MLB Player News

Smith (elbow) was reinstated from the disabled list prior to Wednesday's game against San Diego, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Smith appeared in six minor-league rehab outings over the past couple weeks and looks fully operational after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March of 2017. The left-hander figures to pitch in high-leverage spots within the Giants' bullpen after posting a 3.35 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 40.1 innings of work split between San Francisco and Milwaukee in 2016. In a corresponding move, the club optioned Austin Slater to Triple-A.

Hicks reclaimed the title of hardest thrower in baseball by hitting 102 mph Tuesday against the White Sox, MLB.com reports.

The Marlins' Tayron Guerrero held the title for one day after hitting 101.8 mph Monday, but the crown was back with Hicks within a day. His 1.17 ERA through 15.1 innings fits the profile of someone who can hit 102 mph, but his 6.71 xFIP is fitting for someone who had never pitched above High-A. His low ERA seems more related to luck than anything else, as he's allowed just a .182 BABIP and is stranding 87.5 percent of runners. Somehow, despite his impressive fastball, he's struck out just 10.5 percent of batters faced, and he seems to have no idea where his pitches are going, posting a 19.4 percent walk rate. His minus-9 percent strikeout minus walk rate is second-worst among pitchers who have thrown at least 10 innings. He's an exciting talent, but all the signs seem to point to heavy regression with the ERA.

Bracho was the pitcher of record Tuesday in the Diamondbacks' 4-3 win over the Dodgers after tossing a scoreless seventh inning. He allowed no hits and two walks and struck out one.

Bracho recorded the first two outs of the frame without much stress before issuing back-to-back walks to put a runner in scoring position. Fortunately for the Diamondbacks, the young right-hander buckled down and struck out Cody Bellinger to end the threat, then earned his first MLB win after Arizona scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead. Arizona only recalled Bracho on Monday in order to have a fresh arm in the bullpen until a fifth starter was needed to assume the rotation spot of the injured Robbie Ray (oblique), so there's a good chance the 25-year-old will head back to Triple-A Reno before the end of the week.

Boxberger worked around a walk to turn in a scoreless ninth inning en route to his 10th save of the season in the Diamondbacks' 4-3 win over the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Since conceding three runs (one earned) while failing to record an out in a loss against the Padres on April 20, Boxberger has been outstanding over his last four outings, recording saves each time out while giving up only one hit. All four of those appearances have come within the last five days, so it wouldn't be surprising if Boxberger was unavailable for Wednesday should another save opportunity arise. Archie Bradley and Yoshihisa Hirano would be the top candidates to handle ninth-inning duties if manager Torey Lovullo opts to give Boxberger a breather.

Hand tossed a scoreless inning en route to his seventh save of the season in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the Giants.

It was a bit surprising to see manager Andy Green turn to Hand after he blew a multi-inning save opportunity that required 37 pitches the night prior. The closer rewarded his manager's confidence with a clean inning, showing no ill effects of the lengthy appearance Monday. The 28-year-old outperformed his 3.07 FIP by nearly a run during his stellar 2017 campaign, so his current 3.07 ERA (3.06 FIP) shouldn't come as a huge surprise. While the slight reduction in ERA is a minor criticism, Hand's strikeout (12.9 K/9) and groundball rates (2.7 GB/FB) are currently career highs, which bodes well for his production as the season progresses.

Koch did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks while striking out three over five innings against the Dodgers.

Koch fell an inning short of being able to qualify for his third straight quality start, but it was another solid showing nonetheless. He's not overpowering hitters and has yet to strike out more than four batters in any single start, but he's limited the damage by largely keeping the ball on the ground -- Koch induced another eight ground outs Tuesday versus just four fly outs. With a 2.37 ERA, the righty is certainly pitching well enough to keep earning his starts, though he draws a tough matchup next time out against the defending champion Astros on Sunday.

Suarez did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five over seven innings against the Padres.

The young lefty was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to make Tuesday's start, and he acquitted himself well. He was very efficient, needing just 84 pitches to get through seven innings, and now sports a tidy 12:1 K:BB over 12 innings in two big-league starts this year. With Johnny Cueto on the shelf with an elbow injury, Suarez figures to continue taking his turn in the rotation for the foreseeable future.

Vizcaino allowed one earned run on two hits but still converted his fourth save of the season Tuesday against the Mets.

Vizcaino ran into some trouble closing the game out, allowing two singles while also throwing a wild pitch to advance them on the bases. Regardless, he successfully held onto the lead and is now 4-for-5 in save chances this season with strong ratios and a solid strikeout rate. Since Brian Snitker said the closer role would be fluid, Vizcaino has the only two save opportunities for the team and has successfully converted them both.

Garcia tossed six innings of one-run ball in a no-decision Tuesday against the Phillies, allowing five hits and one walk with three strikeouts.

Garcia scattered baserunners throughout the evening, allowing his only run on a pair of hits in the fifth inning. He was extremely efficient during this quality start, averaging just 13.3 pitches per inning before he was lifted following the sixth. Garcia has been a revelation this season and has now allowed one or fewer runs in all but one of his six outings for a 1.09 ERA. He's posted a pedestrian 6.3 K/9, but he still makes for a worthy fantasy addition for those in need of ratio help.

Melancon (elbow) will throw a bullpen session over the weekend, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

To this point, Melancon has only been throwing from flat ground, so the upcoming bullpen session will be a step in the right direction for the 33-year-old. Until Melancon returns to full health, Hunter Strickland will be in line to see save opportunities for the Giants.