MLB Player News

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that he expects deGrom to be limited to around 75 pitches or five innings in Sunday's game against the Red Sox, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

In an effort to help deGrom stay healthy after he was limited to just nine starts over the last two seasons while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, the Rangers brought him along slowly during spring training. He made just three spring appearances and built up to four innings and 70 pitches in his final outing, so deGrom will see only a slight increase in his projected workload in his season debut. While the potential five-inning limit caps deGrom's upside as a DFS option for Sunday, fantasy managers in redraft leagues will likely still want to keep the right-hander in their lineups.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider labeled Rodriguez as a candidate to start Friday's game against the Mets at Citi Field, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

With Toronto's ideal five-man rotation at full health heading into Opening Day, Rodriguez missed out on a starting spot and made his season debut out of the bullpen in Thursday's 12-2 loss to the Orioles, giving up three earned runs on three hits and one walk over one inning. Despite the poor showing, Rodriguez could move into the rotation next weekend after Max Scherzer aggravated a thumb injury in Saturday's 9-5 loss to Baltimore and was subsequently placed on the injured list. Per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Scherzer is scheduled to visit a hand specialist Monday, when a timeline for the right-hander's return should come into focus. Rodriguez would be in line for at least two turns though the rotation while Scherzer is on the shelf.

The Blue Jays placed Scherzer on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to right thumb inflammation.

Per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca, Scherzer's early removal from his start Saturday against the Orioles was attributed to right lat soreness, but the veteran right-hander said after the outing that his exit was related to the thumb injury that had been troubling him since spring training. The Blue Jays apparently concurred with Scherzer's assessment and are now listing him solely with the thumb injury. He'll be shut down for at least two weeks in hopes that the extended rest will resolve the issue. Toronto recalled left-hander Easton Lucas from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move to offer some extra coverage in the bullpen, but Yariel Rodriguez figures to get the first crack at filling Scherzer's spot in the rotation.

Williams didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Royals. He went five innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk, striking out two.

Williams was electric in spring training, pitching to a 2.08 ERA over 17.1 innings with 26 strikeouts and just four walks, but he was not as crisp in his first regular-season start to open the year. He pitched to contact versus Kansas City and recorded an uninspiring two strikeouts while being pulled after just 74 pitches. The early hook prevented a chance at a quality start, and he could not nab a win either as his bullpen let him down in the 4-3 loss. He is tentatively lined up for a favorable matchup next week on the road against the Angels.

Lugo did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 4-3 win over Cleveland. He allowed three runs, four hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out four.

Lugo ran into trouble to open the second inning, allowing three consecutive hits to open the frame as Cleveland took a 1-0 lead. His control faded in the third inning with back-to-back walks to Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez, with Kwan coming around to score on a sacrifice fly. After a clean fourth, Lugo allowed a homer to Kwan in the fifth inning, which gave the Guardians a 3-1 lead. He avoided the loss thanks to his offense, which rallied in the middle stages of the game to secure the 4-3 win. Lugo was outstanding a year ago with a 3.00 ERA over 206.2 regular-season innings, so this could be just a bump in the road after he gave up more than two runs only once over his last eight regular/postseason starts in 2024. He will look for his first win in 2025 when he tentatively goes against Baltimore next week.

Scherzer was removed from his start Saturday against the Orioles due to right lat soreness, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Scherzer had been hoping to reach around 80 pitches during his first start of the season, but he was forced out of the game after just 45 pitches across three innings of two-run ball. Although the team attributed his removal to a lat issue, the veteran righty said after the game that "this is 100 percent related to the thumb," per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. Scherzer's thumb has been an issue since spring training, and he added that he was in "imminent danger" of doing more damage to it if he were to go back out for the fourth inning. Scherzer and the team will likely want to make sure his thumb and lat are no longer issues before he makes his next start, which could mean a trip to the injured list is coming.

Kremer (1-0) got the win over Toronto on Saturday, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks over 5.1 innings, striking out six in the Orioles' 9-5 win.

Kremer was shaky out of the gate, allowing three consecutive hits to open the game and two runs in the first inning. He gave up a two-run homer to Andres Gimenez in the third inning and allowed another run in the fifth, but Baltimore's offense had plenty of firepower, and Kremer scratched out the win. The righty produced a 4.10 ERA in 2024 and a 4.12 ERA the year before and profiles as a solid middle-of-the-rotation arm for a playoff contender in Baltimore. He is tentatively lined up for a road start against Kansas City next week.

Miller (0-1) took the loss against the Athletics on Saturday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 5.2 innings.

Miller held the Athletics scoreless through three frames before serving up a two-run homer to Shea Langeliers in the fourth. The right-handed hurler recovered to post a scoreless fifth, but he gave up another run in the sixth and was lifted with two outs in that frame. Miller tossed 90 pitches in his season debut, and he'll look for a better outcome in his second start, which is tentatively slated to take place in San Francisco next week.

Bido (1-0) earned the victory in Saturday's start against Seattle, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks while striking out four batters over five-plus innings.

Bido wasn't particularly sharp in the outing, as he issued four free passes, hit two batters and threw just 45 of 81 pitches for strikes. However, he limited the Mariners to just one earned run (due in part to inducing two double plays) and emerged with the win. Bido posted a 3.7 BB/9 in each of his first two big-league seasons, so control hasn't been his strong point. However, he's locked into a spot in Oakland's rotation and has some fantasy upside after posting a 3.41 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 9.0 K/9 in his first season with the Athletics last year.

Olson (0-1) took the loss against the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five batters over 4.2 innings.

Olson allowed a tolerable six baserunners -- including one on an intentional walk -- in his 4.2 innings, but three of the four hits against him went for extra bases. He entered the fifth frame holding his own in a 2-2 tie, but a two-out, two-run double by Teoscar Hernandez marred Olson's stat line and lined him up to take the loss. The right-hander did manage to notch five strikeouts and get 10 whiffs, so there were some positives to take away despite the defeat. Olson's second start of the campaign is tentatively scheduled to be a considerably softer matchup against the White Sox next weekend.