MLB Player News

Verlander didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Rockies after allowing two runs on five hits and one walk in 6.1 innings. He struck out four.

It was the longest start of the year by Verlander, who also generated a respectable 11 whiffs Thursday. However, the veteran right-hander did surrender a home run, a seventh-inning leadoff solo shot by Ryan McMahon, for the fifth time in seven outings in 2025. Verlander now has a 4.38 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 32:13 K:BB over 37 innings ahead of a daunting task on the road next week against the Cubs, who lead the major leagues in run scored (192) as a club.

Merrill (hamstring) could be activated from the 10-day injured list during the Padres' upcoming road trip that begins Friday in Pittsburgh, Marty Caswell of TheSportingTribune.com reports.

Merrill recently began taking live at-bats at San Diego's spring complex in Arizona, and manager Mike Shildt described him as being "towards the finish line" of his rehab, per MLB.com. Though Merrill may not be ready to play this weekend during the three-game series in Pittsburgh, a return next week in the Padres' three-game series in New York against the Yankees or during the three-game series in Colorado could be in the cards, depending on how his strained right hamstring responds during workouts.

Cronenworth (ribs) has been cleared for all baseball activity and began taking live at-bats at the Padres' spring complex Thursday, MLB.com reports.

Cronenworth has been on the injured list since April 11 due to a non-displaced right rib fracture, and while he hasn't fully healed, the infielder could return to action before that occurs. It's not yet clear how long Cronenworth will need to ramp back up, and he may need at least a brief minor-league rehab stint before returning to the big club, but he could be back with San Diego within the next few weeks. While Cronenworth has been out, Jose Iglesias has been getting the bulk of the starts at second base.

Arias was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday.

Arias was recalled by Miami on Sunday and made two appearances since, allowing three earned runs across as many innings. He's already made six appearances out of the bullpen for the Marlins this season and has a 10.61 ERA and 9:5 K:BB over 9.1 innings.

Bellozo will be promoted Friday to start against the Athletics, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Bellozo is set to join the team in Miami and make his first appearance in the majors since April 7. He has gotten decent results in his two outings with the Marlins this season, combining to allow two earned runs across eight frames -- though that's come with just a 6:4 K:BB. Bellozo also threw 2.1 innings with Triple-A Jacksonville on Tuesday, so it's unclear how deep he'll be able to pitch into Friday's contest.

Walker (1-3) took the loss against the Nationals on Thursday, allowing four runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks while striking out two over 5.2 innings.

After giving up two baserunners in the first inning, Walker proceeded to retire 13 of the next 14 batters he faced, but things fell apart for him and the Phillies in the sixth. Walker gave up four runs in the frame, but only one was earned due to an error by Bryce Harper. Walker has taken the loss in three of his last four starts, but he has yielded two runs or less in five of six outings this season and has a 2.54 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 22:13 K:BB across 28.1 innings. It may have been Walker's final turn through the rotation for now, given that Ranger Suarez (back) is slated to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list Sunday.

Garcia went 2-for-4 with an RBI single, two steals and one run scored in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Phillies.

Garcia gave the Nationals a two-run lead in the sixth inning, when his single to left field brought Keibert Ruiz home. The second baseman proceeded to steal second base, advanced to third on a passed ball and then took home on a double steal. Garcia has reached base safely in seven straight games, and over that span he has gone 9-for-25 (.360) with three stolen bases, three runs scored, one home run and two RBI.

Tucker went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Pirates.

Tucker popped his eighth home run of the season in the fifth inning to help lead the Cubs to the victory. The outfielder had slowed down a bit recently after a hot start to the season, going just 2-for-22 over his past six games with no extra-base hits. Tucker is too talented to stay down for long, however, and he remains an elite fantasy option.

Turner went 3-for-4 with one run scored in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Nationals.

All three of Turner's hits resulted in singles, and he came around to score in the sixth inning on a Nick Castellanos infield single. Turner has collected three hits or more in three of his last four games and has gone 13-for-30 with five runs scored and five RBI over his last seven outings. He ranks in the top-15 in the National League in hits (34), steals (six) and batting average (.298).

Swanson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two total runs scored in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Pirates.

Some early-season struggles pushed Swanson down in the batting order recently, but he's responded well to the move. Over his last three games, the shortstop has gone 6-for-11 with two home runs. For the year, Swanson is now batting .213 with six long balls, and he seems to be snapping out of his slump.