MLB Player News

Moore (0-2) was rocked for six runs (five earned) on five hits in 3.1 innings Friday, walking four to go along with just one strikeout in Texas' 8-5 loss to Toronto.

It was the second straight rough start of the season for Moore, who has given up nine earned runs in just 7.1 innings. He had a 5.52 ERA in 174.1 innings for San Francisco last year and has a 4.29 mark for his eight-year career, so Moore shouldn't be in the fantasy conversation unless a drastic turnaround happens to manifest.

Staumont gave up one run on one hit and one walk while striking out three in an inning of relief in the first game of the season for Triple-A Omaha.

It was a bit of a surprise to see the Royals start Staumont at Triple-A, given his significant struggles last year at Double-A. However, the fact that he worked in relief explains the assignment, as he could make it to the majors quickly as a power reliever. The whole Staumont experience was on full display Thursday against Colorado Springs, as he was wild yet dominant, getting all three outs via strikeout. Those who own Staumont in dynasty leagues are now faced with a tough decision, as his ceiling is a little lower now that he is no longer being developed as a starter, but he could reach the big leagues this summer as a high-strikeout reliever.

Pagan fired a scoreless two-thirds of an inning in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Rangers, allowing one hit.

After opening the season by allowing an earned run on a pair of hits in each of his first two trips to the mound, Pagan has generated a combined 2.1 scoreless frames over his subsequent pair of appearances. The 26-year-old right-hander should see plenty of middle-to-late-inning work throughout the course of the season, affording him an opportunity to deliver on the considerable upside he demonstrated in a rookie 2017 campaign with the Mariners during which he generated a 56:8 K:BB over 50.2 innings.

Kittredge (0-2) allowed an earned run on two hits and two walks while also recording a strikeout over 2.1 innings in Thursday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Red Sox.

He was on the hook for the loss when Hanley Ramirez's game-winning single to right off Ryan Yarbrough plated Jackie Bradley Jr., who Kittredge had allowed to reach on a leadoff double. It was a tough-luck defeat of sorts for the 28-year-old righty, who'd been effective otherwise in his second outing of the season. Kittredge has allowed an earned run apiece in that pair of appearances, but he projects to have plenty of opportunities to right the ship over the course of the season as a hybrid long reliever/occasional bullpen-day starter.

Alvarado was credited with his first hold of the season in Thursday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Red Sox, firing a scoreless eighth inning in which he recorded two strikeouts.

Alvarado needed a scant eight pitches -- seven which found the strike zone -- to retire Eduardo Nunez, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Christian Vazquez. It was the burly southpaw's third scoreless effort over his first four appearances, building on what was an impressive spring during which he'd generated a 1.80 ERA across 10 trips to the mound. Alvarado's elite strikeout upside should continue to afford him plenty of setup work over the course of the season.

Pearson will open the season at High-A Dunedin, MLB.com's Mike Rosenbaum reports.

The 6-foot-6 righty has the potential to someday pitch atop a big-league rotation. He has the stuff to dominate Florida State League hitters, despite the fact he will be making his full-season debut, skipping Low-A entirely. It would not be surprising if the Blue Jays continue to promote him aggressively, especially if he is commanding his pitches. He is not scheduled to pitch until next week.

Colome blew a save opportunity against the Red Sox on Thursday while giving up two runs on four hits in the ninth inning.

Colome entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead, but was unable to secure a win for the Rays. This was only his second appearance of the season, with the first being a routine save. Despite a relatively low strikeout rate, Colome has proven he can be an effective closer and should have a fairly long leash in the role as a result. If struggles persist and he is demoted -- or if trade rumors finally come to fruition -- Sergio Romo and Jose Alvarado are potential closers in waiting.

Rodney earned a save while striking out one and walking one Thursday against the Mariners.

Consistently among the most shaky closers in the league, Rodney has once again secured a closer's' role in 2018 and earned his first save of the season Thursday. His propensity for blow ups -- he had seven outings in which he allowed multiple runs last season -- makes him hard to trust as a primary closer. However, the Twins appear to be content using Addison Reed as their high-leverage setup man, leaving save chances to Rodney.

Mengden took the loss and allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and one walk while striking out two over 5.1 innings Thursday against the Rangers.

Mengden was a tough-luck loser Thursday as he seemingly out pitched his counterpart Martin Perez, but was tagged with the loss regardless. All of the damage against him came in the second inning, with the catalyst being when he was struck on his surgically repaired right foot on a liner off the bat of Rougned Odor. The following batter-- Ryan Rua-- dropped down a bunt, which Mengden fielded but then threw away. After the damage was done, he responded by retiring 12 consecutive batters before being lifted in the sixth inning after allowing a hit and a walk. He remains limited in value due to a lack of strikeouts, but Mengden has shown the ability to get outs in his first two starts of the season.

Jimenez (1-0) picked up his first MLB win Thursday against the White Sox after tossing a perfect inning of relief.

Jimenez has yet to allow a run through his first four appearances (3.1 innings) this season. This is an encouraging sign for a player who posted a 12.32 ERA in his rookie season last year. The Tigers will likely continue turning to Jimenez in high-leverage situations, and he's a potential option to close at some point this season.