MLB Player News

Ray (1-0) earned the win against the Reds on Sunday, allowing three runs on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Ray was flawless through five innings but surrendered a two-run homer in the sixth, one pitch after a pitch-clock violation, and couldn't finish the frame. Despite that, it was an encouraging outing, as the former Cy Young winner looked healthy and generated nine swinging strikes on 78 pitches. He's set for a favorable home matchup against the Mariners next weekend.

Heaney took a no-decision Sunday against the Marlins. He struck out two over five innings while allowing one run on four hits and a walk.

The veteran southpaw was sharp in his first start of 2025, throwing 79 pitches and yielding a solitary run on a Nick Fortes double in the second inning. After inking a one-year deal with Pittsburgh on Feb. 20, Heaney had a shortened spring training, so was still stretching out in this appearance. This outing was a welcome sight, as he endured a brutal spring training, pitching to a 9.49 ERA and 1.86 WHIP over 12.1 innings. Heaney will look to keep his season on track in his upcoming start against a former team, the Yankees, at home next weekend.

Meyer did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 3-2 win over Pittsburgh, pitching 5.2 innings while allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk. He struck out seven.

The 26-year-old right-hander was impressive in his first outing of the season, tossing 93 pitches and generating 12 whiffs while falling one out short of a quality start. After averaging 94.1 mph on his fastball in 2024, Meyer demonstrated increased velocity in this appearance, posting a 95.6 mph average on the pitch. The 2020 first-round pick produced a solid 3.21 ERA with a 11:2 K:BB across 14 innings in the Grapefruit League and looks poised for a year that matches his draft pedigree. Meyer currently lines up to make his second start at Atlanta next weekend.

Boyd did not factor into the decision Sunday against the Diamondbacks, allowing four hits and three walks over five scoreless innings. He struck out five.

Boyd managed to navigate his way through traffic to post five scoreless innings in his Cubs debut. The left-hander would depart with a lead, but the Chicago bullpen proceeded to cough up 10 runs over the final three innings to leave Boyd with a no-decision. Boyd was strong in eight starts with Cleveland after returning from Tommy John surgery last season, posting a 2.72 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP and 46 strikeouts over 39.2 regular-season innings.

Rodriguez did not factor into the decision Sunday against the Cubs, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out five.

Rodriguez was solid for the most part Sunday, but two of the hits off him left the ballpark -- Dansby Swanson led off the second inning with a solo home run before Seiya Suzuki launched a two-run shot in the sixth. Rodriguez will look to limit the long ball in his next outing, currently lined up for next week in Washington. Injuries limited the left-hander to 10 starts (50 innings) in 2024, when he posted a 5.04 ERA with a 1.50 WHIP and 47:19 K:BB.

Parker (1-0) earned the win against the Phillies on Sunday, allowing seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 6.1 scoreless innings.

Parker worked around frequent traffic on the basepaths to contain a potent Phillies lineup. Last season, the southpaw posted stark splits, with a 2.65 ERA over 15 home starts compared to a 6.61 ERA in 14 road outings. That trend continued Sunday, and he's set to take the mound at Nationals Park again next weekend against the Diamondbacks.

Abbott (shoulder) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Abbott is expected to make two starts with Louisville, the first of which will be Tuesday, while the latter is set for April 6. The right-hander will then be re-evaluated for a potential return to the major-league roster after his second rehab outing. If all goes to plan, Abbott is roughly on track to be back in the Cincinnati rotation April 12.

Civale departed Sunday's start against the Yankees after three innings due to left hamstring cramping, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

It wasn't immediately apparent that the right-hander suffered an injury, since the five runs, including three homers, he allowed seemed like enough to end his afternoon. The injury doesn't sound like a serious issue, but his status for the next turn through the rotation should receive some clarity in the next couple days. The Brewers can ill afford to lose another starter with Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) and Tobias Myers (oblique) on the IL while Jose Quintana is still ramping up in the minors.

Nola (0-1) took the loss against the Nationals on Sunday, allowing five runs on six hits and no walks with eight strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Nola cruised through three innings before surrendering all five runs on home runs in the fourth and sixth frames. While the veteran remains one of the game's most durable arms, he has allowed 30-plus homers in each of the past two seasons. He'll look to bounce back in a tough matchup against the Dodgers next weekend.

Ashcraft allowed two hits over a scoreless eighth inning in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Giants.

Ashcraft worked around traffic with the help of a double-play grounder to earn his first hold. Cincinnati's late-game deployments are under scrutiny after the club placed closer Alexis Diaz (hamstring) on the injured list, and Ian Gibaut blew a save Opening Day. Going back to Ashcraft's days as a starter, Reds coaches have mused about the right-hander's makeup being suited for the bullpen, including as a closer. On Saturday, he worked in a set-up role for Emilio Pagan. This is a not a situation where once Diaz is healthy, he'll automatically get the closer's role back. He had trouble throwing strikes in limited Cactus League usage, which did not please manager Terry Francona.