MLB Player News

Freeland (finger) is listed as the Rockies' probable pitcher for Friday's game against the Reds in Colorado.

Freeland suffered a blister during his most recent start this past Sunday against the Nationals, but he'll be ready to pitch on his normal four days' rest after completing his between-starts bullpen session without incident. The lefty enters Friday's outing having gone 0-4 with a 4.85 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 26 innings through five starts.

Nelson allowed one run on three hits and struck out five over 2.1 innings in Thursday's 7-4 extra-inning loss to Tampa Bay.

Nelson entered the game in the seventh inning with Arizona nursing a 4-3 lead and cruised through his first two frames. With the back end of the bullpen shorthanded, the right-hander was asked to pitch the ninth as well, but Nelson faded and was tagged with the tying run, and his first blown save, as he handled his biggest workload of the season (54 pitches). The Diamondbacks are working without high-leverage options A.J. Puk (elbow) and Kevin Ginkel (shoulder), and a recent bout of fatigue led manager Torey Lovullo to not use Justin Martinez after he'd pitched Wednesday.

Tawa went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's 7-4 extra-inning loss to the Rays.

Tawa's fifth-inning home run put Arizona up 4-1. The homer was the third in five games for the 26-year-old, who has six extra-base knocks among his nine hits (.389 ISO) over 36 at-bats. Tawa was making his fifth straight start Thursday in place of Ketel Marte (hamstring), while Garrett Hampson last started at second base a week ago. Marte just began a running program, but Arizona has yet to indicate when he might be ready for a rehab assignment.

Beeks underwent X-rays on his forearm which came back negative, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Beeks was removed from Thursday's loss to the Rays after being struck by a comebacker but is not expected to miss any time. That's obviously good news for the Diamondbacks, who are already missing a couple key pieces in the bullpen. A recent report from Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic suggests A.J. Puk (elbow) is facing a lengthy absence, while Kevin Ginkel (shoulder) is hoping to be back by the end of April and Justin Martinez is experiencing fatigue. Beeks has not allowed a run over 10 appearances this month and sports a 0.60 ERA through 15 innings on the year.

Burnes allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out eight in 5.1 innings Thursday against Tampa Bay. He didn't factor into the decision.

It was a nice performance overall by the star right-hander, though he couldn't stick around long enough to get his third straight quality start. Burnes began the game with three clean innings and yielded a season-low three hits and one earned run, also tying a season high with eight punchouts. He committed a fielding error in the sixth inning, so both of the runs allowed in the frame were unearned, much to the delight of fantasy managers. Burnes still has work to do to improve his 4.05 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 25:12 K:BB over 26.2 innings (five starts), but things won't get much easier in his next scheduled outing at New York against the Mets.

Hart was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Thursday.

Hart has had an up-and-down start to the season while in the Padres' rotation, but the result is a 6.00 ERA and 1.38 WHIP across 21 innings. The team's exact plans are unclear, though Stephen Kolek was in competition for a rotation spot during spring training and is on the same starting schedule as Hart.

Rogers (2-0) earned the win during Thursday's 6-5 victory over Milwaukee, allowing a hit and striking out three in a scoreless inning.

Rogers entered the game in the eighth frame, striking out the first two batters he faced before giving up a single to Garrett Mitchell. However, Rogers kept his composure and struck out the final batter before San Francisco's offense scored two runs. The veteran reliever was efficient in the win, throwing 13 of his 16 pitches for strikes. The right-hander has been impressive over 14 appearances, recording a 0.68 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and a 13:2 K:BB with seven holds across 13.1 innings.

Cruz went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Angels.

Cruz is surging lately, having now socked five homers in his last eight games. During this span, the dynamic outfielder is batting .344 (11-for-32) with five long balls, eight RBI, seven runs scored and three stolen bases. The lefty-hitting Cruz tends to struggle versus southpaws, as evidenced by his .570 OPS in 25 at-bats against left-handers this year, but he leads the majors with 11 stolen bases so far.

Lee went 1-for-3 with an RBI double and a run scored during Thursday's 6-5 win over Milwaukee.

Lee lined an RBI double into right field during the first frame, putting San Francisco on the board. The 26-year-old outfielder also drew two walks and came around to score in the fifth on a two-run homer by Matt Chapman. Lee went 5-for-15 during the Giants' four-game series against Milwaukee and is now slashing .333/.398/.583 with 22 runs scored, 16 RBI, 11 doubles, three home runs, two triples and an 11:14 BB:K across 108 plate appearances.

Mlodzinski didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Angels after allowing three runs on five hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out four.

It wasn't until the fourth inning where Mlodzinski ran into trouble, as he gave up three consecutive hits to open the frame, the last of which was a three-run jack by Logan O'Hoppe. Three of his five hits allowed went for extra bases Thursday, and Mlodzinski has now failed to exceed five innings in any of his first five starts this season. The right-hander doesn't shape up as a recommended fantasy option in his next scheduled outing versus the hard-hitting Cubs, especially since he carries a 6.95 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and 18:9 K:BB across 22 innings.