MLB Player News

Wesneski (2-2) allowed two runs on three hits across three innings of relief to take the loss Monday against Atlanta. He walked one and struck out two.

Wesneski had worked as a starter over his last three appearances, compiling a strong 2.20 ERA in the process, but he returned to the bullpen Monday and took over for starter Shota Imanaga, who tossed five scoreless innings. The righty seemed to lose a little sharpness in the relief role as he suffered his second loss of the season. Wesneski may return to the rotation at some point, though he's slated to work as a long reliever for now, which limits his fantasy appeal.

Minter worked around a hit and walk allowed to pick up the save Monday against the Cubs. He pitched a scoreless inning with no strikeouts.

For the second straight night, Minter received the call for the save but was able to escape Monday unlike Sunday evening. Minter allowed Cody Bellinger to reach via an infield single and walked Christopher Morel before securing three outs to finish the game. Raisel Iglesias, who threw 48 pitches over back-to-back outings on Thursday and Friday, was likely slated for additional rest and should retain his closer role over Minter in Atlanta.

Imanaga did not factor into the decision Monday against Atlanta, allowing seven hits and three walks over five shutout innings. He struck out eight.

With his five shutout frames Monday, Imanaga shaved his ERA down to 0.96, a sterling mark for his first 46.2 major league innings. However, the Atlanta offense made the Cubs lefty work hard for his scoreless night as they had 10 baserunners and drew three walks, both setting season-highs allowed for Imanaga. He draws a much easier opponent in his next start, scheduled against Pittsburgh at home this upcoming weekend.

Morel left Monday's game against Atlanta after fouling a ball off his left foot, and he's been diagnosed with a left toe injury, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Morel is reportedly dealing with bumps and bruises, per Lee, so this appears to be a day-to-day type of injury. The Cubs should know more about his availability for the rest of the week after re-evaluating him Tuesday.

An MRI revealed that Riley has inflammation in his left side, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The results of Riley's MRI indicate that he'll be able to avoid a trip to the 10-day injured list, though the club will exercise caution to ensure he doesn't make the injury worse. "They'll treat him up tomorrow and see where he's at," said manager Brian Snitker. "The MRI just showing inflammation is a good thing, now it's going to be maintenance and a day-to-day thing."

Lopez was lifted from Monday's start against the Cubs early due to back tightness, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. He didn't factor into the decision after allowing two hits and two walks while striking out four over five scoreless innings.

Lopez was removed from the game firing 71 pitches, and he likely would've gone back out for the sixth had his back not become an issue. He'll be considered day-to-day leading up to his next outing, but the club expects him to be ready for his next start, per Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Black was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Black will head down to the minors after making his second start of the season Saturday against the Reds. He fared well, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out two over 4.1 frames. The Giants have enough off days to go with a four-man rotation until Blake Snell (adductor) returns next week. Nick Avila was recalled in a corresponding move.

Avila was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Avila will be available out of the bullpen for Monday's game against the Dodgers. He hasn't been able to settle in so far this season with the big-league club, surrendering at least one run in five of his six relief appearances.

Martin is working his way back from a hamstring strain and has yet to make his season debut for the Giants' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate, Melissa Lockard of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear when Martin suffered the injury, but Giants farm director Kyle Haines said that the 20-year-old won't be thrust into game action until he fully completes his rehab and return-to-play progression. The Giants are likely to let the No. 52 overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft get his feet wet at shortstop when he begins his professional career, but the 6-foot-2, 188-pound Martin will most likely shift over to third base as he climbs the minor-league ladder.

The Mets promoted Clifford from High-A Brooklyn to Double-A Binghamton on Monday.

Clifford hit just .216 and posted unremarkable counting stats over his 31 games with Brooklyn (one home run, one stolen base, 13 runs and 10 RBI), but he earned the bump up to Double-A largely on the back of his discerning eye at the plate. He drew walks at a prolific 23.9 percent clip with Brooklyn, enabling him to maintain a .412 on-base percentage across 136 plate appearances. Racking up free passes has been a hallmark of Clifford's statistical profile at every stop of his professional career, but since he's limited defensively to first base and the corner outfield, he'll likely need to tap into more power at the upper levels of the minors to improve his long-term fantasy outlook by the time he hits the big leagues.