters over five innings.

Schwellenbach got his first big-league opportunity despite having not pitched above the Double-A level in the minors. The right-hander was locked in through four scoreless frames, but had to settle for a so-so debut after Lane Thomas tagged him for a three-run homer in the fifth. Schwellenbach did show some positive traits with 60 of 88 pitches thrown for strikes and 11 whiffs, and there's a good chance he fared well enough to earn at least one more turn in the rotation.

Gore (4-4) earned the win over Atlanta on Wednesday, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and no walks while striking out 10 batters over 5.1 innings.

Gore flustered Atlanta throughout the outing, and his 10 strikeouts marked his second-highest total of the season. The southpaw couldn't extend a three-game quality-start streak, but he did push his stretch of appearances allowing two or fewer earned runs to seven. Gore is in the midst of a breakout campaign, posting a 2.91 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 72:17 K:BB through 58.2 innings.

Imanaga (5-1) took the loss Wednesday versus the Brewers, allowing seven runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out one over 4.1 innings.

Imanaga's last scheduled start was rained out, and instead of pushing him back, the Cubs opted to build in some extra rest for the southpaw. That plan appears to have backfired, as the seven runs he allowed Wednesday matched the total he'd given up in his first nine starts combined. His ERA rose from 0.84 to 1.86, and he's added a 1.00 WHIP and 59:10 K:BB across 58 innings through his first 10 big-league starts. Imanaga will look to shake off his first poor outing when he next takes the mound, which is tentatively projected to be a home start versus the White Sox.

Lopez won't start Thursday's game against the Nationals, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Lopez pitched on four days of rest for the second time all season Saturday, allowing three runs (two earned) in 4.2 innings -- his shortest start of the season. Rather than sending him to the mound after a traditional four-day rest period again, Atlanta will push his next start back and give the ball to Ray Kerr to close out its current series against Washington. The team hasn't yet announced when Lopez's next start will come, though it's possible he simply moves back a day to start Friday's series opener against the Athletics.

Garrett (2-0) earned the win Wednesday over the Padres, allowing a run on six hits over five innings. He struck out two.

A Ha-Seong Kim homer in the third inning was the lone damage against Garrett, as the left-hander earned a second straight win -- he's allowed just one run on nine hits over 14 innings in that span after allowing 11 runs in his first two outings this season. Garrett's ERA is down to 4.56 with a 1.06 WHIP and 21:3 K:BB through his first 23.2 innings this year. He's currently lined up for a home matchup with the Rays in his next start.

Peterson came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 10-3 loss to the Dodgers, giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out three.

Making his season debut after recovering from offseason hip surgery, Peterson tossed 86 pitches (57 strikes) in a solid performance and left the mound with the score tied, 3-3. The Mets are running with a six-man rotation at least until their trip to London in early June to face the Phillies, so the southpaw should get another start early next week, on the road against the Nationals. Whether Peterson remains in the rotation after that is unclear.

Paxton came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 10-3 win over the Mets, giving up two hits over three scoreless innings. He struck out three without walking a batter.

The veteran lefty was pitching on just four days' rest, and per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, was told prior to the outing that his workload would be limited. Paxton wound up tossing exactly 50 pitches (29 strikes), as the Dodgers effectively went with a bullpen day and used six relievers after he left the mound. Paxton will take a 3.29 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 31:28 K:BB through 52 innings into his next outing -- when he should see a more usual workload in a road start against the Pirates.