MLB Player News

The Padres appear to be eyeing next Friday's series opener in Colorado for Cronenworth's (rib) potential return from the 10-day injured list, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Cronenworth has been on the shelf since April 11 due to a non-displaced right rib fracture, but he recently received clearance for full baseball activity and took live batting practice at extended spring training Thursday. He'll likely remain in Arizona for at least a few more days to continue ramping up and could head out on a brief rehab assignment early during the upcoming week, but if all goes smoothly in his recovery, Cronenworth may be ready to return to the San Diego lineup by next weekend. Once activated, Cronenworth should supplant Jose Iglesias as the Padres' primary second baseman.

Ray (4-0) picked up the win Friday, scattering two hits and two walks over seven scoreless innings in a 4-0 victory over the Rockies. He struck out eight.

The veteran southpaw may be regaining the form that led him to an AL Cy Young Award in 2021 with the Blue Jays. Ray has lasted seven innings in back-to-back starts, allowing only two runs on seven hits with a 16:3 K:BB as he takes advantage of pitching at Oracle Park. Thanks to that surge, he sports a 3.05 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 41:21 K:BB through 38.1 innings on the season. Ray will head out on the road for his next outing, however, which is scheduled to come next week against the Cubs.

Alvarado struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning to pick up a save in Friday's 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Pitching on two days of rest, Alvarado needed just 11 pitches to finish off the Diamondbacks on Thursday. He struck out Geraldo Perdomo to record the final out of the night and pick up his sixth save of the season, lowering his ERA to a minuscule 1.72 through 15.2 innings.

Luzardo gave up two runs on nine hits and a walk and struck out six batters across 5.1 innings during Friday's 3-2 victory over Arizona. He did not factor into the decision.

Luzardo kept the D-backs off the scoreboard through the first three innings Friday but left the game behind 2-1 after allowing RBI singles to Geraldo Perdomo and Lourdes Gurriel in the fourth and sixth innings, respectively. Fortunately for Luzardo, Philadelphia's bats woke up in the seventh to put the Phillies ahead 3-2, allowing him to avoid taking what would have been his first loss of the season. He'll carry an impressive 1.94 ERA and 1.18 WHIP into his next start -- tentatively slated to come on the road against the Rays.

Cease didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 9-4 victory over the Pirates after giving up two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three batters in four innings.

Cease needed 91 pitches to get through four innings Friday, marking the fourth time in seven starts that he hasn't been able to complete a full five innings. His performance was enough to bring his ERA down slightly from 5.75 to 5.61, though he remains stuck in a slump to begin the 2025 campaign. There's a good chance his slump extends into his next start as well, as he's due to take the mound in the Bronx on Wednesday and face a Yankees lineup that boasts an .826 OPS on the season.

Parker (3-2) took the loss in Friday's game against the Reds after surrendering five runs on five hits and four walks while striking out one batter in four innings.

The Reds put up five runs on Parker in the first three innings of the game, including two-RBI doubles from Santiago Espinal in the first inning and Tyler Stephenson in the third. Parker's poor outing Friday wasn't much different than his previous outing against the Mets, and he's now given up 11 earned runs in nine innings across his past two outings while posting an abysmal 1:9 K:BB. He'll aim to get back on track when he takes the mound against the Cardinals next weekend.

Greene (4-2) earned the win against Washington on Friday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out 12 batters across six innings.

Friday's outing wasn't the most efficient of Greene's career, as he needed 114 pitches to make it through six, but it's hard to complain about your starter averaging two strikeouts per inning. The only blemish on his night came via a Josh Bell home run in the fifth inning, but the Reds had already put up five runs of their own to ensure Greene would collect his fourth win in his last five starts. He'll look to make it three in a row in Atlanta next week.

The Padres plan to recall Kolek from Triple-A El Paso to have him start Sunday's game against the Pirates at PNC Park, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

San Diego had been getting by with a four-man rotation since optioning Kyle Hart to El Paso on April 24, but the team will transition back to a five-man starting staff this weekend and call upon Kolek to fill the void. After losing out to Hart in spring training in the competition for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, Kolek turned in an inflated 6.38 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 24 innings across his five starts in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, though his 14.4 K-BB% has been encouraging. Kolek will get a favorable draw against a weak Pirates offense for his first career MLB start, and a strong showing could allow him to stick around for multiple turns through the rotation while Yu Darvish (elbow) remains at least a few weeks away from making his season debut.

Senzatela (1-5) took the loss Friday as the Rockies were downed 4-0 by the Giants, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings, He struck out four.

The right-hander didn't pitch all that poorly aside from a second inning that saw San Francisco bang out three straight hits to begin the frame, but Senzatela got no support from his offense. After a sharp first couple of turns through the rotation, he's been tagged for at least four runs in four of his last five outings, stumbling to a 7.66 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB in 24.2 innings over that stretch. Senzatela seems unlikely to right the ship in his next start, which is scheduled to come at Coors Field next week against the Tigers.

Cruz went 0-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored and two stolen bases Friday against the Padres.

Cruz has been one of the few bright spots in the Pirates' lineup, and he continued his breakout Friday. He stole multiple bases in a game for the second time this season, bringing his total on the campaign to 14. He's also scored 15 runs in 17 games since taking over as Pittsburgh's leadoff hitter.