MLB Player News

Graveman (back) threw a bullpen session Friday, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Graveman, who missed all of spring training with the injury, will require at least one more bullpen session before the next step in his recovery, which is facing live batters. After that, there is expected to be a rehab assignment.

Ginkel (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Friday, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Ginkel, whose shoulder injury surfaced late in spring training, has thrown a couple of sessions and is ready to face live batters. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said it's likely that Ginkel will throw a rehab game before being activated.

Marte (hamstring) began taking groundballs and swings in a batting cage Friday, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

As Marte begins baseball activities, his timeline has become more clear. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo estimated a return for the final week of April or the first week of May. That provides much more definition than the "series of weeks" comment Lovullo offered up earlier this week. While Marte works his way back, Tim Tawa and Garrett Hampson will share second base.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Friday that Matz remains on track to start April 16 against the Astros as part of a six-man rotation, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Matz will be available out of the bullpen this weekend against the Phillies, although maybe not for multiple innings since he has a start looming Wednesday. It's not yet clear how long the Cardinals plan to use a six-man rotation, but it sounds like Matz will be in line to make multiple starts. The left-hander has pitched well out of the bullpen so far this season, permitting three runs (two earned) with a 5:1 K:BB over 9.1 frames. Matz's high pitch count among his four appearances is 53, and that came back on April 4. He's thrown 16 and 11 pitches over his last two appearances, respectively, so he'll likely have workload limitations versus Houston.

Pivetta (2-1) earned the win Friday against the Rockies after allowing three hits and one walk in seven scoreless innings. He struck out 10.

Two of the three hits were doubles off the bat of Kyle Farmer, but Pivetta was still able to cruise Friday while not allowing a runner to even reach third base. The right-hander now boasts a 1.59 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 18:4 K:BB over 17 frames, although he's been particularly dominant at home with an active 14-inning scoreless streak at Petco Park. Pivetta draws a difficult test to his home success against the Cubs in his next projected start.

Marquez (0-2) took the loss Friday against the Padres, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and one walk in 4.2 innings. He struck out three.

The veteran right-hander retired 12 of the first 14 batters he faced Friday, and his three punchouts all came in the second inning when he fanned the side, but it all came apart during a six-run Padres barrage in the fifth inning. Through three starts, Marquez holds a 4.60 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 10:7 K:BB over 15.2 innings. Marquez won't be a recommended fantasy option on the road against the Dodgers in his next scheduled start, which is set for the middle of the next week.

Falter (0-2) was hit with the loss against the Reds on Friday after giving up five runs (three earned) on three hits and five walks while striking out four batters across five innings.

Falter ran into trouble early on, allowing the first three batters he faced to reach on walks. A double play kept hope alive that he'd be able to get through the first inning with minimal damage, though those hopes quickly evaporated when Jeimer Candelario smacked a ball 384 feet into the left-field bleachers. Two more walks and a wild pitch allowed Cincinnati to score two more runs in the third frame and would keep the Reds in front for the rest of the game. Falter now owns a 7.20 ERA through 15 innings across his first three starts, and he's lined up to make his next start at home against the Nationals.

Pagan struck out two batters in a perfect ninth inning to collect his third save of the season in Friday's 5-3 win over the Pirates.

Friday's outing was exactly what Pagan needed to bounce back from his last appearance Wednesday, which saw him give up a walk-off home run against the Giants. He sent Endy Rodriguez and Ke'Bryan Hayes down on strikes, and Jack Suwinski ended things quickly with a flyout on the first pitch he saw. Pagan is still the only reliever in the Reds' bullpen with multiple saves, though he may not get many more ninth-inning chances with Alexis Diaz (hamstring) approaching a return from the IL.

Singer (3-0) earned the win against Pittsburgh on Friday, giving up three earned runs on two hits and three walks while striking out three batters over five innings.

Singer took a 5-0 lead into the fifth inning Friday, but after giving up a walk, a double and an Adam Frazier home run in consecutive plate appearances, that lead was quickly cut down to 5-3. He escaped the inning without conceding any more damage, allowing him to qualify for his third win in as many starts to begin the year. He'll carry a 3.18 ERA and 1.06 WHIP into his next start against the Mariners at home.

Sheets went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk Friday against Colorado.

Sheets continued to help pour it on for the Padres in the seventh inning, blasting a 371-foot homer to right field to make it an 8-0 game. The lefty-hitting corner outfielder regularly starts on the bench and yields to Yuli Gurriel when San Diego is up against a southpaw, which limits his overall fantasy appeal, but Sheets is batting a strong .333 with two long balls, two doubles and eight RBI over 36 at-bats to open the campaign.