MLB Player News

Rodriguez (3-2) earned the win Thursday, allowing two hits and one walk over eight scoreless innings against the Mets. He struck out nine.

Rodriguez picked up his third win in his last four starts, fanning nine over eight scoreless innings. The 30-year-old has been off to a blazing start to 2023, holding a 1.81 ERA through six outings after finishing the last two seasons with a 4.05 and 4.74 ERA, respectively. Rodriguez has filled the role of Detroit's top arm thus far and has allowed just two runs over his last five starts (34.2 innings) while striking out 33 batters. The southpaw has also logged quality starts in four of his last five appearances and should remain a strong fantasy option until he shows otherwise.

Kirby (3-2) allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out two over seven innings to earn the win Thursday over the Athletics.

It was a fifth straight quality start for Kirby, who bounced back from a tough-luck loss in his last outing versus the Phillies. While it was a solid performance, the two strikeouts were a season low for the right-hander. He's at a solid 3.11 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 26:3 K:BB across 37.2 innings over six starts, again displaying excellent control. Kirby's next start is projected to be at home versus the Rangers next week.

Blackburn (finger) threw all his pitches during a bullpen session Wednesday morning, the Associated Press reports.

The development is naturally an encouraging one for Blackburn after a scheduled rehab start for Triple-A Las Vegas was postponed twice over a three-day period in late April due to a blister. Blackburn is expected to either throw another bullpen or finally restart his rehab assignment with another start for the Aviators in the coming days.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Crawford (hamstring) should be able to avoid the injured list, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Crawford left a relief appearance Wednesday against the Blue Jays after experiencing tightness in his left hamstring, but it's not a serious issue and he is considered day-to-day. The 27-year-old has registered a solid 3.51 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 24:3 K:BB through 25.2 innings this season with Boston.

McDougal has made two starts for Single-A Kannapolis since being reinstated from the 7-day injured list April 21, covering six scoreless innings between those outings while striking out nine and allowing five hits and one walk.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2021, McDougal missed the entire 2022 campaign, and the White Sox opted to have him open the 2023 season on Kannapolis' 7-day IL. The 20-year-old right-hander missed only about a week of action before making his debut April 13, but he then went back on the IL immediately following that outing. Given that McDougal was activated nearly a week later, his return to the IL looks to have been precautionary. Given how well he's pitched for Kannapolis in his first two stats back in action, McDougal could soon be in store for a promotion to High-A Winston-Salem.

McKenzie (shoulder) threw another bullpen session Tuesday in New York, MLB.com reports.

The side session was McKenzie's second since he exited his final Cactus League start in late March with a right teres major muscle strain. After throwing a 20-pitch session last weekend consisting entirely of fastballs, it's unclear whether McKenzie was able to incorporate any breaking pitches Tuesday. The Guardians haven't formally outlined McKenzie's next steps, but he's expected to report to the organization's spring training facility in Arizona to continue his throwing progression before eventually heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment. McKenzie is first eligible to come off the 60-day IL on May 29, and that date still appears to be a realistic target for his return.

Civale (oblique) completed a bullpen session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

The side session marked the first time that Civale has taken part in mound work since he suffered a left oblique strain in his April 7 start against the Mariners. The Guardians noted that Civale felt well physically coming out of the session, and he'll be re-evaluated Friday before the team determines his next steps. Though he's now nearly a month removed from suffering the injury, Civale is without a clear timeline for a return, though Mandy Bell of MLB.com notes that Civale is behind fellow starting pitcher Triston McKenzie (shoulder) in their respective rehab programs. McKenzie isn't eligible to come off the IL until May 29, so Civale likely isn't likely to return until at least early June.

Ober is scheduled to start Friday's series opener in Cleveland.

As anticipated, Ober will receive another turn through the rotation while Kenta Maeda (triceps) and Tyler Mahle (elbow) are stuck on the injured list. In his return from Triple-A St. Paul last weekend, Ober took a no-decision but was excellent over 5.2 innings against the Royals, striking out six while allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks.

Bieber did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk over eight innings during a 4-3 loss to the Yankees in extras. He struck out four.

Aside from a pair of solo home runs in the fifth, Bieber was efficient and carved up the Yankees across a season-high eight innings. He currently sports a 2.96 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP through seven appearances, but there's some concerning trends to the start of his season. The long ball is slowly emerging as an issue for the right-hander, who's now surrendered four home runs over his past four starts, and his strikeout numbers are also down from previous years. He has 30 strikeouts through 45.2 innings after punching out 198 over 200 innings last year, and before that Bieber had posted at least one strikeout per inning over each of his previous four campaigns.

Schmidt did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two unearned runs on six hits and two walks over 4.1 innings during a 4-3 win over Cleveland in extras. He struck out four.

Both of Schmidt's first-inning runs were unearned due to a fielding error by Anthony Rizzo, but the right-hander was still shaky and got pulled in the fifth after allowing a one-out single to Jose Ramirez. Schmidt has given up multiple runs in each of his first seven starts this season and has yet to complete more than six innings. His 5.83 ERA and 1.70 WHIP need work, but his 36:9 K:BB through 29.1 innings is encouraging. He'll look to find a rhythm during his next start, which will likely come during a three-game set versus Oakland.