MLB Player News

Criswell (elbow) will face live hitters over the weekend and begin a rehab assignment shortly thereafter, MLB.com reports.

Criswell is recovering from Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2025 season. Assuming the final steps in his recovery go as planned, Criswell is expected to be activated in late April or early May.

Horwitz went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a walk Friday against the Rays.

Horwitz opened up the scoring with an RBI double in the second inning and proceeded to get on base three additional times. He has started every game against right-handed pitchers this season, and he's gone 9-for-26 with one home run, two RBI and five runs scored across his last 10 games.

Griffin went 1-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base Friday against the Rays.

Griffin singled in the second inning for a potential RBI, but Spencer Horwitz was thrown out at home. Griffin continued to make an impact on the game in the sixth and eighth innings, stealing a base in the former while walking and scoring a run in the latter. After a slow start to his rookie season, Griffin now has at least one hit in each of his last four starts, going 6-for-16 with two extra-base hits, two RBI and four runs scored.

Tawa started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and an RBI in Friday's 6-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Tawa's run-scoring double in the eighth inning snapped an 0-for-16 skid and produced just his second RBI in 13 games. A season-opening slump (4-for-35, .114) has cost him playing time and makes Tawa a logical candidate to be removed from the roster if Lourdes Gurriel (knee) is activated as expected this weekend. Jorge Barrosa can cover left field while Gurriel adjusts to game action as a DH in the majors.

Smith underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow Thursday, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

The bone chips were the cause of the inflammation that Smith began experiencing during spring training. A timeline for his return was not given, but he's currently on the 60-day injured list and can't be reinstated until May 29.

Santana allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one in the ninth inning in Friday's win over the Rays.

The Pirates were up by two runs at the start of the eighth inning but tacked on two runs in the home half of the frame. That meant Santana didn't work in a save situation, though he's now pitched the ninth inning or 10th inning in six consecutive appearances -- five of which were to end the game. Santana looks to be the Pirates' preferred closing option for the time being, though Gregory Soto will likely mix in occasionally.

Soto didn't allow a baserunner across one inning to earn a hold Friday against the Rays.

Soto entered the game in the eighth inning with the Pirates up by two runs. He's remained very sharp all season, allowing only one earned run across 10.2 innings while maintaining a 15:5 K:BB. However, Soto has now pitched in the seventh or eighth inning in five consecutive appearances, suggesting Dennis Santana is the primary option for saves at this point.

Lowe went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 8-0 win over the Padres.

Lowe provided the Angels' last runs of the game with his fifth-inning blast off San Diego reliever David Morgan. Lowe has hit safely in three straight games while striking out three times in that span, an improvement from his rough showing early in the season. He's still hitting a paltry .167 with a .598 OPS, three homers, nine RBI, eight runs scored and a stolen base over 18 contests.

Soriano (5-0) allowed two hits and four walks while striking out eight over 5.2 shutout innings to earn the win Friday over the Padres.

Soriano fell short of a quality start for the first time this season, but he's still picked up a win in all five outings so far. The four walks matched his season high from Opening Day versus the Astros, but that's about the only complaint to be had with his performance. The right-hander has a tiny 0.28 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 39:13 K:BB across 32.2 innings so far. The walk rate is a concern in the long run, but he's consistently shown an ability to limit home runs as a groundball pitcher. He'll see his luck fade at some point, but he looks like the Angels' clear ace early in 2026. Soriano is tentatively projected to make his next start at home versus the Blue Jays.

Waldron (0-1) allowed six runs on eight hits, a walk and a hit batsman over 3.2 innings Friday, taking the loss versus the Angels. He struck out four.

Waldron missed time due to hemorrhoid surgery in late February. The knuckleballer didn't have success in his major-league season debut as the Angels got to him in the second and fourth innings. The right-hander was limited to just one big-league start in 2025, allowing four runs over 4.2 innings, and he pitched to a 6.67 ERA over 82.1 innings across 18 starts with Triple-A El Paso last year. There's an opening in the Padres' rotation with Nick Pivetta (elbow) on the shelf, but it's not yet clear if Waldron will be the one to fill it on a permanent basis.