MLB Player News

Rodriguez (2-0) picked up the win Friday, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over 6.1 innings in a 5-2 victory over the Pirates. He struck out seven.

Solo shots by Oneil Cruz in the fifth inning and Jared Triolo in the seventh accounted for all the damage off Rodriguez. The 24-year-old right-hander has had a sizzling start to the season, posting a 16:3 K:BB through his first 12.1 innings with a 2.19 ERA, and while he's served up three homers, all three have come with the bases empty. After giving up 16 home runs in 122 innings as a rookie last year, Rodriguez's ability to keep the ball in the park might be the only thing that holds him back in 2024.

Littell came away with a no-decision in Friday's 10-7 loss to the Rockies, allowing one run on five hits over five innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.

The right-hander pounded the strike zone at Coors Field, firing 52 of 69 pitches for strikes, and Littell left the mound with the Rays nursing a 2-1 lead before things got wacky in the late innings. After a solid finish to the 2023 campaign in the Tampa Bay rotation, Littell has been even better to begin the current campaign, posting a 0.82 ERA through his first 11 innings with an 11:2 K:BB. He lines up to make his next start on the road against the Angels next week.

Sears didn't factor into the decision Friday, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk over 5.2 innings against the Tigers. He struck out two.

Sears looked good early, facing the minimum through his first three innings. However, Matt Vierling led off the fourth with a solo home run before Detroit tacked on two more runs with three consecutive hits. While his final line wasn't great, it was an improvement for Sears after he gave up five runs in just 3.2 innings in his first start. The left-hander sports an unsightly 8.68 ERA with a 1.61 WHIP and two strikeouts through his first 9.1 innings this season.

Skubal didn't factor into the decision Friday against Oakland, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks over 6.1 innings. He struck out nine.

Skubal was dominant through the first five innings Friday, holding the A's scoreless while racking up seven strikeouts. However, the left-hander would allow a two-run homer to Brent Rooker in the sixth before Oakland tacked on two more runs in the seventh, costing Skubal his second win of the season. While fatigue may have been a factor, he still generated an impressive 16 whiffs overall. After blanking the White Sox on Opening Day, Skubal sports a 2.92 ERA with 15 strikeouts and just two walks through his first 12.1 innings this year.

Kikuchi didn't factor into the decision Friday versus the Yankees, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out seven in 5.1 scoreless innings.

It was a strong bounce-back effort from Kikuchi, who allowed three runs over 4.1 innings in his first start of the year. The left-hander is coming off a breakout 2023 campaign in which he went 11-6 with a 3.86 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 181:48 K:BB in 32 starts. He's currently slated to face the Mariners at home in his next outing.

Stroman did not factor into the decision Friday against the Blue Jays, allowing three hits and one walk over six scoreless innings. He struck out six.

Stroman was stellar in his home debut with the Yankees, but the team failed to provide the right-hander with any run support in an eventual 3-0 loss. He has yet to give up a run through his first two starts this season, allowing just seven hits and three walks over 12 innings. He's currently lined up to face the Marlins at home in his next outing.

France was activated from the paternity leave list Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

France was away for a few days this week while welcoming a new baby to the family. He is scheduled to start Saturday against the Rangers.

Lively (illness) allowed a hit and struck out three without walking a batter over three scoreless innings in his rehab start versus Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

Lively began the season on the 15-day injured list, but he was solid in his first rehab appearance. The right-hander was in contention for a rotation spot during spring training prior to coming down with a respiratory virus. It's unclear what his role will be with the major-league team once he's activated -- that will likely depend on Carlos Carrasco's performance as the Guardians' fifth starter and the timeline for the return of Gavin Williams (elbow).

White Sox general manager Chris Getz said Thursday that he expects Clevinger to make his season debut around May 1, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Clevinger's one-year, $3 million contract became official Thursday, and he was optioned to the rookie-level Arizona Complex League to get ramped up before appearing in a major-league game. The White Sox have been using four starters up to this point in the season, and that trend might continue until Clevinger is ready, with the club perhaps opting for some bullpen games when necessary. Clevinger posted a 3.77 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 110:40 K:BB over 131.1 innings last season.

White Sox general manager Chris Getz revealed Thursday that Nastrini has been battling an illness at Triple-A Charlotte, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Nastrini made his first start of the season for Charlotte on Wednesday and was bludgeoned for four runs on seven hits and two walks over just three innings, with Getz noting that the right-hander's stuff wasn't sharp, likely as a result of the illness. While Nastrini remains a candidate to start Monday in Cleveland, it's looking like the plan might be to keep him at Charlotte for a while, per James Fegan of SoxMachine.com. The Sox could be leaning toward filling the fifth slot in their rotation with bullpen games until Mike Clevinger is ready, which is expected to happen around May 1.