MLB Player News

Alvarez won't start Friday's game against the Padres and is now expected to pitch behind opener Paxton Schultz, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.

Alvarez has provided some length out of the bullpen this season, and he's now set to fill the bulk role Friday after initially being expected to make his first big-league start of 2026. Through four appearances, the 26-year-old lefty has recorded a win, a save and two holds with a 2.84 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB across 12.2 innings.

The Rockies reinstated Criswell (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Thursday and optioned him to Triple-A Albuquerque, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Criswell has spent the entire season on the injured list while finishing up his recovery from a Tommy John procedure he underwent in March 2025. He's already made a handful of appearances in the minors while on a rehab assignment but has struggled to the tune of a 5.91 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 10.2 innings split between three affiliates. The Rockies will keep him in the minors for the time being, but now that he's back on the organization's 40-man roster, he's a likely candidate to return to the majors at some point once Colorado needs a fresh bullpen arm.

Schultz will serve as the Nationals' opening pitcher in Friday's game against the Padres, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.

Schultz has performed well overall this season, but his ERA remains inflated at 5.30 through 18.2 frames after giving up six runs to the Mets in a May 18 appearance that lasted just one-third of an inning. He's now set for his first opening assignment of the campaign and is likely to remain in the game for an inning or two before Andrew Alvarez takes over in bulk relief.

Gordon is slated to start Sunday against the Giants at Coors Field.

Gordon will receive another turn through the Colorado rotation after he was able to hold his own in his first start of the season Monday in a road matchup with the Dodgers. He limited one of the majors' top offenses to one run on six hits and one walk while striking out three over five innings, taking a no-decision in the Rockies' eventual 5-3 loss. The 28-year-old righty owns a 6.78 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 142 career innings in the big leagues, so despite getting a favorable matchup versus a weak Giants lineup in his second start, he'll be tough to trust at hitter-friendly Coors Field.

The Marlins signed Willingham to a minor-league contract Thursday, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.

Willingham began the 2026 season at Triple-A Sugar Land in the Astros organization, but he was released after posting a 3.38 ERA but a 9:11 K:BB over 13.1 innings. The 27-year-old holds a 7.11 ERA in 19 relief outings at the big-league level and will give the Marlins an experienced bullpen arm at Triple-A Jacksonville.

The Nationals activated Henry (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Thursday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.

Henry has been out since mid-April with a right rotator cuff strain. He yielded two runs (one earned) with a 4:1 K:BB over five rehab innings with Triple-A Rochester and averaged 94.1 mph with his four-seamer, which is up a bit from his 93.7 mph average before he got hurt. Henry could work his way into high-leverage spots in the Nationals' bullpen, but he will likely pitch in middle relief initially.

Webb (1-1) earned the win after striking out all three batters he faced in a 10-4 victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Webb entered the game in the sixth inning with the game knotted 4-4 and struck out the side to keep the game tied before the Cubs scored six unanswered runs. The 32-year-old has been near perfect in his last seven appearances, recording 7.1 scoreless frames with 12 strikeouts. Through 24 appearances this season, Webb has a 2.66 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 30:8 K:BB over 23.2 innings.

Weaver picked up his seventh hold Wednesday after pitching 1.1 scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out one batter in a 4-2 win over Cincinnati.

The 32-year-old entered with two outs in the seventh inning and the Mets holding a 3-2 lead, and he carried that one-run advantage into the ninth inning for closer Devin Williams. Weaver has been lights out over his last 15 appearances, allowing just two earned runs and striking out 20 batters over 17 innings. Weaver continues to operate as New York's primary setup man, and he isn't likely to see anything more than the occasional save chance since Williams has righted the ship after a rocky start to the year.

Agnos surrendered seven earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out one batter over two innings of relief Tuesday in the Rockies' 15-6 loss to the Dodgers.

Fresh off tossing five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and one walk in his first MLB start May 21 in Arizona, Agnos shifted back to the bullpen this week, with the Rockies having Tanner Gordon replace him as their fifth starter. Despite being called upon in a low-pressure spot in the top of the fifth inning with the Rockies trailing by seven runs, Agnos did little to stop the bleeding. The gem of an outing against the Diamondbacks looks to be an extreme outlier performance for the 25-year-old righty, who now owns a 6.42 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 45 career appearances in the big leagues.

Romero was charged with a blown save after allowing a hit and striking out one over one inning during a 2-1 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday. He allowed two inherited runners to score.

Starter Dustin May fired seven no-hit frames before giving up two hits to open the eighth, and Romero was called upon to escape the jam. The left-hander nearly did so unscathed, inducing a fielder's choice grounder and recording strikeout before a single and an error brought home two runs for Milwaukee. Despite the blown save, Romero has been cruising through his last 10 appearances, tallying six holds and allowing just one earned run while striking out 12 through 10.2 innings.