MLB Player News
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Grant Taylor RP | CHW
White Sox's Grant Taylor: Serving as opener Friday
Taylor will be the White Sox' opening pitcher in Friday's game against the Blue Jays, LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Taylor will take the ball first as the White Sox begin their first homestand of the season before handing things off to Sean Burke, who will handle the bulk of the innings. The 23-year-old Taylor has tossed one inning in each of his first two appearances this season but is expected to eventually stretch out to cover multiple frames, as his goal is to reach 100 innings in 2026 before moving into the rotation in 2027.
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Tyler Rogers RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Tyler Rogers: Notches second hold
Rogers gave up two hits in a scoreless inning of relief to record his second hold of the season in Wednesday's loss to the Rockies.
The veteran sidearmer was the first man out of the bullpen for Toronto after Kevin Gausman had dominated for six scoreless innings, and Rogers kept the shutout going before the team's other relievers stumbled late. Rogers has seen a heavy workload to begin his Blue Jays tenure, appearing in four of the season's first six games and posting a 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 3:1 K:BB.
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Caleb Ferguson RP | CIN
Reds' Caleb Ferguson: Throws on flat ground
Ferguson (oblique) threw from 60 feet on flat ground Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
Ferguson will join Cincinnati on its seven-game road trip that begins Friday in Texas before heading to Miami next week. Going out on the road with the team suggests the left-handed reliever is nearing a return, but the next step will be throwing off a mound.
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Jhoan Duran RP | PHI
Phillies' Jhoan Duran: Earns win Wednesday
Duran (1-1) earned the win Wednesday against the Nationals after retiring all three batters he faced, striking out one.
Duran was called upon for the 10th inning after the Phillies mounted a late comeback to force extras, and he needed only six pitches (four strikes) to retire the side. This was Duran's first win of the season, and he's also gone 2-for-2 in save chances early on. He hasn't allowed a run in three of his first four outings in 2026.
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Cole Henry RP | WAS
Nationals' Cole Henry: Melts down in loss
Henry (0-1) was tagged with the loss and a blown save Wednesday against the Phillies after allowing one unearned run on three hits and a walk across one-third of an inning.
Henry opened the season with back-to-back scoreless outings, but he had a rough showing in this one and gave up the game-winning hit to Justin Crawford in the 10th inning. The right-hander also allowed two inherited runners to score in the ninth to force extras. Through three outings and 2.1 innings so far, Henry owns a 2:2 K:BB with no earned runs allowed, but the fact that he's allowed four hits already is far from promising.
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Shane Smith RP | CHW
White Sox's Shane Smith: Lasts three innings Wednesday
Smith (0-2) was tagged with the loss Wednesday against the Marlins after allowing eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits and two walks across three innings. He fanned one.
Smith allowed four runs (three earned) and didn't even finish the second inning in his season debut against the Brewers on Thursday, and while he at least completed three frames this time around, the results were even worse. The White Sox don't have a lot of depth in their rotation, so Smith isn't at risk of losing his spot any time soon; however, the results have been pretty disappointing. Through two starts, he has allowed 12 runs (10 earned) on 11 hits and four walks while fanning three across 4.2 innings, which translates to a bloated 19.29 ERA.
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Jimmy Herget RP | COL
Rockies' Jimmy Herget: First save of season
Herget earned the save Wednesday against the Rockies after pitching a scoreless 10th inning.
Herget stepped up to the mound with the Rockies holding a 2-1 lead and got the job done, needing 16 pitches (12 strikes) to retire George Springer, Nathan Lukes and Vladimir Guerrero. It's the first save since 2022 for Herget, who isn't expected to see regular save chances this year. The right-hander has yet to allow a run in three outings this season, giving up two hits with no walks and fanning three across three innings.
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Brennan Bernardino RP | COL
Rockies' Brennan Bernardino: Earns win in relief
Bernardino (1-0) earned the win in relief after tossing a scoreless inning against the Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Bernardino entered the game in the ninth inning and tossed a scoreless frame, needing only 11 pitches (eight strikes) to get the job done. Bernardino has enjoyed a solid start to the season, firing three scoreless innings across four appearances while allowing two hits and posting a 1:0 K:BB in that span.
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Brendon Little RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Brendon Little: Tagged with loss in relief
Little (0-1) was tagged with the loss in relief Wednesday against the Rockies. He allowed one unearned run on one hit and one walk while striking out one across one inning.
Little allowed the game-deciding run in the 10th frame via an RBI single from Tyler Freeman into center field. It's been a rocky start to the season for Little, who has given up eight runs (seven earned) with a 4:3 K:BB across 2.1 innings in three appearances.
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Lucas Erceg RP | KC
Royals' Lucas Erceg: Cleans up mess for save
Erceg retired both batters he faced to earn the save in Wednesday's 13-9 win over the Twins.
Bailey Falter took the mound for the ninth inning when the Royals were ahead by seven runs, but he made a mess of the low-leverage spot. Erceg came in with two on and one out and worked out of trouble for his second save of the season. The right-hander is a must-have in fantasy after Carlos Estevez (foot) landed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday. Working primarily as a setup man in 2025, Erceg pitched to a 2.64 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 48:18 K:BB while adding two saves and 23 holds over 61.1 innings. He's shown better strikeout stuff than that in previous years, and if he pitches well in Estevez's absence, Erceg could keep the closer role for most of the season. He already has two saves and a hold over three appearances this year.