MLB Player News

Early (1-0) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over six innings in a 9-5 victory over the Twins. He struck out five.

The young southpaw delivered his first quality start of the season along with his first win, and the only blemish on his line was a first-inning solo shot by Austin Martin. Early tossed 52 of his 85 pitches for strikes, and he has yet to give up more than two runs in an outing in 2026. He'll take a 2.29 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 20:10 K:BB through 19.2 innings into his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against the Yankees.

Church went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Guardians.

He also made an impact defensively, recording an outfield assist as Kyle Manzardo was thrown out at home plate in the fourth inning after a George Valera double got over Church's head. The steal was Church's first of the season -- part of a 4-for-4 performance on the basepaths by the Cardinals against the battery of Slade Cecconi and Bo Naylor -- and the multi-hit effort was his first since Opening Day. Despite the big afternoon, however, the 25-year-old Church is slashing just .205/.238/.308 through 16 games on the season.

Monasterio started at first base and went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 9-5 win over Minnesota.

Monasterio, who stepped in at first base Tuesday when Willson Contreras was removed due to a back issue, started there Wednesday. The three-hit day was the first multi-hit effort of the season for Monasterio, who entered the contest batting .143 (2-for-14) in limited playing time. The Red Sox are off Thursday, which gives Contreras downtime ahead of the four-game set with the Tigers begins Friday.

Burger isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics.

Burger will get a day to rest Wednesday after going 3-for-8 with two homers and five RBI through the first two games of the series. Joc Pederson will fill in for him at first base, moving Wyatt Langford into the DH spot while Ezequiel Duran patrols left field.

Padres manager Craig Stammen told reporters Wednesday that Pivetta was diagnosed with a right flexor strain, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Per Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Sports Association, Stammen believes that Pivetta is looking at "weeks, maybe months" of rehab and rest. That kind of timeline indicates that Pivetta will be out of action until the summer, potentially through the All-Star break in mid-July. Matt Waldron (lower body) is slated to take Pivetta's spot in the rotation later this week once the former is activated from the 15-day IL.

O'Brien struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his fifth save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Guardians.

The flame-throwing right-hander topped out at 99.7 mph with his two-seamer as he fanned Angel Martinez and Rhys Hoskins en route to converting his fifth straight save chance to begin the season. The back of the Cardinals' bullpen seemed unsettled to begin the season, but O'Brien has quickly locked down the closing gig while posting a 0.39 WHIP and 11:0 K:BB with just one unearned run allowed through his first 10.1 innings.

May (2-2) picked up the win in Wednesday's 5-3 victory over the Guardians, allowing one run on six hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four.

The right-hander was far from dominant, managing a paltry two swinging strikes among his 91 pitches (59 total strikes), but May limited the damage in his second straight quality start and second straight win. It's a remarkable turnaround from his first two outings of 2026 -- in which he surrendered a combined 13 runs -- but his margin for error seems very thin without missing more bats. May will take a 6.98 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 15:4 K:BB through 19.1 innings into his next start, which lines up to come on the road early next week in Miami.

Cecconi didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Cardinals, allowing one run on three hits and five walks over four innings. He struck out four.

The right-hander was able to limit the damage, but Cecconi needed 87 pitches (52 strikes) to record his 12 outs before being lifted from a 1-1 tie. The walks equaled his total from his first three starts of 2026 combined, and Cecconi will take a 5.03 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 18:10 K:BB through 19.2 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against the Astros.

Jackson went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 8-5 extra-inning loss to the Diamondbacks.

The 26-year-old utility player got hold of an Eduardo Rodriguez fastball in the bottom of the fourth inning, ripping it on a line over the fence in left-center field for a two-run shot. It was Jackson's fourth homer of the season, and all four have come in the last five games as part of a six-game hitting streak, during which he's batting .480 (12-for-25) with two doubles, five runs and 10 RBI. With Jackson Holliday (hand) having had a setback on his rehab assignment earlier this week and Jordan Westburg (elbow) still not expected back until late May, Jackson has the starting job at second base locked down for now.

Snell (shoulder) tossed a live bullpen session Wednesday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Snell ended up tossing 31 pitches over two simulated innings and faced Alex Call, Santiago Espinal and Tommy Edman (ankle), per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Snell continues to rehab from left shoulder fatigue that caused him to open the regular season on the 15-day injured list. Wednesday was his second bullpen session of his recovery program, and he'll likely need several more before being cleared to embark on a minor-league rehab assignment. Snell is not expected to make his season debut until at least late May.