MLB Player News

Woodruff (shoulder) threw 51 pitches over a three-inning simulated game Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

He will throw another simulated game, and if that goes well, Woodruff will be cleared to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Nashville. The Brewers hope Woodruff will be ready to rejoin their rotation sometime in May, but it seems to be a loose timetable and will depend on how he looks and feels on his rehab assignment. The veteran righty is working his way back from capsule surgery on his pitching shoulder.

Abbott (shoulder) allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings in his first rehab start with Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.

The lefty got his pitch count up to 85 and will make another rehab start Sunday, according to Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily News. If all goes well during Sunday's outing, Abbott could be on track to return from the 15-day injured list and rejoin the Reds rotation late next week.

Steele (2-1) collected the win Tuesday in a 7-4 victory over the A's, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk over 6.2 innings. He struck out six.

The southpaw served up two-run homers to Brent Rooker in the first inning and Shea Langeliers in the third, but the Cubs' offense bailed him out with a couple long balls of its own. Steele has been taken deep five times in his first three starts of 2025, a somewhat worrying trend for a pitcher who's never had serious issues keeping the ball in the park before -- over the prior three seasons, he never posted a HR/9 rate north of 0.80 -- but the sample size is still small. Steele will look for his third straight win in his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Rangers.

King (1-0) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing two hits and a walk over five scoreless innings in a 7-0 rout of the Guardians. He struck out 11.

The Padres' pitching staff continues to roll, racking up its third shutout in the last four games, and King's performance was maybe the best one yet from the team's rotation. The right-hander generated 18 swinging strikes among his 88 pitches (56 total strikes) and didn't let a runner get past second base. King sports a 14:5 K:BB through his first 7.2 innings of 2025, and he'll look to remain dominant in his next start, which lines up to come on the road early next week against the A's.

Sale (0-1) was charged with the loss Tuesday against the Dodgers after giving up three runs on four hits and no walks across five-plus innings. He struck out five.

The veteran left-hander was dominant through five frames with just a single and two hit batsmen allowed, but three straight hits to start the sixth inning, including a two-run homer by Mookie Betts, resulted in three runs and soured the performance. Sale has now surrendered three runs over five frames in each of his first two outings of the season, which is an underwhelming start to 2025 for the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner.

Williams allowed three runs on 10 hits and struck out three over five innings Tuesday against Toronto. He did not factor into the decision.

Williams surrendered all three runs in the third on a collection of five singles from the Blue Jays. He did not allow an extra-base hit and has managed to make 16 consecutive starts allowing three runs or fewer dating back to the end of the 2023 season. Williams may have a hard time extending that streak his next time out, as he's lined up to face the Dodgers next week.

May didn't factor in the decision Tuesday against Atlanta, allowing one unearned run on a hit and three walks over five innings. He struck out six.

The right-hander surrendered a run during the second inning on a single, a walk and an error but otherwise kept Atlanta off the board. May understandably showed a bit of rust in his first big-league start since May of 2023 as he threw just 46 of 81 pitches for strikes, but his stuff looked on point as he generated 11 whiffs. The 27-year-old will continue to work as Los Angeles' No. 6 starter and could have some fantasy utility, assuming he can stay healthy.

Harrington (0-1) allowed six runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out two in four innings in a loss to the Rays on Tuesday.

Harrington had some early command issues in allowing three hits and two walks, which led to three runs for the Rays in the opening frame. Another two runs scored off the bat of Brandon Lowe in the fourth inning before Harrington's day came to a close at 90 pitches. The nerves in his debut were certainly visible for the 24-year-old righty, and it's unclear whether his next start will come at the major-league level or back at Triple-A Indianapolis.

Liberatore didn't factor into the decision after allowing three runs on six hits and no walks in six innings Tuesday against the Angels. He struck out four.

Liberatore registered a quality start in his season debut, throwing 53 of his 77 pitches for strikes Tuesday. The Angels did their damage against the 25-year-old southpaw in the third inning, with Luis Rengifo driving in one run on a double and Mike Trout plating two more with a double of his own. Liberatore's next start lines up for early next week in a favorable matchup against Pittsburgh.

Burnes allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against the Yankees on Tuesday. He struck out eight.

Burnes recorded three strikeouts in two scoreless frames to start the contest before allowing four runs over the next two innings. He needed 98 pitches (65 strikes) to record just 13 outs, but he also forced 16 swinging strikes. Despite the overall inefficiency, his eight strikeouts and near 100-pitch season debut are a good sign for the 30-year-old righty. Burnes' next start is projected to be in Washington this weekend.