MLB Player News

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said May 13 that Waldrep (elbow) has felt fine since he began throwing bullpen sessions earlier in the month, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Though Waldrep has made good progress in his recovery from the arthroscopic procedure he underwent Feb. 23 to remove loose bodies from his right elbow, Weiss noted that the 24-year-old hurler isn't far along enough in his throwing program for Atlanta to establish a definitive timeline for his return. A clearer target date for Waldrep should become available once he advances to facing hitters. After he reaches that step, Waldrep will then head out on what's expected to be a lengthy minor-league rehab assignment before he gets activated from the 15-day injured list.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said that Gore will most likely undergo an MRI on Tuesday after exiting Monday's 7-6 loss to the Rockies after one inning due to left lat tightness, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

After the game, Gore described his early exit as precautionary, noting that he felt a cramp behind his shoulder blade that had been presenting some discomfort. Gore was charged with two runs on three hits and two walks during the 28-pitch inning, and both his fastball and sinker velocities were down just over a mile per hour from their season averages. The upcoming imaging should shed more light on the severity of Gore's injury, but the Rangers aren't yet ruling the southpaw out from making his next turn through the rotation, which would fall Sunday in Anaheim.

Atlanta reinstated Dodd (back) from the 15-day injured list Tuesday.

The left-hander has been on the shelf nearly a month due to left thoracic spine inflammation, but he's ready to rejoin the active roster after a three-appearance rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett. Dodd allowed one earned run with a 4:1 K:BB over four innings for Atlanta prior to the injury and should work as a middle reliever that can also provide some length out of the bullpen.

Atlanta optioned Ritchie to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

Ritchie was tagged for six runs over four innings in Monday's loss to the Marlins. He was terrific in his major-league debut last month but wound up posting a 4.91 ERA and 21:16 K:BB over 25.2 innings in his five starts for Atlanta. With Ritchie back in the minors, Martin Perez should settle into a rotation spot for Atlanta.

Imai (1-2) took the loss Monday against the Twins, allowing three runs on five hits and no walks with five strikeouts across 4.2 innings.

All three of the runs against Imai came on a pair of homers by Josh Bell. Otherwise, Imai's stuff looked good, as he generated a season-high 19 whiffs on 74 pitches. In two starts since returning from arm fatigue, Imai has surrendered nine runs on 10 hits and three walks with eight strikeouts across 8.2 innings. He's been hurt by the long ball in both outings, surrendering four round trippers. On the season, Imai owns an ugly 8.31 ERA, 1.79 WHIP and 21:14 K:BB across 17.1 innings. Walks have been a problem, as he'd walked at least three in each of his first four starts before issuing zero Monday.

Rojas didn't factor into the decision Monday against the Astros, allowing two hits and one walk with three strikeouts across four scoreless innings.

Minnesota slotted Rojas into the rotation in place of a struggling Simeon Woods Richardson, and the 23-year-old left-hander displayed plus stuff, generating 10 whiffs on 46 total pitches and averaging 96.0 mph with his fastball. The rookie should get another turn through the rotation after his strong showing Monday. Through his first 11.1 innings this season, Rojas owns a 1.59 ERA and 11:9 K:BB.

Irvin didn't factor into the decision Monday against the Mets. He allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out six across four innings.

Irvin gave up a solo shot to Brett Baty in the top of the fourth inning, but the other two runs he allowed were unearned due to errors from James Wood and Luis Garcia, respectively. Irvin has pitched more than five innings just once all season long, and he hasn't secured a win since doing so in his season debut back on March 29. Irvin owns a 5.59 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP across 46.2 innings through 10 starts this season, and he's scheduled to make his next start over the weekend against Atlanta on the road in what projects as another challenging matchup.

Lugo (1-4) took the loss Monday against the Red Sox, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts across six innings.

Despite logging a quality start, Lugo made a mistake pitch to Willson Contreras in the sixth inning that resulted in a two-run home run and was saddled with his fourth loss. It was still a nice bounce-back outing for the right-hander after he allowed a total of nine runs on 15 hits and six walks across nine innings in his previous two outings. Lugo owns a 3.68 ERA, career-worst 1.40 WHIP and 51:21 K:BB across 58.2 innings. His .343 BABIP against is significantly higher than his .266 mark last season.

Scott didn't factor into the decision Monday against the Nationals, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five across four innings.

Scott has yet to pitch past the fifth inning in any of his five big-league starts this season, and his inability to go deep into games limits his fantasy stock. The 26-year-old righty's done a good job of limiting the damage though, as he's allowed two or fewer earned runs in four of those five outings. Scott will carry a 4.12 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 25:12 K:BB across 19.2 innings into his next start, which is scheduled for this weekend's road series against the Marlins.

McClanahan (5-2) earned the win Monday against the Orioles. He allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six across five innings.

McClanahan didn't have his best stuff Monday, but with the way opposing starter Trevor Rogers struggled, the former simply had to limit the damage to earn his fifth win of the season. This outing snapped an excellent stretch for McClanahan, who hadn't allowed runs in his previous four starts, a span covering 21.2 innings. The southpaw has a 1.66 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with strong peripherals, such as a 9.1 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9, in four starts in May. He's scheduled to make his next start over the weekend against the Yankees on the road.