MLB Player News

Blackburn (finger) had his rehab start scheduled for Friday with Triple-A Las Vegas postponed because of the blister he developed during his previous outing Sunday, MLB.com reports.

The right-hander continues to play catch for the time being, but manager Mark Kotsay says there's no current timetable for Blackburn's next rehab start. Blackburn had worked up to 62 pitches in Sunday's outing, yet the setback and time off between starts now appears likely to delay his big-league season debut into May.

DeGrom (wrist) threw a bullpen session Friday, but the Rangers have yet to confirm that he'll be able to start Sunday versus the Athletics, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Friday that he'll have a better idea about deGrom's availability Saturday. DeGrom was removed from a start earlier this week with right wrist soreness after tossing four no-hit innings.

Kopech didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 8-7 loss to the Rays, surrendering five runs on six hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out a season-high nine.

As has been the norm for Kopech to begin the season, he looked dominant at times but also fell victim to one bad inning, in this case a four-run first by Tampa Bay. The right-hander generated 16 swinging strikes on 104 pitches, but his command remains erratic -- he's walked at least three batters in all four of his outings. Harold Ramirez's two-run shot in the opening frame was the eighth homer Kopech has served up in only 20.2 innings. He'll carry a 6.97 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and 23:14 K:BB into his next start, likely to come next week in Toronto.

German (1-2) took the loss Friday, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks over six innings against Toronto. He struck out six.

German served up a two-run home run to Vladimir Guerrero in the first and a two-run shot to Brandon Belt in the sixth. The right-hander has now given up four homers in four starts and sports a 4.50 ERA, but he has a stellar 25:7 K:BB through 20 innings and his 1.05 WHIP is encouraging. His next start is tentatively scheduled against the Twins, who struck out 11 times the last time they faced German.

Kikuchi (3-0) earned the win Friday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks over six innings during a 6-1 victory over the Yankees. He struck out three.

Kikuchi got some early run support, and aside from a solo home run from Oswaldo Cabrera in the second inning, he cruised through six frames en route to his third victory of the season. After four starts (21.1 innings), Kikuchi sports a 3.80 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP with a solid 20:5 K:BB. He's tentatively scheduled to pitch again during next week's three-game set against the White Sox.

Lorenzen did not factor into the decision Friday, allowing three hits and one walk over five scoreless innings during a 2-1 loss to the Orioles. He struck out four.

Lorenzen missed the first three weeks of the 2023 regular season due to a groin strain, so he was making just his second start of the year. It was a strong bounce-back performance after he served up six runs over four innings against the Giants in his season debut. He'll look to maintain his momentum during his next start, which is tentatively scheduled for Detroit's upcoming three-game road set in Milwaukee.

Wells did not factor into the decision Friday, pitching seven scoreless innings in which he allowed three hits and a walk during a 2-1 win over the Tigers. He struck out five.

Wells didn't allow a baserunner to reach second as he cruised through seven shutout frames against the Tigers. He was in line for his first win of the year thanks to a solo shot from Austin Hays in the bottom of the seventh, but the Tigers were able to tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the ninth. Through four appearances (three starts), Wells sports a 2.70 ERA and a 0.69 WHIP with a strong 16:2 K:BB over 23.1 innings.

Kirby (2-1) earned the win Friday, allowing two runs on three hits over six innings against the Cardinals. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.

Kirby is off to a solid start in his second major-league season. The right-hander has pitched at least six innings in each of his last three appearances and also sports a stingy 1.06 WHIP. He is tentatively slated to face the Phillies on the road in his next start.

Mahle did not factor into the decision Friday, allowing one run on three hits without a walk over 6.1 innings against Washington. He struck out four.

Mahle was chased in the seventh inning by a Joey Meneses home run, but he was still in line for the win. However the Minnesota bullpen did not hold up, forcing Mahle to settle for a quality start in his best outing of the season. The 28-year-old righty didn't walk a batter for the first time in 2023 and allowed a season-low three hits. Mahle is currently lined up to face the Yankees in his next start.

Sears gave up four runs on five hits and two walks over six frames in Friday's win over Texas. He struck out 11 and did not factor in the decision.

An ugly first inning put a damper on an otherwise impressive outing by Sears. All four runs he allowed came during that frame, including Jonah Heim's three-run blast. Sears' 11 strikeouts and 17 whiffs both flew by his previous career highs of seven and 12, respectively. He's now sporting a 23:4 K:BB, albeit with six homers allowed, through four starts. Sears is projected for a road matchup with the Angels next week.