MLB Player News

The Cubs activated Boyd (biceps) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Boyd is set to rejoin the rotation with a start Wednesday against the Phillies after missing the past two-plus weeks with a left biceps strain. The left-hander threw 64 pitches and went 3.2 innings in his lone rehab outing last Thursday, so he might not be ready for a full workload in his first start back from the injured list.

Williamson (2-2) took the loss Wednesday as the Reds were downed 6-1 by the Rays, coughing up five runs on seven hits and three walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out three.

A third-inning solo shot by Junior Caminero marked the only extra-base hit off Williamson, but the southpaw has trouble putting hitters away and tossed 54 strikes among his 87 pitches. He's failed to last five frames in three of his five starts so far this season, producing a 5.40 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 15:16 K:BB over 25 innings, With Nick Lodolo (blister) getting close to making his 2026 debut, Williamson's time in the rotation could be nearing an end.

The Cardinals are likely to insert Dobbins (knee) as part of a six-man rotation during their stretch of 17 games without an off day that begins Friday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Coming back from last year's ACL surgery, Dobbins is slated to make a fifth rehab start with Triple-A Memphis on Saturday. That would put him in line to make his Cardinals debut as soon as April 30 in Pittsburgh, and he appears likely to receive multiple turns as the club looks to keep their rotation members rested. Acquired over the offseason from the Red Sox in the Willson Contreras trade, Dobbins holds a 3.86 ERA and 16:4 K:BB over 18.2 frames covering his first four rehab outings with Memphis.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday that Peterson will have his turn in the rotation skipped this week and will work out of the bullpen, SNY.tv reports.

While starting in each of his first four appearances of the season, Peterson struggled to a 6.41 ERA and 1.83 WHIP, but he delivered better results while working in bulk relief behind opener Tobias Myers in Sunday's loss to the Cubs, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings. Despite the strong showing out of the bullpen, Peterson's grasp on a full-time spot in the rotation still appears to be tenuous, and the Mets will skip his turn this week and instead call up Christian Scott from Triple-A Syracuse to serve as their fifth starter Thursday versus the Twins. The Mets haven't revealed their plans for the rotation beyond this week, but if Scott performs well in his 2026 big-league debut, it's possible that he sticks as a starter over Peterson moving forward.

Ellwanger was placed on the 60-day injured list at Single-A Fort Myers on Wednesday with a right elbow sprain, Theodore Tollefson of Zone Coverage reports.

A sprain indicates ligament damage, though it's unclear at this point whether Ellwanger might need surgery. A third-round pick in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft, Ellwanger turned in a dominant first three starts at Fort Myers, tossing 11.2 shutout innings with a 15:5 K:BB. Now he will be sidelined for at least a couple months, and perhaps much longer.

The Padres signed Giolito to a one-year contract Wednesday.

He'll earn a prorated $3 million, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The deal also includes a mutual option for 2027 that could feature a sizable buyout. Giolito posted a 3.41 ERA and 121:56 K:BB over 145 innings for the Red Sox during the 2025 regular season. Elbow soreness prevented Giolito from being available for the postseason, but he had a normal offseason throwing program and said earlier this month that he's been maintaining a pitch count of around 75 during live batting practice sessions. Per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, Giolito will be assigned to Single-A Lake Elsinore, where he will knock off some rust before eventually joining the San Diego rotation.

Strider (oblique) struck out eight and permitted one hit and one walk over 4.1 scoreless innings in his rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Gwinnett.

After tossing 3.1 scoreless frames for High-A Rome during his first rehab start last Thursday, Strider moved up a couple levels for his second minor-league outing but was unfazed by the jump in competition. The right-hander pumped in 46 of his 65 pitches for strikes, topping out at 98.1 miles per hour with his fastball and inducing 15 swinging strikes, 10 of which came via his slider. Strider will look to build up to the 80-pitch mark his next time out in what will likely be his final rehab outing in the minors before Atlanta brings him back from the 15-day injured list. He tentatively lines up to make his 2026 MLB debut during Atlanta's three-game series in Colorado next weekend.

Priester (wrist) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Priester has been on the shelf all season while recovering from symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome in his right wrist, but he's made enough progress with his throwing program to advance to final stage of the rehab process. According to Sophia Minnaert of Brewers.tv, manager Pat Murphy said that Priester is scheduled to cover three innings or 45-to-50 pitches Wednesday and will require at least two starts in the minors before returning from the 15-day injured list, potentially in early May. As the Milwaukee rotation currently stands now, Brandon Sproat (6.88 ERA, 1.71 WHIP in 17 innings) would likely be most at risk of losing his spot once Priester is activated.

The Twins recalled Prielipp from Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Prielipp will make his major-league debut Wednesday with a start on the road against the Mets. He earned the promotion by collecting a 2.30 ERA and 22:8 K:BB over 15.2 innings in his first three starts with St. Paul. Prielipp has a high pitch count this season of 77, so he's unlikely to pitch deep into Wednesday's contest. However, the left-hander will have a chance to stick around in the rotation as a fill-in for Mick Abel (elbow).

Giolito and the Padres "is an inevitable marriage that could take shape soon," Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

It was reported last week that the Padres and Cubs were among the teams with serious interest in Giolito, and it sounds like San Diego is leading the pack. With Nick Pivetta (forearm) and Joe Musgrove (elbow) sidelined, Giolito is a clear fit. The right-hander has been throwing on his own, noting earlier this month that he's been maintaining a pitch count of around 75 in live batting practice sessions. That said, Giolito would surely still need at least a start or two in the minors before being deemed big-league ready. The 31-year-old posted a 3.41 ERA and 121:56 K:BB over 145 regular-season innings for the Red Sox in 2025.