MLB Player News

Antone underwent surgery Friday to repair the UCL and flexor tendon in his right elbow, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Manager David Bell said Antone's procedure went extremely well, though the right-hander is still expected to miss the entire year. He has made just nine appearances across the past three seasons and will now aim to return in 2025.

Bard (knee) will undergo right flexor tendon surgery and miss the rest of the 2024 season, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Bard started the season on the 15-day injured list while rehabbing from a cleanup procedure on his left knee in mid-February. The surgery on his right elbow will put Bard on the shelf for the rest of the season, and it could be his last year with the Rockies as the 38-year-old is a free agent in 2025. Justin Lawrence is currently the primary option for saves in a very volatile Colorado bullpen.

Willingham was recalled from Triple-A Rochester by the Nationals on Friday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

The Nationals will still need to bring up a starter early next week to face the Dodgers, but in the meantime Willingham will give the bullpen a fresh arm. The 25-year-old collected a 6.66 ERA and 15:9 K:BB over 24.1 innings during his time in the majors last season.

Matzek gave up two runs on three hits in the eighth inning of Thursday's loss to the Mets.

He also threw a wild pitch. Atlanta was down 10-3 when Matzek entered the game, so the performance didn't affect the final outcome, but he's now been tagged for five runs over his last two appearances, leaving him with a 9.00 ERA on the season, along with a 4:2 K:BB through five innings. Matzek has picked up one hold in his five games, and that figures to be the primary source of what fantasy value he earns in 2024.

Lee allowed three unearned runs on two hits and a walk over two innings in Thursday's loss to the Mets. He struck out two.

The left-hander entered the game with Atlanta already down 7-0, and an Austin Riley error cushioned the blow to his ERA. Lee has been used in low-leverage long relief spots to begin the season, working more than one inning in all four of his appearances with a 0.00 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 5:3 K:BB through eight innings. While the early ratios are impressive, Lee has yet to collect a win, hold or save, and his fantasy value will remain limited without a more prominent role in the bullpen.

Atlanta recalled Vines from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

The right-hander made his last start for Gwinnett on April 4 and should immediately be available out of the bullpen for Atlanta. However, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Vines could be an option to start Tuesday against the Astros, depending on his usage over the next few days. The 25-year-old Vines made his MLB debut last season and had a 3.98 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 14:7 K:BB across 20.1 innings.

Cuas was optioned to Triple-Iowa on Thursday.

Cuas was projected to serve in a prominent role in the Cubs' bullpen, but he surrendered at least one earned run in four of his first five appearances to begin the campaign. He'll look to get on track at Iowa and has a good chance to return to the majors fairly quickly.

Holderman allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit across two-thirds of an inning Thursday against the Phillies.

Holderman was sidelined with an illness for a significant part of spring training, so he began on the season injured list to build up his workload. He was activated Thursday and entered the game in the seventh inning, only to serve up a two-run home run to the second batter he faced. Holderman will likely pitch in high-leverage spots, though he'll be behind both David Bednar and Aroldis Chapman for save opportunities.

The Pirates reinstated Holderman (illness) from the 15-day injured list Thursday.

Holderman appeared in four games during his rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis. He gave up three earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning during his first game but did not allow another run to score in his final three. He'll likely reprise his role as a high-leverage reliever in Pittsburgh's bullpen, though opportunities for saves will be minimal with David Bednar and Aroldis Chapman healthy.

Lawrence (0-1) took the loss Wednesday, giving up two runs on one hit and two walks in the ninth inning as the Rockies fell 5-3 to the Diamondbacks. He struck out one.

It wasn't a save situation after Jake Bird had coughed up the tying run in the seventh, but Lawrence still fell apart in a high-leverage spot. The Colorado bullpen has been a disaster to begin the season, and Lawrence's 11.57 ERA and 5:4 K:BB through 4.2 innings has been a big part of that. Tyler Kinley (10.80 ERA, 5:7 K:BB in 5.0 IP) has arguably been worse though, so the door is open for a younger arm like Nick Mears (2.84 ERA, 8:5 K:BB in 6.1 IP with three holds) to move into a more prominent role.