MLB Player News

Hicks received an injection in his elbow last week and is expected to rest for a month before beginning to build his arm strength back up, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Hicks won't be returning any time soon, as he landed on the 60-day injured list Friday, knocking him out until at least early July. Whether or not he's on track to return when first eligible is not yet clear.

Martin was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Tuesday and will start against the Dodgers.

Martin made five starts for the Astros in 2019, struggling to a 5.59 ERA before being shut down for Tommy John surgery. He was a fairly highly rated prospect prior to the injury, good enough to headline a trade for Zack Greinke even after undergoing the procedure, but he'll face a tough test against the defending champions in his first start for his new team.

Ponce de Leon (shoulder) returned from the injured list Tuesday.

Ponce de Leon struggled to an 8.71 ERA and 1.84 WHIP in two starts in three relief appearances before being sidelined with shoulder inflammation in late April. He'll likely fill a lower-leverage relief role for now. Junior Fernandez was optioned in a corresponding move.

Milner was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Milner spent three days on the big-league roster, allowing one run in a two-inning relief appearance. The move clears space on the roster for Christian Yelich (back) to return from the injured list.

Hildenberger was claimed off waivers by the Giants on Tuesday and optioned to Triple-A Sacramento, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Hildenberger allowed four earned runs in 2.1 innings of work for the Mets before getting designated for assignment Saturday. He'll serve as organizational depth for the Giants for now.

Romero was transferred to the 60-day injured list Tuesday and will undergo Tommy John surgery, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Romero struggled to a 7.00 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in nine innings of work before hitting the injured list in early May with what was originally referred to as a left elbow sprain. As it turns out, the injury is a very serious one, and he'll now miss not only the remainder of the season but likely the majority of next year as well.

Hernandez (biceps) expected to throw 45-to-50 pitches in his first rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Jacksonville, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Hernandez has reached the final phase of his recovery program for right biceps inflammation, an injury that cropped up during his first start of the season April 3. The Marlins will likely want Hernandez to get stretched out to around 80 pitches before bringing him back from the 10-day injured list, so he'll presumably require an additional rehab start beyond Tuesday. If he emerges from his rehab assignment setback-free, Hernandez could slot back into the Miami rotation in the second half of next week.

Perez was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.

Perez has thrown 14 innings of relief for the Reds this season but hasn't had much success. His 7.71 ERA doesn't come as much of a surprise, as he's walked 14 batters while striking out just 12. Mark Payton was recalled in a corresponding move.

The Diamondbacks are expected to recall Martin from Triple-A Reno this week to start one of the remaining three games of the team's series with the Dodgers, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.

Martin's expected call-up was foreshadowed by Reno scratching him from his scheduled outing Monday for non-injury reasons. He'll end up joining the rotation as a replacement for Luke Weaver (shoulder), who is expected to be placed on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. Martin made his MLB debut with the Astros in 2019, but he underwent Tommy John surgery that July and was dealt to Arizona soon after, so he has yet to make his Diamondbacks debut. Prior to being scratched from Monday's start, Martin had permitted only two earned runs while holding opposing hitters to a .143 average over his 9.2 innings with Reno.

Howard owns a 1.00 ERA and 38.2 percent strikeout rate through his first three starts of the year for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, including an eight-strikeout performance in his most recent outing Sunday.

The Phillies' plan all along seemed to be to manage Howard's innings carefully in the minors during the early part of the season before calling him up as a major-league rotation member later in the year. He's back on that path after making three big-league relief appearances in April when the team needed an extra arm. The young righty still isn't close to a true starter's workload, as he faced just nine batters in his first two Triple-A outings and 16 in his most recent one, so a promotion doesn't appear imminent, but the Phillies haven't gotten much from their fifth starter spot, meaning there won't be anyone blocking Howard once he's ready to go.