MLB Player News

Wheeler, coming back from thoracic outlet surgery, threw 38 pitches. His velocity was down 2.5-3 mph from last year, which might or might not be a concern. If he was trying to throw as hard as he could and only came in at 92-94 mph, that would be a problem. But if he was just easing into things, being down 2-3 mph sounds about right. We will just note that last year, Wheeler averaged 95.9 mph with his fastball in his first spring outing, which was practically a match for the 96.1 mph he averaged during the season. Wheeler is due to make two more rehab starts before being reevaluated.

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,

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.

Three of those strikeouts came in the fourth, when Soroka was able to complete an immaculate inning (nine strikes, no balls in play). The 28-year-old scattered four hits allowed with one walk in an impressive first outing with the Diamondbacks. Merrill Kelly is coming soon, so these kind of efforts — or at least a semblance of their quality — are going to be necessary to keep Soroka in the rotation. His next chance to impress comes against Atlanta on Saturday.

Verlander’s first start back with the Tigers was not a particularly impressive one. He gave up a pair of runs in the first — with one coming on a triple from Corbin Carroll — and Carroll got him again an inning later with a three-run bomb. That was it for runs allowed, but Verlander clearly wasn’t fooling hitters as seen in just six swings and misses generated over 80 pitches. The 43-year-old will look to regroup against the Cardinals on Sunday.