MLB Player News

Martinez (1-2) earned the victory during Thursday's 7-5 win over the Reds, allowing two runs on five hits across five innings. He struck out five and walked two.

Martinez coasted through the first four innings but got into trouble in the fifth after allowing a leadoff double to Brandon Drury. Martinez limited the damage to two runs and escaped the inning by getting back-to-back outs to end his outing. Walks remain an issue for the 31-year-old, who has walked 11 batters over his last 14.2 innings. Regardless, he currently sports a 4.12 ERA and will look to build off his solid start Thursday. However, he may soon shift to a bullpen role with Mike Clevinger (knee) nearing a return from the injured list.

Gilbert was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Gilbert's first major-league appearance this year came as a starter, but he tossed three innings out of the bullpen during Monday's loss to the Dodgers. He'll now head back to the minors, where he's served as a starter in each of his first two outings of the season and will pitch as a starter upon his return. Luis Frias and Tyler Holton were called up to provide additional bullpen depth.

Holton's contract was selected by the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

Holton began the year at Triple-A Reno and posted a 6.75 ERA and 2.13 WHIP in eight innings over five relief appearances. He'll be available to make his major-league debut out of the bullpen after J.B. Wendelken (undisclosed) was placed on the injured list and Tyler Gilbert was optioned to Reno. However, it seems unlikely that Holton will pitch in high-leverage situations.

Frias was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Frias was sent to the minors at the end of March, and he posted a 3.29 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 13.2 innings over three minor-league starts to begin the season. He'll provide bullpen depth after J.B. Wendelken (undisclosed) was placed on the injured list and Tyler Gilbert was sent down.

Williams tossed a scoreless ninth earning to earn his first save of the season during Thursday's 3-2 win over the Pirates. He struck out three and didn't allow a baserunner.

Williams got his first save opportunity of the season with Josh Hader, who pitched five times over the last seven days, unavailable for Thursday's contest. The Brewers scored two runs in the top of the ninth to take a 3-2 lead, and Williams shut the door quickly by striking out the side in the bottom half of the inning. The 27-year-old righty surrendered four runs across his first four outings of the year, but he's settled in as Milwaukee's setup man with six straight scoreless outings.

The Diamondbacks promoted Jameson from Double-A Amarillo to Triple-A Reno on Thursday, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.

Jameson quickly course corrected after a rough season debut April 8 against Midland, as he permitted just one run while striking out 20 over his last 17 innings spanning three starts. The string of strong outings will allow Jameson to move up a rung on the minor-league ladder to put him on the doorstep for his MLB debut. The 8-11 Diamondbacks likely don't fancy themselves as contenders, and that fact coupled with Jameson's status as a non-40-man roster player means that he may have to dominate at Reno to earn a call-up to the majors in the second half of the 2022 campaign.

Hicks (wrist) is listed as the starter for Sunday's game against Arizona, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Hicks exited his previous start Tuesday against the Mets after taking a comebacker off his right wrist. He hasn't been diagnosed with anything worse than a bruise and appears set to avoid missing a start. He's unlikely to pitch deep into Sunday's contest, as he's topped out at three innings this season.

Long (0-1) took the loss Wednesday versus the Athletics, allowing one run on one hit with a strikeout in one inning.

Long was the opener Wednesday, and he allowed a leadoff home run to Chad Pinder. That ended up being the game's lone run, with the Giants mustering just three hits in the contest. This was the first time Long's given up a run this season -- he owns a 1.35 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 6:1 K:BB while making three of his six appearances as an opener. He isn't likely to be needed in that role this weekend versus the Nationals, so Long's next appearance should be expected to be in relief.

The Marlins optioned Castano to Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday, Byron Kerr of MLB.com reports.

After being called up from Triple-A on April 20, Castano didn't make any appearances out of the Miami bullpen. The Marlins will swap Castano off the 28-man active roster in favor of Zach Pop, who received his first call-up of the season from Jacksonville.

The Marlins recalled Pop from Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday, Byron Kerr of MLB.com reports.

He'll enter the bullpen as a replacement for lefty Daniel Castano, who was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. The promotion to the big leagues is the first of the season for Pop, who turned in a 4.12 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 51:24 K:BB across 54.2 innings in his 50 appearances for the Marlins as a rookie last year.