MLB Player News

Bednar struck out two without allowing a baserunner in a scoreless seventh inning to earn a hold Wednesday against the Angels.

This marked Bednar's third appearance since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, and he's now allowed just two baserunners across three innings of work while maintaining a 5:0 K:BB. He's worked in the seventh inning with Pittsburgh ahead in each of his last two outings, but he's likely to see save chances at some point if he continues to show strong form.

Boyd (2-2) collected his second win Wednesday against the Dodgers, giving up six runs (three earned) on 10 hits and a walk while striking out four batters across six innings.

Boyd can thank his own throwing error in the fifth inning for taking three earned runs off his final statline. He can also thank the Cubs' hitters for allowing him to collect a win by keeping up with the Dodgers' star-studded offense, which had little trouble creating traffic on the basepaths against the 34-year-old lefty. Thanks to two straight scoreless starts to begin the campaign, Boyd still carries a 2.54 ERA and 1.38 WHIP through 28.1 innings, and he's lined up to have a favorable matchup during his next start against the Pirates, who own the second-lowest OPS (.639) in the National League.

Double-A Amarillo reinstated Melendez (ankle) from the 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Melendez missed the tail end of the 2024 season due to ankle tendinitis, but it's unclear if it was the same injury or a different one that caused him to begin the current season on the IL. The 25-year-old first baseman spent all of last season with Amarillo, slashing .240/.313/.440 with 23 home runs and three stolen bases over 448 plate appearances.

Pressly had his right knee drained Tuesday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Pressly hasn't appeared in a game since Sunday, and manager Craig Counsell confirmed after Wednesday's win over the Dodgers that the 36-year-old reliever has been dealing with a knee injury over the past few days. The Cubs are optimistic that he'll be available out of the bullpen when they return to action Friday for a three-game series against Philadelphia. While the right-hander was unavailable, Porter Hodge picked up his first save of the season Wednesday.

Ginkel (shoulder) threw 24 pitches in an extended spring training game Monday, MLB.com reports.

Ginkel will report to Triple-A Reno later this week to begin a rehab assignment. He was shut down shortly before Opening Day due to right shoulder inflammation, but because he's projected to serve as a one- or two-inning reliever, Ginkel won't require much build-up time in the minors. He could be activated from the 15-day injured list at some point next week.

Marquez and the Rockies won't face the Royals on Wednesday, as the game was postponed due to rain.

The two teams will play two games Thursday to make up for Wednesday's contest, and Marquez will presumably toe the slab in one of them. The 30-year-old will be looking to shake off a disastrous outing during his last start against the Dodgers, which saw him surrender seven runs in just two-thirds of an inning.

Graveman (back) threw a 25-pitch live batting practice session Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Graveman has been conducting his rehab at the Diamondbacks' spring training facility and is expected to pitch in a simulated game there as part of the next step of his rehab. Graveman will likely then head out on a minor-league rehab assignment before potentially returning from the injured list in early May.

Matz isn't expected to make his second start of the season until next week's series in Cincinnati, when the Cardinals will shift back to a six-man rotation, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Matz had made his first five appearances of the season out of the bullpen before manager Oliver Marmol elected to expand the rotation to six men last week during a busy portion of the schedule. The southpaw was sharp in his first start April 16, claiming a win while limiting the Astros to one run on two hits and no walks over five innings. Despite Matz's strong outing, the Cardinals moved him back to the bullpen to begin the current week, with an off day Thursday allowing the team to temporarily condense the rotation to five men. Matz was called upon in relief in the Cardinals' 10-4 victory over Atlanta on Tuesday, when he recorded his second win of the season while tossing 2.2 scoreless innings. St. Louis will likely stay away from Matz for this weekend's series versus Milwaukee before reinserting him into the rotation early next week.

Mayza (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for roughly six weeks, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

A strained left shoulder sent Mayza to the injured list Saturday, and he appears to be in store for a multi-month absence. He'll be re-evaluated at the end of his six-week rest period, at which point he may be cleared to begin a throwing program.

Alcantara (2-2) took the loss Wednesday, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks over six innings as the Marlins were downed 5-2 by the Reds. He struck out four.

The quality start was the first of the season for Alcantara, who needed 102 pitches (68 strikes) to cover six innings for the first time in 2025. The 29-year-old righty is still trying to regain his form after Tommy John surgery, and he'll carry a 6.56 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 17:12 K:BB through 23.1 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week against the Dodgers.