MLB Player News

Valdez allowed a run on two hits and five walks in three innings while striking out three in a 3-2 loss Wednesday in Arizona. He did not factor into the decision.

Four of Valdez's five walks were on four pitches and he also hit a batter as he struggled with his command all day. He needed 75 pitches to get through three innings. The 28-year-old has averaged 4.0 BB/9 for his career, so Wednesday's struggles are nothing new. His next start is likely early next week against the Angels.

Paddack (0-1) allowed three earned runs on six hits and no walks while striking out three across four innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Paddack allowed all of his runs in the first two innings of the game, though he settled in to retire six of the final seven batters he faced. While Paddack took the loss in his first start with the Twins, he did not allow a home run or a walk, the former particularly noteworthy given he entered the game having surrendered a 1.5 HR/9 across 308 career big-league innings. The Twins are employing a six-man rotation to begin the season, so his starts will be limited. Paddack currently projects to take the mound Wednesday at Kansas City.

Means was removed from Tuesday's start versus the Brewers with left forearm tightness, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Means made an abrupt exit after four innings during Tuesday's start, and his initial diagnosis is a worrying one. He left in line for the loss after giving up two runs on two hits with two strikeouts and one walk. The specifics and severity of the injury remain unclear, but forearm tightness is often a precursor to more serious issues. Means should be considered day-to-day until more information is available, leaving his availability for the next turn through the rotation up in the air.

Means was removed from Tuesday's game against the Brewers after four innings for undisclosed reasons, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Means was at only 51 pitches and had retired seven straight batters since allowing a two-out, RBI single during the second inning, so his exit clearly isn't performance-related. The 28-year-old left in line for the loss and allowed two runs on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Means' status should be updated by the team sometime during or after Wednesday's contest.

Eovaldi (1-0) allowed two earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out six across five innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Tigers.

Eovaldi surrendered a pair of solo home runs -- one in the opening inning and the other in the fifth -- but otherwise limited the Detroit offense. The Tigers did make him work, however, as they fouled off 32 of Eovaldi's offerings and ran his pitch count to 101 across five frames of work. Eovaldi has worked five innings in each of his first two starts and posted a 13:2 K:BB in that span, though he's also surrendered four long balls.

Rodriguez (0-1) allowed seven runs (two earned) across 3.2 innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Red Sox. He gave up five hits and three walks while striking out five.

The strikeouts were nice but everything else was a struggle for Rodriguez in the matchup against Boston, which was his team for the last six seasons. The lefty hasn't gotten off to a good start with his new squad, as he now has a 5.87 ERA and 1.83 WHIP across his first two starts. He was better in the spring (3.71 Grapefruit League ERA), so maybe he'll be able to get rolling soon. Rodriguez has another tough matchup on tap, though, as he's slated to face the Yankees on Tuesday.

Montgomery (knee) threw a bullpen session Wednesday and is lined up to start Friday's game against the Orioles, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Montgomery dealt with left knee inflammation after he was hit by a comebacker in Sunday's start against the Red Sox, but the team has consistently downplayed the severity of the issue. Since Wednesday's bullpen session went as planned, manager Aaron Boone said that Montgomery "should be good to go" in Baltimore on Friday. While pitching through the injury in his season debut, the southpaw allowed three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out four in 3.1 innings.

The Blue Jays are planning to have Stripling make a spot start Friday against the Athletics in Toronto if he isn't needed in relief the next two days, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Stripling looks like he'll be in line for just a short-term appointment in the rotation, as the Blue Jays are looking to extend each of their five starters an extra day of rest between outings amid a busy stretch in the schedule. The right-hander last appeared out of the bullpen Sunday, when he was charged with two runs allowed on one hit and three walks over one inning in a 24-pitch outing against the Rangers. Stripling could be capped at around 40-to-50 pitches if he does in fact receive the starting assignment for Friday's series opener.

Lynn (knee) resumed playing catch off flat ground Wednesday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Lynn noted that he's further along than anticipated in his recovery from the surgery he underwent April 5 to address a tendon tear in his right knee, but the veteran right-hander has several more hurdles to clear in his rehab program before a firmer target date for his return comes into focus. The White Sox aren't counting on him to resume mound work until early May, and from there, Lynn will likely need at least 2-to-3 weeks to build back up from a starting role. For what it's worth, general manager Rick Hahn said Tuesday that he doesn't expect Lynn to make his season debut until early June, per Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago.

Watkins allowed four runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks with one strikeout in three innings in a no-decision versus the Brewers on Tuesday.

Watkins didn't get much help from the defense Tuesday, though he also committed an error that led to the Brewers' two runs in the third inning. The right-hander received the first opportunity to take Dean Kremer's (oblique) spot in the rotation, but this wasn't an encouraging performance. Keegan Akin followed Watkins as a long reliever and threw 2.2 scoreless innings, particularly notable considering he and Watkins could be competing for a starting role down the line. If Watkins gets another turn with the starting rotation, he lines up to face Oakland next week, though Alexander Wells is also an option to draw a spot start.