MLB Player News

Greene (elbow) is playing catch from 110 feet and is about three weeks away from progressing to bullpen sessions, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

The right-hander underwent surgery on his right elbow in mid-March to remove bone chips, and he moved to the 60-day injured list shortly thereafter. Greene will be eligible to be reinstated in late May but is expected to be out for most of the season's first half. A clearer return timeline should come into focus once he advances to mound work.

Lawrence tossed a scoreless inning with one strikeout Monday in the 4-2 loss to the Cardinals.

Lawrence was limited to just 17 appearances last season due to an elbow injury, but Monday's outing marked his 14th already in 2026. The sinker-sweeper pitcher has missed bats consistently, ringing up 16 strikeouts over his first 14 frames. Lawrence is pitching primarily in low-leverage situations for the time being, but that could change if he continues to consistently shut batters down (zero runs allowed in last six appearances).

Lodolo (finger) will make his next rehab start Saturday at a yet-to-be-determined affiliate, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Lodolo fanned seven over five scoreless frames with High-A Dayton on Sunday in his first rehab outing. He threw about 10 breaking balls in that start, and it's likely he'll attempt to incorporate more Saturday as he works his way back from a blister on his left index finger. Lodolo could return from the injured list next week following Saturday's outing, but it's possible the Reds ask him to make an additional rehab start to continue building up his pitch count.

Sheets slugged a solo home run in his only plate appearance during Monday's 9-7 win against the Cubs.

Sheets began the game on the bench but entered in the seventh inning after Manny Machado was lifted as a precaution due to concern about an unspecified injury. Sheets made the most of his lone plate appearance, slugging a solo homer to right field in the bottom of the eighth frame. The long ball extended his modest hitting streak to four games, and Sheets has gone 4-for-11 with a pair of homers, three runs and six RBI during that span.

Triple-A Nashville placed Childers on the 7-day injured list April 25 with an undisclosed injury.

Childers was having a breakout start to the year at Triple-A, logging a 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB in 10 innings to go with four saves. The move is retroactive to April 24.

Manager Craig Stammen said after Monday's game against the Cubs that Machado is "fine" and was removed from the contest as a precautionary move, Marty Caswell of Foul Territyory reports.

The veteran third baseman came out of the batter's box awkwardly and wasn't moving well down the line in the sixth inning Monday, so the Padres elected to lift him from the contest after he went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored. Stammen didn't mention a specific injury but indicated Machado's lower half wasn't feeling great after a couple of slides into second base. He should be considered day-to-day heading into Tuesday's matchup with Chicago.

The Cubs are "accelerating the catching program" for Ballesteros, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Ballesteros made his second appearance and first start of the season at catcher in Monday's loss to the Padres. He remains the primary designated hitter and No. 3 catcher behind Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya, but Ballesteros will be worked in more behind the plate moving forward. Ballesteros needs eight more appearances at catcher in order to gain eligibility at the position in most fantasy leagues. It sounds like he should get there, which would be a boon for the fantasy prospects of a player who's slashing a ridiculous .387/.435/.710 with five home runs and a 6:12 BB:K.

Strider (oblique) isn't expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list to make his season debut this weekend in Colorado and could instead continue his rehab in the minor leagues, Lindsay Crosby of BravesToday.com reports.

Strider threw 82 pitches over five innings Sunday for Triple-A Gwinnett in his third rehab start, and he's apparently not quite ready to enter the big-league rotation after previously being expected to face the Rockies this weekend. No setback has been reported, so it's possible Atlanta just wants to avoid the right-hander making his season debut at the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field. Strider's first MLB start of 2026 now appears likely to come next week on the road against either the Mariners or Dodgers.

Ashcraft (personal) is expected to be activated from the bereavement list in time to start Tuesday's game versus the Cardinals, Jose Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

Ashcraft was placed on the bereavement list Saturday, but he will not have to miss a start, only getting his turn pushed back one day. The young right-hander is sitting on a 2.43 ERA and 32:9 K:BB over his first 29.2 innings this season and is a must-start against a lackluster Cardinals lineup.

Freeland (shoulder) threw a bullpen session with no issues Sunday and is expected to be reinstated from the injured list during the three-game series against the Reds that begins Tuesday, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

The Rockies have yet to announce their starting pitcher for Tuesday's series opener, and Freeland is likely being considered to take the mound, though he could also start later in the series. The veteran left-hander landed on the shelf with shoulder inflammation after allowing one run over 6.1 innings versus Houston on April 7. Freeland could face some minor workload restrictions in his first start back since he didn't embark on a rehab assignment, but the brevity of the absence should mean he isn't significantly limited whenever he does take the mound.