MLB Player News

Merryweather is dealing with right knee discomfort but has been cleared to continue pitching, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Merryweather has picked up a pair of losses while giving up four earned runs in 4.2 innings so far this season. It's possible his knee is partly to blame for that performance. He'll continue pitching through it while wearing a brace.

Wantz was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.

Wantz missed out on a spot on the Angels' Opening Day roster but will join the team ahead of Tuesday's game against the Astros. The 26-year-old received his first taste of big-league action in 2021 and had a 4.94 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 38:11 K:BB over 27.1 innings.

Uceta was recalled from Triple-A Reno ahead of Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Nationals.

Uceta was already with the big-league club on the practice squad and will join the active roster for the nightcap. He appeared in 14 games for the Dodgers last year and had a 6.64 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 25:12 K:BB across 20.1 innings.

Chafin (groin) will make a rehab appearance for Low-A Lakeland on Thursday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Chafin missed the start of the season with a groin strain, but he's making progress and closing in on a return. If his outing Thursday goes well, he'll move up to Triple-A Toledo for two more rehab appearances. That puts his potential return date sometime in the middle of next week.

The Pirates shifted Howard's (back) rehab assignment from Low-A Bradenton to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Howard will get a stiffer test for his second rehab outing after he struck out two and issued one walk over a scoreless inning for Bradenton on Friday. If all goes well in his appearance for Indianapolis, Howard could be activated from the 10-day injured list at some point over the weekend.

Jimenez fired a scoreless ninth inning in a win over the Orioles on Monday, allowing two hits and a walk while recording two strikeouts in a non-save situation.

The right-hander created some trouble for himself before escaping it, leading to a 24-pitch workload. Jimenez could be the preferred option for any save opportunities that may present themselves while Lou Trivino (undisclosed) remains on the COVID-19 injured list, but given he worked a particularly long inning Monday, Jimenez may be unavailable if such a scenario unfolded Tuesday.

The Diamondbacks recalled Gilbert from Triple-A Reno ahead of his scheduled start Tuesday in the second game of Arizona's doubleheader in Washington.

With Arizona playing six games in a five-day stretch, Gilbert is stepping into the rotation as a temporary sixth starter. Since the Diamondbacks have designated him as their 29th man for the twin bill, Gilbert will be optioned back to Reno following his start Tuesday. In 40 innings with the big club in 2021, Gilbert submitted a 3.15 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 40 innings, but those strong ratios were supported by weak peripherals (7.6 K-BB%, 38.6 percent groundball rate, 5.09 xFIP). Gilbert thus profiles as a risky DFS and season-long streaming option.

Arizona claimed Webb off waivers from Atlanta on Tuesday and optioned him to Triple-A Reno, Jody Jackson of Bally Sports Arizona reports.

The Diamondbacks cleared room for the right-handed reliever on the 40-man roster by designating outfielder Stuart Fairchild for assignment. Though Webb will begin his tenure in the Arizona organization at Triple-A, a promotion to the Diamondbacks could come in short order, given the lack of established middle-relief options in the big-league bullpen. Webb owns a 2.47 ERA and .240 batting average against over 78 career MLB relief appearances.

Atlanta recalled Lee from Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

In order to open up a spot for the left-handed Lee, Atlanta designated southpaw Sean Newcomb for assignment. Lee appeared in just two regular-season games for Atlanta in 2021, but he made three appearances in the playoffs during the club's run to the World Series crown last fall. He'll likely see most of his usage out of the bullpen in lower-leverage spots as he makes his return to the 28-man active roster.

Johnson earned a hold against the Reds on Monday, pitching a perfect inning during which he struck out one.

The right-hander entered in the eighth inning to serve as a bridge to closer Taylor Rogers. Johnson did well in his outing, retiring all three batters he faced on 17 pitches. He has a 5.40 ERA due to one poor outing but has allowed no runs in four of his five appearances overall. Johnson is tied for the MLB lead with four holds on the season.