MLB Player News

Pfaadt allowed three hits and one walk while striking out eight over seven scoreless innings for Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Pfaadt turned in his most dominant performance of the season during a week in which the parent club's rotation underwent a shakeup. The Diamondbacks designated Madison Bumgarner for assignment, but opted for Tommy Henry as an initial replacement. Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said logistics were the main reason for that decision, meaning Henry was closer to being on turn for a start Monday, per Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic. Hazen considered bringing Pfaadt up to start Friday instead, but the GM acknowledged the cascading effect it would have had on the rotation's existing members wasn't ideal. Hazen added that he feels Pfaadt is ready to pitch in the majors, and Thursday's performance by the organization's top pitching prospect appears to back up the GM's assessment. After a rocky first start this season, Pfaadt has settled in over three subsequent outings, posting a 1.62 ERA and 18:4 K:BB over 16.2 innings.

Senga (3-0) earned the win Thursday, allowing four runs on five hits over five innings against the Giants. He struck out four and walked four.

While this was hardly a dominant start, Senga pitched well enough to take advantage of the Mets' lively offense in a 9-4 victory. The right-hander now has a 4.29 ERA and 1.52 WHIP through the first four starts of his MLB career. The three-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star is tentatively slated to face the Nationals at home in his next appearance.

Nelson did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing five runs on three hits and three walks over five innings against the Padres. He struck out four.

Nelson struggled with his command and threw just 47 of his 85 pitches for strikes, and the five runs allowed Thursday are the most he's given up across his four starts this year. He now has a 4.91 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 14:8 K:BB in 22 frames this season. The right-hander is tentatively slated to face the Royals at home in his next appearance.

Wacha did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing five runs on 10 hits and one walk over four innings in a 7-5 victory over Arizona. He struck out three.

Wacha has now allowed 12 runs in his last 8.1 innings pitched. Outside of tossing six scoreless innings against Atlanta on April 8, the right-hander has mostly been ineffective through his first four starts of the season. The Iowa native has plenty of time to turn it around, but he's currently a volatile fantasy option with a 7.08 ERA and 1.72 WHIP.

Feltner (1-2) earned the win over Philadelphia on Thursday, pitching 5.2 scoreless innings during which he gave up three hits and three walks while striking out six batters.

Feltner had a rough go his previous trip to the mound, giving up five runs in 3.2 innings last weekend in Seattle. He rebounded nicely Thursday, falling one out shy of a quality start and keeping the Phillies off the scoreboard. He struggled with his control again, issuing exactly three free passes for the third straight game, but balanced that by giving up just three hits, all of which were singles. Feltner has shown some decent strikeout stuff this season with 21 punchouts across 19 frames, but it's hard to be optimistic about his chances for sustained success given that he's also handed out 14 walks. Getting a better handle on his control will be key for the right-hander to further improve upon his 6.16 ERA.

Manager Dave Roberts confirmed after Thursday's game against the Cubs that Grove (groin) would be placed on the injured list, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Grove left his start Thursday night after suffering a groin strain. After the game, Roberts suggested that the injury wasn't overly serious, but Grove will still be forced to miss at least the next two weeks of action. The team has a number of options to fill in for him, including turning to a four-man rotation or activating Tony Gonsolin (ankle) from the injured list.

Grove suffered a strain in his right groin during Thursday's start against the Cubs, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Grove was pulled in the fourth inning of his start after suffering an apparent lower-body injury. No formal move has been made yet, but it's likely that he'll end up on the injured list. The Dodgers have an off day Monday, so the team could opt to use a four-man rotation in the short term with both Ryan Pepiot (oblique) and Tony Gonsolin (ankle) still sidelined.

Grove exited Thursday's start against the Cubs with an apparent lower-body injury, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Grove surrendered a walk and a double to begin the fourth inning, which prompted a visit from pitching coach Mark Prior. After a brief conversation, a trainer was called and Grove exited without throwing another pitch. The exact nature of the injury remains unclear. Prior to his departure, Grove threw three innings while surrendering an earned run on five hits and two walks.

Contreras (2-1) earned the win Thursday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over 6.2 innings in a 4-3 victory over the Reds. He struck out eight.

Contreras held the Reds off the board until the seventh inning, ultimately allowing just one run while racking up a season-high eight strikeouts. The 23-year-old Contreras has been great to start the year, apart from a seven-run loss against the Astros on April 10 -- he's allowed two runs or fewer in his other three starts. Overall, the young right-hander has a 4.57 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 19:10 K:BB through 21.2 innings this season.

The Mets plan to call up Lucchesi from Triple-A Syracuse to start Friday's game in San Francisco, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Friday will mark Lucchesi's first major-league appearance since June 2021, when he underwent Tommy John surgery. He returned to action in the minors for the tail end of the 2022 campaign and has been solid through three turns in the Triple-A rotation this season, recording a 2.30 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 15 strikeouts across 15.2 innings. With all of Justin Verlander (shoulder), Carlos Carrasco (elbow), Jose Quintana (ribs) and Elieser Hernandez (shoulder) on the injured list, Lucchesi could be in store for multiple turns through the big-league rotation.