MLB Player News

He’ll undergo further evaluation and imaging to determine the severity of the injury. It’s an ominous injury designation after Ponce was carted off during his Blue Jays debut following an awkward attempt to field a grounder up the first-base line in the third inning of his first major-league appearance since 2021. The 31-year-old journeyman spent the previous four seasons overhauling his arsenal in Korea and Japan before returning stateside on a three-year, $30 million deal with Toronto. An extended absence would be a significant blow to an already injury-ravaged rotation that’s without Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Shane Bieber (elbow) and José Berríos (elbow). An update on his status should arrive in the coming days, but he’s in clear jeopardy of missing his next scheduled start against the White Sox on Sunday.

Young got enough of a Ryan Weathers’ offering to dump a broken-bat single into right to score Randy Arozarena in the second inning. He’s swung the bat well to begin 2025 with four RBI and a .333/.368/.611 slash over the first five games. Just keep in mind that Colt Emerson is an even more highly-touted prospect, so the leash may be short.

The only run Weathers allowed was on a broken-bat single by Cole Young. The 26-year-old’s first start with the Yankees went well outside of that and some late trouble in the fifth, and he was consistently above 98 mph with his fastball. Weathers is going to have to pitch well to keep a spot in the Yankees’ rotation, but this was a good first outing. He has a friendly matchup on paper against his former organization in the Marlins.

This was vintage La Piedra stuff. Castillo initiated 17 swings-and-misses, and he located his four-seam fastball all night long. He allowed just two hits and two walks, and there was basically no hard contact against the 33-year-old throughout the contest. Castillo is no longer a fantasy ace, but he’s still a very effective option more often than not. He’ll get the ball again Sunday against the Angels, but it’s worth noting that start is in Los Angeles, and Castillo has been considerably more effective in Seattle the past few seasons.

Raleigh was given a day off initially, but he came off the bench to deliver his best moment of the young season. He laced an inside fastball from Paul Blackburn with a runner on third into right, and it gave Seattle a 2-1 lead. Raleigh has gotten off to a slow start, but it’s far too early to panic, and Monday is an example of what the man they call Big Dumper can do.

Cole was an early favorite to make the Astros out of spring training, but he was overtaken while going 8-for-40 with 16 strikeouts. This will probably keep him out for at least a month before he can resume trying to hit his way on to Houston’s roster.

Bader gave the Giants a 1-0 lead with a solo homer off an ineffective Walker Buehler. It’s the first homer of the season for Bader, and the first as a member of the Giants. The 31-year-old scuffled in the series against the Yankees, but so did every member of the San Francisco lineup. He’ll have a chance to be a useful bench option in the majority of fantasy formats.

Merrill hit a two-run homer in the ninth, but in this case, it only got the Padres to within a run. The 22-year-old has his first homer of the season, and he’s now driven in three runs over the first four games.