MLB Player News

Cavalli (elbow) struck out five and allowed one hit and one walk in 2.2 scoreless innings Monday in a rehab start for the Nationals' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate.

Seeing his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2023, Cavalli simply overmatched FCL hitters over 44 pitches. The 25-year-old right-hander touched 97 miles per hour with his fastball, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com, and the one hit off him came from MLB veteran Jose Abreu. Washington will now have 30 days to decide whether Cavalli is ready to join the big-league rotation in mid-June, but if the front office decided he needs more time to complete his recovery, he could be optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Either way, Cavalli should be back on the 26-man roster at some point this summer.

Megill (0-2) took the loss against Cleveland on Monday, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over five innings.

Megill made his first big-league start since exiting his season debut March 31 with a right shoulder strain. He had a nearly full workload with 86 pitches and allowed just four hits over five frames, but three of them came consecutively in the first inning, resulting in a pair of runs. Though that was enough to saddle him with the loss, this was a promising return for Megill, who should settle into New York's rotation moving forward after racking up a career-high 25 starts and 126.1 innings last year.

Vasquez (0-3) took the loss against Atlanta in the second game of a doubleheader Monday, allowing three runs on 10 hits and no walks while striking out two batters over six innings.

Vasquez yielded a season-high 10 hits, but he still managed his first quality start of the campaign. In fact, this was the first time through five starts that he's been able to complete more than five frames. The right-hander was by no means dominant with just two punchouts, but he managed to keep the Padres in the contest, though San Diego's offense was unable to provide any runs in support. Vasquez has posted a mediocre 5.82 ERA and 1.75 WHIP through 21.2 innings, and he could be moved out of the rotation -- and potentially off the big-league roster -- due to Joe Musgrove (elbow) being slated to return from the injured list Tuesday.

Sale (7-1) earned the win over San Diego in the second game of Monday's doubleheader, allowing five hits and no walks while striking out nine batters over seven scoreless innings.

Sale dominated a Padres offense that had put up 18 runs in winning the first three games of the series, racking up 18 swinging strikes and registering his third straight scoreless outing. The left-hander fell one punchout shy of his second double-digit strikeout effort of the campaign and has now fanned at least nine batters in four straight appearances, recording exactly nine strikeouts three times during that span. Sale has accumulated 19 scoreless frames over his past three starts with a 28:1 K:BB during that span, giving Atlanta a dominant hurler to help ease the early season loss of Spencer Strider (elbow). Sale is tied for second in the league with seven victories, ranks 11th with a 2.22 ERA and is tied for fifth with 70 punchouts.

Cecconi (1-4) took the loss Monday versus the Dodgers, allowing six runs on six hits and a walk while striking out two over five innings.

Cecconi was partially sheltered Monday by pitching behind opener Joe Mantiply to avoid the top of the Dodgers' order at the start of the game. That proved to be a wise choice, though it ultimately didn't pay off, as Freddie Freeman's grand slam in the third inning off Cecconi was the decisive hit of the game. This is the third time in four outings Cecconi has given up six runs, and the second time this year he's allowed multiple homers -- he also gave up solo shots to Enrique Hernandez and Will Smith. Cecconi has a 6.12 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 22:8 K:BB over 32.1 innings across six appearances (five starts). He's projected for a much easier home matchup versus the Marlins his next time out.

Lopez allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four batters over 6.1 innings in a no-decision versus San Diego in Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader.

Lopez exited his previous start against the Cubs early due to back tightness, but the issue didn't seem to bother him Monday. The right-hander tossed 83 pitches and left in line for the win before Atlanta's bullpen crumbled late in the contest. Lopez earned his fourth quality start of the campaign but actually saw his ERA rise from 1.34 to 1.54, highlighting how great he's been this season. Monday was just the second time through eight outings that he's given up more than one earned run.

Yamamoto (5-1) earned the win Monday over the Diamondbacks, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out eight over 6.1 innings.

Yamamoto was able to rebound after being not at his best last Monday versus the Giants. The rookie right-hander put together his fifth quality start in his last six outings, though the win was briefly endangered after Elieser Hernandez gave up a pair of solo home runs in the eighth inning. Yamamoto is at a 3.17 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 61:11 K:BB through 54 innings over 10 starts this season. He's projected to make his next start on the road in a tough venue, Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park.

Cease allowed five runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out five batters over four innings in a no-decision against Atlanta in the first game of Monday's doubleheader.

This was Cease's worst outing as a Padre, as he pitched a season-low four frames and gave up a season-high nine hits. He had previously given up five earned runs in an outing, but that came over six frames against Philadelphia. Cease was uncharacteristically hurt by the long ball Monday -- after giving up just three homers across his first nine starts, he yielded a pair of home runs (though both were solo shots) versus Atlanta. It's a testament to Cease's effectiveness overall this season that he still holds a 3.05 ERA and 0.93 WHIP despite Monday's dud.

Gray (6-2) allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks while striking out six over 5.2 innings to earn the win Monday over the Orioles.

Gray gave up a three-run blast to Gunnar Henderson in the sixth inning, but the Cardinals were able to maintain their lead after that. The long ball has become a problem for the veteran right-hander -- he's surrendered five homers while giving up 14 runs (12 earned) over his last 16.2 innings. He's still managed to win two of his three starts in that span. Gray is at a 2.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 59:10 K:BB through 47 innings across eight starts this season. He allowed all of eight homers in 32 starts last year, so it's worth keeping an eye on whether Gray can keep the ball down better moving forward. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Cubs.

Weathers did not factor into the decision Monday against Milwaukee, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks over seven innings. He struck out eight.

Weathers generated 14 whiffs en route to his eight strikeouts, reaching that mark for the first time since punching out 10 on April 16 against San Francisco. The Miami lefty has thrown four consecutive quality starts, posting a 2.67 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 20:4 K:BB over 27 innings during that time. Weathers is currently slated to make his next start against Arizona on the road this weekend.