MLB Player News

Matz also walked two and struck out eight on the night, in what was a much better start than we saw his first time out this season. The left-hander had just a nine percent swinging strike rate despite his eight strikeouts, but he got ahead early with his sinker to continually put him in advantageous counts. Matz’s changeup usage was up significantly in this one, a key change that the Rays are making with him this season. He struggled to command that pitch tonight, but it would be a nice change for him this season. However, Matz is probably not worth starting in shallower formats next week against the Yankees.

It had to be an emotional moment for McClanahan, taking the mound at Tropicana Field for the first time since July 22, 2023. The 28-year-old southpaw averaged 94.3 mph on his four-seam fastball and generated just six swinging strikes, needing 69 pitches (35 strikes) to complete four frames. He battled some serious control issues in this outing, handing out a whopping four free passes, but still managed to limit Chicago’s formidable lineup to just one hit. He’ll close out a two-start week with a home matchup against the division-rival Yankees on Sunday.

Taillon surrendered seven hits, including home runs to Cedric Mullins and Junior Caminero, which were enough to saddle him with a loss. The -year-old veteran averaged just 91.4 mph on his fastball, but still managed to generate nine swinging strikes on his breaking and off-speed pitches, finishing with a respectable 29 percent CSW. He’ll bring a solid 2.53 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 7/4 K/BB ratio across 10 2/3 innings into a favorable home matchup against the Pirates on Sunday to close out a two-start week.

Kerkering has rejoined the Phillies prior to Monday’s series opener in San Francisco, but the club is going to wait an extra day before officially making a roster move. The 25-year-old high-leverage reliever has been on the shelf since spring training working his way back from a hamstring strain.

Schmitt has been dealing with back tightness since last Friday. It’ll be Rafael Devers handling the cold corner on Monday night for the second consecutive contest with Jerar Encarnacion at DH to face Phillies rookie Andrew Painter.

Walker has gotten off to a phenomenal start at the dish, hitting .300 (9-for-30) with two homers, eight RBI and one steal over nine games to open the season. He went 1-for-3 with a walk on Sunday against the Tigers following a three-hit effort the previous afternoon that included a gargantuan 459-foot grand slam. It’s too small of a sample size to say definitively that the 23-year-old former top prospect is finally putting it all together, but the early returns have been positive as he’s posted a near-elite 97.1 average exit velocity and stratospheric 71 percent hard-hit rate so far. He’s shown enough to be rostered in all fantasy formats until further notice.

It’s rare to see Carpenter take a night off against a right-handed starter and now we know why. The 28-year-old corner outfielder takes a seat with Matt Vierling drawing into the lineup. He should be ready to return in a couple days once he’s feeling better.

Winn winds up being a late addition to St. Louis’ lineup after making it through his pregame routine without any issues. The 24-year-old shortstop returns following a brief two-game absence recovering from a lingering hip issue. A slow start to the season has probably cost him the leadoff spot to rookie sensation JJ Wetherholt but moving to the bottom of the order should translate to additional stolen base opportunities.

Trout will get some extra time off to rest and recover after being hit by a pitch on the left hand during Sunday’s series finale against the Mariners. The positive news for fantasy managers is that initial X-rays came back negative for any fractures and he appears to have avoided serious injury. There should be a definitive update on his status shortly, but fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. It’ll be Bryce Teodosio handling center field on Monday night in his absence.

Farris provides the Angels with some additional long relief depth heading into Monday’s game against the Braves with starter Ryan Johnson hitting the injured list. The 25-year-old made five spot starts for Los Angeles last year, posting a bloated 6.66 ERA across 24 1/3 innings of work.

Johnson winds up requiring a trip to the injured list after being scratched from Sunday’s start against the Mariners due to illness. The 23-year-old’s absence seems to pave the way for pitching prospect George Klassen to get some run in the rotation for at least another turn or two.