MLB Player News

The 42-year-old right-hander struck out six batters on the afternoon while issuing a pair of walks. The only blemish on his day came on a first-pitch solo home run by Zach Neto to open the fifth inning. He also got into trouble in the fourth inning as the Angels loaded the bases with a double and a pair of walks, but Verlander struck out Logan O’Hoppe to end the threat. He should have earned his first victory of the season, but Ryan Walker blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning. Verlander got 12 swings and misses on 98 pitches in the game — nine of them on his fastball which averaged 94.8 mph and touched as high as 97.4 mph — while posting a CSW of 27 percent. He still sits at 0-1 on the season with a 5.47 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and a 23/11 K/BB ratio over 24 2/3 innings through his first five starts. He’ll look to replicate this fine performance when he takes on the Rangers at home on Friday.

Handley, who was to back up Gary Sánchez after Adley Rutschman went on the IL with an oblique strain Saturday, was hurt in a collision with Jazz Chisholm Jr. during Sunday’s game against the Yankees. Chadwick Tromp will fill in for him.

No Samuel Basallo. Tromp was up briefly last month and went 0-for-4 in two games. He’s a career .219/.229/.375 hitter in 166 major league plate appearances.

Mountcastle is currently about three weeks into a projected eight- to 12-week absence due to a strained hamstring.

Waldschmidt, 22, hit .268/.415/.447 with nine homers and 10 steals for High-A Hillsboro, though he was better in April than he’s been lately. He’s a candidate to succeed Lourdes Gurriel Jr. as the D-backs left fielder in 2027.

One imagines that’ll keep him out of the mix for a callup for at least a few weeks. Gasper, who went 6-for-34 in 17 games early this season, was hitting .318/.418/.609 in 40 games for St. Paul.

No team thought it was worth seeing if Freeman’s control issues could be fixed, so he’ll return to Charlotte. Since it’s the first time the 27-year-old reliever has been outrighted, he’ll have to accept the assignment.

Mike Vasil and Tyler Alexander are both candidates to go multiple innings tomorrow against the D-backs. Burke threw a season-high 100 pitches last time out, so he’ll get an extra day of rest before facing Arizona on Wednesday.

Lovelady, who made two appearances for the Blue Jays in April, recently opted out of a minor league contract with the Twins. The 29-year-old has a 5.26 ERA in 110 career major league relief appearances.

The plan is for Cortes to throw a live batting practice in the coming days and then begin a rehab assignment. He will likely need a lengthy rehab assignment, but the Brewers would like him to pitch a few times before the trade deadline so that he can build up some trade value. Cortes is a free agent at the end of the season, and considering the emergence of Quinn Priester, Chad Patrick, Logan Henderson, and Jacob Misiorowski, the Brewers could afford to see what they can get for Cortes in a trade.

Woodruff was sidelined to start the season after undergoing shoulder surgery this offseason. He then experienced tendinitis in his ankle while on the rehab assignment and then got hit in the elbow with a comebacker just a few weeks ago. The 32-year-old is slated to throw a live batting practice session on Tuesday, after which he could restart his rehab assignment.