MLB Player News

Stone has a 7.20 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 12:8 K:BB in 15 innings through four starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Given that Stone was as dominant as any pitching prospect in big-league spring training and logged a 1.16 ERA in six starts at Triple-A to close last season, this is a surprisingly poor start to the season. Oddly enough, his worst starts have been the three at home, which is still a hitter-friendly environment, but not as extreme as places like El Paso, Las Vegas or Albuquerque. Stone's best start was April 5 in Las Vegas, where he had five strikeouts in five innings of one-run ball. The changeup, which is Stone's go-to weapon, is a feel pitch, so perhaps he just hasn't had the feel for it early on, but suffice to say he isn't banging down the big-league door just yet.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Stripling has "a good chance" to move into the rotation after San Francisco placed Alex Wood (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Stripling started the Giants' third game of the season back on April 2, but his subsequent three appearances have come out of the bullpen while Sean Manaea has unseated him for the final spot in the five-man rotation. However, with Wood going down with an injury that will sideline him for at least the next two weeks, Stripling appears primed to recapture a starting role. Even while working in relief of late, Stripling still hasn't tossed any fewer than 36 pitches in any of his four appearances this season, so he should be relatively stretched out for starting duty. Assuming Kapler sticks with the plan to add Stripling back to the rotation, the right-hander would tentatively line up to take the hill Sunday versus the Mets at Oracle Park.

Wainwright (groin) will make two rehab starts before rejoining the Cardinals' rotation, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

The first one will come Wednesday at Double-A Springfield, when he's set to throw 55-60 pitches. He'll then throw around 75 pitches five days after that before being re-evaluated. Assuming he looks and feels fine, that would set Wainwright up for a season debut as soon as April 29 in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.

Bradley is scheduled to make his next start Monday versus the Astros in Tampa, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Given that he's now turned in a 2.61 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 17:2 K:BB over 10.1 innings between his first two starts along with the fact that Tampa Bay has four other starters on the injured list, Bradley looks like he'll have some longevity in the big-league rotation. Zach Eflin (back) remains on track to return from the IL on Sunday to help restore some starting depth for the Rays, but Bradley's spot is secure while Jeffrey Springs (elbow) and Shane Baz (elbow) are out for the season and Tyler Glasnow (oblique) is likely sidelined until at least the middle of May.

Cleveland optioned Gaddis to Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The 25-year-old is being sent down to make room for infield prospect Brayan Rocchio on the 26-man active roster. Gaddis struggled for the most part over his four starts with the big club this season, logging a 7.64 ERA and 12:6 K:BB over 17.2 innings. The Guardians could turn to Gaddis to make starts again, but there are other internal options (Tanner Bibee, Xzavion Curry, Konnor Pilkington) that could get the chance before the right-hander receives another opportunity.

Baltimore plans to activate Bradish (foot) off the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Expect Baltimore to officially confirm the transaction a few hours prior to the game's 7:05 p.m. ET start time. Bradish will be making his first start for Baltimore since suffering a right foot contusion in his season debut April 3. The right-hander threw 83 pitches in his rehab start for Double-A Bowie last Friday, so he should be able to work into the mid-to-late innings against a beatable Washington lineup.

Bassitt (2-2) earned the win Tuesday over the Astros, allowing three hits and one walk over 6.1 scoreless innings. He struck out five.

Bassitt has shown remarkable improvement after a rough season debut, recording his third consecutive quality start. The 34-year-old did not give up a hit until the fourth inning and proceeded to blank the Astros until he exited the game in the sixth inning. Bassitt has allowed only two earned runs while striking out at least five batters in each of his last three starts. He will bring a 5.40 ERA and 1.34 WHIP into his next start, scheduled for the upcoming series against the White Sox.

Soroka gave up four hits and two walks over six scoreless innings for Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday. He struck out five.

The right-hander's long road back to the majors -- he last pitched for Atlanta in August 2020 -- appears to be nearing its end. Soroka has posted a 1.32 ERA and 13:4 K:BB through 13.2 innings over three starts this year for Gwinnett, and so far he's stayed healthy after battling back from multiple lower-body surgeries over the last few years. With Bryce Elder pitching well at the moment, Atlanta doesn't have a clear vacancy in its rotation, but should Elder stumble or another pitcher land on the IL, Soroka seems likely to be the next man up.

Wood (hamstring) was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Wood exited his start Tuesday versus the Marlins in the third inning after he sustained a left hamstring strain and he will now be unavailable for at least 15 days while he nurses the issue. In his place, Tristan Beck was called up from Triple-A Sacramento and will replace Wood on the Giants' major-league roster for the time being.

Verlander (shoulder) is expected to throw a live batting practice session Sunday ahead of a minor-league rehab start next Friday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Moving to a five-day throwing schedule is a strong sign the 2022 AL Cy Young Award winner is closing in on activation from the injured list. If he needs only one rehab start, the veteran right-hander figures to make his Mets debut in early May, and the team could certainly use him after Carlos Carrasco (elbow) joined Verlander and Jose Quintana (ribs) on the shelf Tuesday. Joey Lucchesi appears to be the most likely candidate to plug the hole in the team's rotation until Verlander is ready.