MLB Player News

The Royals optioned Bowlan to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

The move comes a day after Bowlan lased just 2.2 innings in a start versus the Blue Jays, yielding four runs on six hits and three walks. Bowlan returns to Omaha, where he's posted a 2.57 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 21:5 K:BB across 21 frames this season.

The Cardinals transferred Rom (biceps) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Rom has had trouble getting over the hump with his left biceps injury and is scheduled to be examined by Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas on Tuesday. He now cannot be activated until late May.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch confirmed that Manning will be called up from Triple-A Toledo to start the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader versus the Cardinals, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Manning had been on turn at Toledo but instead will take the hill Tuesday with the big club since they have a need for a spot starter. The right-hander has looked good in his two previous starts with Detroit this season, yielding four runs while putting up a 10:6 K:BB over 12.1 innings. He will be designated as the 27th man for Tuesday's doubleheader and is likely to be sent back down to the minors after the start.

Horton has been promoted from Double-A Tennessee to Triple-A Iowa, Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register reports.

Horton threw only 16.1 frames across four starts with Tennessee but was dominant in those innings, posting a 1.10 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 18:2 K:BB. The top prospect is coming off a 2023 campaign which saw him collect a 2.65 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 117:27 K:BB over 88.1 innings. Horton is likely to push to debut for the Cubs in 2024.

Senga (shoulder) reached the mid-90s with his fastball during Monday's bullpen against live hitters and used all of his pitches in the session, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets have been very deliberate so far with Senga's recovery from a shoulder capsule strain, but the organization's patience seems to be paying off. While the right-hander feels he will be back in the big-league rotation right around when he's first eligible to come off the IL on May 27, general manager David Stearns wouldn't sign off on that timeline, indicating Monday that he couldn't say whether Senga would be back in late May or early June. The 31-year-old is set to face live hitters two more times before beginning a rehab assignment around May 11.

Smith-Shawver topped 99 mph with three fastballs during his last start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The 21-year-old right-hander is still learning the nuances of pitching after mostly playing quarterback in high school, so it's not surprisingly that Smith-Shawver is unlocking more velocity. He struck out a season-high seven batters in five innings for Gwinnett on Wednesday, and while Atlanta is limiting his workload by only having him pitch once a week rather than on a regular five-day schedule, he still figures to be an option for the big-league rotation at some point in 2024. After a couple shaky outings to begin the year at Triple-A, he's given up four runs with a 10:4 K:BB over his last 9.2 innings.

Henry (1-2) took the loss against the Dodgers on Monday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks without recording a strikeout over four innings.

Henry got another turn in the rotation with Merrill Kelly (shoulder) and Ryne Nelson (elbow) on the injured list, but he was mostly ineffective against a potent Dodgers offense. Though the extent of the damage on the scoreboard against the southpaw was a pair of second-inning runs, he didn't record a single strikeout, and only one of his 72 pitches was a swinging strike. Henry's overall body of work this season has been mediocre, as he's posted a 5.40 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 24:11 K:BB over 28.1 frames. He may be pushed out of the rotation before his next turn comes up with Nelson nearing a return to action.

Paxton (3-0) earned the win over Arizona on Monday, allowing four runs on six hits and five walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Paxton gave up constant traffic on the basepaths and needed 96 pitches to get through just five frames, but a potent Dodgers offense gave him enough support to keep his record spotless at 3-0 for the season. Despite the veteran southpaw's clean record, he's been a volatile rotation option for Los Angeles due largely to his control issues -- Paxton has walked five or more batters on three occasions this season after doing so only five times total across his first 10 big-league campaigns. Though Paxton has thus far done what it takes to pick up wins in spite of the issue with free passes, fantasy managers may be hesitant to deploy him given his ugly 15:22 K:BB and 1.68 WHIP through 25.2 innings on the season.

Waldron (1-3) was tagged with the loss against Cincinnati on Monday, allowing four runs on six hits and no walks while striking out four batters over six innings.

Waldron fell behind early on an Elly De La Cruz first-inning solo homer, and he gave up four runs across his first three frames. To his credit, the knuckleballer yielded just one hit and zero runs over his final three innings, but San Diego's offense was mostly held in check. Waldron has completed six frames in each of his past two appearances, and he's given up one run in half of his six starts on the season. However, his record sits at 1-3, and he's pitched to a mediocre 4.35 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 27:10 K:BB over 31 frames overall.

Lodolo (3-0) earned the win over San Diego on Monday, allowing one run on one hit and two walks while striking out 11 batters over seven innings.

Lodolo's outing got off to an inauspicious start when he gave up a home run to the first batter he faced (Jurickson Profar), but that would end up being the only hit given up by the 26-year-old hurler over seven frames. The southpaw finished with an impressive 22 whiffs and a season-high 11 punchouts, marking his second double-digit strikeout effort through four starts. Lodolo has given up one or zero runs in three of those appearances and is thriving thus far with a 1.88 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 31:6 K:BB over 24 innings.