MLB Player News

Worth a flier. The Astros had Rodgers try swinging harder last year, and it did lead to improved exit velocity but also a lot more strikeouts in the 43 games in which he was healthy. Whether things might have gotten better is hard to say, since injuries wiped out the final 3 1/2 months of the season for him. He’s pretty obviously a weaker bet than Romy Gonzalez as a right-handed second base option at this point, but perhaps there’s still some potential to be tapped into after he spent his first nine years as a pro in baseball’s most backwards organization.

No boos Monday. Bichette drove in a run on a fielder’s choice in the first, and then singled home a run in the fifth. The long-timer Blue Jay has not had much success in his first four games of 2025 as seen in a .105 average and slugging percentage, but there’s very little reason to think Bichette won’t be just fine in 2026.

García made five of his 13 starts in the field this spring at second base, but he’s only played first since the season started. He’s 4-for-14 with no strikeouts so far, but it’s discouraging for his fantasy value that the Nationals have benched him against both lefties they’ve faced. Of course, it’s harder to justify playing him at first base against lefties than it would be if he were a quality defender at second base.

Griffin’s stuff is pretty obviously below average, which is why he had to settle for a one-year deal with a bad team in spite of his success in Japan, but he commanded it well tonight and succeeded despite giving up eight hard-hit balls and generating just eight whiffs on 43 swings. He probably won’t have as much luck with the Dodgers next on the schedule.

Lord had to be pretty bummed to be tossed back into the pen, given that he was far more valuable last season that any of the Nationals’ other pitching holdovers. Still, it is questionable whether he really has the arm to survive as a starter for the long haul. Working two or three innings at a time in relief might prove to be his best role, and he could sneak in some saves in a wide-open Nationals pen.

Walker gave up 10 hits despite allowing just five hard-hit balls. Even more incredible is that three of those were outs; the Nats were 7-for-11 with a sac fly on their softer contact. Still, this is the kind of thing that’s going to happen from time to time when you can’t miss bats. The poor showing gives Andrew Painter an early edge when it comes to determining who stays in the Philadelphia rotation after Zack Wheeler returns, though we’ll see what Painter can do Tuesday. Walker will face the Rockies in Coors Field on Sunday.

Weimer was 6-for-6 with two walks coming into the game. In the first, he hit a soft grounder and was initially called out at first, only to have the out overturned on replay. He then singled again in the third before finally being retired in the fifth. The Nationals might as well keep using Wiemer while he’s hot, though the plan initially was just to start him against left-handers. He probably won’t have any lasting fantasy value, but stranger things have happened.

It’s the first save for Williams of 2026, and his first as a member of the Mets. he struck out one while throwing 10-of-12 pitches for strikes, and he generated four whiffs in that short time. The 2025 season was a massive disappointment, but he’s as good of bet to bounce back in 2026 as anyone.

Leahy surrendered eight hits, and he walked two while only striking out one. One of those free passes came with the bases loaded, and while he threw a decent 51-of-79 pitches for strikes, his command was clearly off through most of the contest. Leahy has a tenuous grasp on a spot in the St. Louis rotation, but he should have no place on a fantasy roster unless being streamed against the worst lineups. The Tigers on Sunday wouldn’t qualify as one of those lineups.

Holmes surrendered a run in the first, and then blanked the St. Louis lineup until the sixth when he gave up a solo homer to Nolan Gorman. He generated a usable 13 swings-and-misses over 90 pitches before exiting, and he struck out five against three walks. Not a dominating start, but a serviceable one for Holmes in his first effort of 2026. He’ll be on the bump in San Francisco over the weekend against the Giants.

Happ lost a surefire homer to the wind blowing in at Wrigley Field during last week’s season opener, according to Statcast, but this time the wind worked in his favor, carrying a third-inning fly ball into the left-field seats. It was his third big fly of the season. The switch-hitting left fielder should continue to benefit from hitting in the heart of a Cubs lineup that continues to look extremely formidable in the early stages of the year.