MLB Player News

Manager Bob Melvin announced Doval as the Giants closer after Wednesday's loss to the Tigers, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Ryan Walker opened the season as the club's primary closer, but Doval overcame a bumpy start to work his way into the mix with five saves. The right-hander hasn't recorded any saves since April 24, though he's tallied two wins and six holds in that stretch while being unscored upon in his past 19 appearances. Before faltering with a 4.88 ERA in 2024 and being removed from the closer role, Doval was a reliable ninth-inning option for the Giants with a 2.77 ERA and 69 saves across his first three MLB campaigns.

Manager Bob Melvin announced after Wednesday's loss to the Tigers that Walker is being demoted from the closer role in favor of Camilo Doval, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Walker pitched a scoreless eighth inning during Wednesday's 4-3 defeat and has converted his past three save chances, but he'll now be dropped from the closer committee after opening the campaign with a solo grip on the job. The right-hander has gone 10-for-12 in save opportunities, but his 4.95 ERA and 1.30 WHIP are a far cry from the 1.91 ERA he posted in 2024. Doval, who has recorded 97 saves since debuting for San Francisco in 2021, has rebounded from a down year in 2024 with a 1.16 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 20:8 K:BB across 23.1 innings this season.

Manager Clayton McCullough said Wednesday that Edwards (back) will play in a couple rehab games with Triple-A Jacksonville before rejoining the Marlins "very soon," Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old has been sidelined by a back strain since May 14 and will need a couple games in the minors to get back up to speed before being activated by Miami. After posting a .328/.397/.423 slash line with 31 steals in 70 games last season, Edwards got off to a slower start in 2025 with a .629 OPS and 11 steals through 42 contests.

The Pirates reinstated Rodriguez (finger) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

The 25-year-old played in eight games during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis, and he'll rejoin the active roster after Joey Bart suffered a concussion Tuesday in Arizona. Rodriguez made five starts behind the plate and 10 at first base prior to the finger injury, but he's likely to see more of his playing time at catcher while Bart is out.

The Pirates placed Bart on the 7-day injured list Wednesday due to a concussion.

The 28-year-old was struck in the head by a backswing Tuesday and will be unavailable for at least the next week while in the concussion protocol. The Pirates reinstated Endy Rodriguez (finger) from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move, and he should split catching duties with Henry Davis while Bart is sidelined.

Smith-Shawver and Atlanta will not play the Phillies on Wednesday after the game was postponed due to rain, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Smith-Shawver will have a second consecutive start postponed, with his May 21 outing also getting pushed back a day due to rain in Washington. Wednesday's contest will be made up Thursday, as Atlanta and Philadelphia will play a split doubleheader. Per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Smith-Shawver will pitch in Game 1.

Wheeler won't start as scheduled Wednesday against Atlanta since the game was postponed due to inclement weather, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The contest will be made up via a split doubleheader Thursday, with Wheeler set to take the ball for Game 2, per Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The veteran right-hander hasn't given up a run in his past three starts and has a 2.42 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 88:14 K:BB across 70.2 innings this year.

Parker could be in danger of losing his rotation spot after posting an 8.46 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and 20:15 K:BB through 27.2 innings over his last six starts, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The southpaw held a 1.39 ERA on April 22, but since then things have completely fallen apart for Parker, who served up three homers in 4.2 innings during his most recent outing May 27 in Seattle. The Nationals will give him more time to figure things out, but if Parker's struggles continue into June, he could be painting a bullseye on his back to lose his rotation spot when the team decides prospect Cade Cavalli is ready to be promoted from Triple-A Rochester.

Cavalli has allowed two runs in nine innings with a 13:2 K:BB over his last two starts for Triple-A Rochester, and he could be called up to join the Nationals' rotation at some point in June, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The organization wants to make sure Cavalli will be able to handle a regular turn before promoting him, but he's begun to do exactly that at Rochester, building up to 71 pitches (43 strikes) in his most recent start May 22. The 26-year-old right-hander pitched just 8.1 innings combined in 2023 and 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he appears to be healthy now, sitting in the mid-90s with his fastball while mixing in a curveball and changeup. Mitchell Parker is also struggling for the Nats, posting an 8.46 ERA over his last six starts, and if he's unable to turn things around soon, it would provide a clear opening for Cavalli to see his first big-league action since 2022.

Montas (lat) is scheduled to make a rehab start with High-A Brooklyn on Thursday, Manny Gomez of NJ.com reports.

The right-hander covered 1.1 frames in his first rehab start with Brooklyn over the weekend, and he's set to build up to 30-to-35 pitches Thursday. Montas has been sidelined since mid-February due to the lat strain, so he'll likely require at least a couple more rehab outings after Thursday before making his 2025 debut for the Mets.