MLB Player News

The 29-year-old right-hander walked four batters and struck out four on the afternoon. The Tigers scratched out single runs against him in each of the first three frames, then Giolito served up a two-run blast to Matt Vierling in the fifth inning. He got 10 whiffs on 106 pitches on the afternoon, posting a CSW of 23 percent. Giolito finishes the season with a disappointing 8-15 record, 4.88 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and a 204/73 K/BB ratio over 184 1/3 innings in 33 starts between the White Sox, Angels and Guardians.

The veteran was scratched from his start over the weekend with a stiff neck, but rather than wait till his next turn the rotation, the Rangers will send him to the mound tonight. Make sure he’s in your lineups in all league types. Kumar Rocker will start on Wednesday.

The contract has a team option for the ninth year, a full no-trade clause, and escalators that could have it worth more than $130 million. It’s a record for a player who has yet to debut in the major leagues. Emerson started this season in Triple-A, but could debut by the end of April if he gets off to a hot start.

Lawlar’s steal was the first of the season. The 23-year-old singled twice and also drew a walk to improve his young slash to .300/.364/.400. Lawlar isn’t long removed from being one of the upper-echelon prospects in baseball, and while there’s some significant risk in his profile, it just might lead to a substantial reward, too.

Keith got the Tigers back into the game with a two-run double in the seventh, turning a six-run deficit into an 8-4 game. The 24-year-old already has doubled three times in 2026, and he’s slashing .429/.500/.643 over the first four games of the season.

Messick walked none and gave up just two hard-hit balls, the harder of which turned into a double play off the bat of Miguel Rojas. It looked like the Guardians might send him down in favor of Logan Allen at the end of the spring, but they clearly made the right decision to keep him at the back of their rotation. He’s a perfectly solid mixed-league play, and he’ll next face the Cubs at home on Sunday.

The ninth opened with an infield single from Kyle Tucker and an RBI double from Mookie Betts. Smith retired three in a row from there, but he did give up the second run on a wild pitch. He threw 29 pitches tonight after throwing 28 in another shaky outing Saturday, so the Guardians might want to give him Tuesday off. That could put Shawn Armstrong in line for a save chance.

Maybe not quite the best-case scenario but definitely better than most expected. Just 41 percent of Sasaki’s pitches tonight were in the zone, but the Guardians chased after enough of the ones that weren’t to make it a solid showing. He wound up allowing four hits, walking two and striking out four. Sasaki still doesn’t come recommended in fantasy leagues, but this will keep him in the rotation for now. He’ll likely face the Nationals next on Sunday.

Kwan is still without a hard-hit ball in 22 at-bats this year, but he has mustered seven hits anyway. With his bat speed and his foot speed decreasing, he’s likely past his peak both for the Guardians and as a fantasy outfielder. Still, he should offer some mixed-league value anyway,

Carroll laced a triple off Justin Verlander in the first inning, and one frame later the 25-year-old whalloped his first homer of the season, also off Verlander. The hamata bone injury doesn’t appear to be bothering Carroll to begin the year, and fantasy managers who were able to procure his services later because of the scare have to be thrilled. When at his best, there are very few outfielders better than Carroll.

Sewald didn’t allow a hit while picking up a strikeout. The 35-year-old appears to have won the closing gig for Arizona, and while he’s had previous success in the role — with the Diamondbacks, as well — there’s some significant volatility based on his results the last few years.