MLB Player News

Snell (shoulder) played catch from 60 feet out Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports

Some shoulder discomfort prevented Snell from beginning his throwing program over the weekend as originally planned, but he now has the green light from a doctor to begin playing catch. A better idea of when the 32-year-old will return to the mound for Los Angeles might emerge as he progresses further in his rehab, but he seems to be at least several weeks away.

Bellozo will transition to the bullpen in the wake of the Marlins reinstating Ryan Weathers (forearm) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old Bellozo started in his first five MLB appearances of the season, and he pitched well with a 3.27 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 16:11 K:BB across 22 innings. The performance was enough to retain his spot on the major-league roster, and the right-hander will be a prime candidate to re-enter the rotation should Miami suffer an injury to another starting pitcher.

Contreras went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double and four runs scored in Wednesday's 9-5 win over Cleveland.

The 27-year-old backstop entered the contest in a 1-for-16 slump but ended up serving as a table-setter out of the cleanup spot Wednesday, as Rhys Hoskins drove in five runs out of the No. 6 hole. It's the fourth four-hit performance of Contreras' career and the first time he's tallied more than two hits in a game this season. He was struggling through 11 games in May prior to Wednesday's showing, having gone 5-for-39 (.128 average) with 12 strikeouts.

Hayes is not in the Pirates' starting lineup against the Mets on Wednesday.

Hayes has five multi-hit games since the beginning of May and has gone 14-for-48 (.292) with two stolen bases and two RBI over that span. He'll begin Wednesday's game in the dugout while Jared Triolo starts at the hot corner and bats ninth.

Cruz (back) is not in the Pirates' starting lineup against the Mets on Wednesday.

Cruz is out of the lineup for a fourth consecutive game due to back soreness that flared up during Saturday's extra-innings loss to Atlanta. The Pirates have a day off Thursday, so Cruz will have additional time to rest ahead of Friday's series opener against the Phillies. Alexander Canario, Ji Hwan Bae and Bryan Reynolds will man the outfield for Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Fedde allowed three hits and four walks while striking out three over 5.2 scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Phillies in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader.

Fedde's control issues returned Wednesday after he pitched a six-hit shutout with no walks versus the Nationals last Friday. The right-hander didn't pay for his wildness in this start, which he finished with 93 pitches (51 strikes). Fedde lowered his ERA to 3.44, but his WHIP is elevated at 1.30, and he's not inspiring much confidence with a 32:25 K:BB over 52.1 innings. He's never been particularly reliant on strikeouts, but he's historically had trouble being any better than mediocre when carrying a BB/9 over 4.0. He's lined up for a tough matchup at home versus the Tigers next week.

Ruiz is not in the Nationals' starting lineup against Atlanta on Wednesday.

Ruiz went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's loss to Atlanta, which ended his on-base streak at 11 games. He'll get a breather Wednesday while Riley Adams starts behind home plate and bats ninth.

Romano struck out three in a perfect inning to earn the save in a 2-1 win over the Cardinals in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader.

Romano struck out the side on 13 pitches (10 strikes) to earn his second save in a row. He's on a six-inning scoreless streak, allowing just three hits with no walks and eight strikeouts in that span. Romano has earned four saves in six chances this season and has added four holds. He's at an 8.22 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 17:6 K:BB, but he appears to have things under control after his early struggles. Romano's recent success has put him back in the mix for saves, though he could still share closing duties with Jose Alvarado, who allowed a hit and a walk over one-third of an inning while pitching in the eighth in this game.

Hill is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

After being activated from the 10-day injured list Monday, Hill started in center field in the first two games of the series with Atlanta and went 2-for-8 with a home run, a stolen base, two RBI and an additional run. Kyle Stowers will get the nod in center Wednesday, but Hill should see the bulk of the starts at the position until Dane Myers (oblique) returns from the IL.

Stephenson is not in the Reds' starting lineup against the White Sox on Wednesday.

Stephenson will get a breather Wednesday after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the White Sox. Jose Trevino will start behind the dish and bat sixth.