MLB Player News
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Matthew Liberatore SP | STL
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Tagged with five runs
Liberatore (0-1) yielded five runs on eight hits over 6.1 innings Monday, striking out seven and taking a loss against the Pirates.
Liberatore stumbled early Monday, serving up a solo homer to Joey Bart in the first inning and allowing three runs in the second. While the poor outing drove his ERA up to 5.84, Liberatore has not walked a batter through 12.1 frames this season. He forced 13 whiffs Monday, with six coming against his slider. Liberatore's next start is lined up to be this weekend at home against the Phillies.
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Matt Sauer RP | LAD
Dodgers' Matt Sauer: Heading back to minors
Sauer is expected to be optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City ahead of Tuesday's game against the Nationals, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Sauer was unable to prevent Washington from extending the lead during Monday's game, surrendering one run on three hits over 1.2 innings of work in his 2025 debut. His time with the big-league club won't last long, as the team has elected to option him to Triple-A to make room for Justin Wrobleski, who is set to start Tuesday.
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Thomas Harrington RP | PIT
Pirates' Thomas Harrington: Earns lengthy save Monday
Harrington allowed three runs on four hits and one walk over four innings in Monday's 8-4 win over St. Louis. He struck out five and earned his first MLB save.
After making a four-inning start in his MLB debut last Tuesday against the Royals, Harrington shifted to the bullpen but ended up piggybacking starter Carmen Mlodzinski, who covered five innings before the rookie right-handed finished out the game. Harrington entered with a 4-1 lead and earned the save in the Pirates' four-run win, despite a shaky performance. Harrington has now given up nine earned runs and holds a 7:5 K:BB through eight innings, so he hasn't made a strong case for a more permanent spot in the Pittsburgh rotation just yet. That said, the Pirates have been committed to building in at least five days of rest between starts for Paul Skenes, so Pittsburgh could move back to a six-man rotation that includes Harrington on Friday, when the team begins a stretch of 10 games in as many days.
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Justin Steele SP | CHC
Cubs' Justin Steele: Smooth sailing in third win
Steele (3-1) picked up the win Monday against the Rangers after giving up three hits and two walks in seven scoreless innings, striking out eight.
Steele looked to be right at home on a cold night at Wrigley Field, scattering three singles with the benefit of having the wind blowing in Monday. It was easily the star left-hander's finest performance of the campaign thus far, as he allowed a season low in knocks and fanned a season-high eight during his longest outing among four starts. Steele has a strong 21:5 K:BB and 1.15 WHIP to go with three wins over his first 22.2 frames, but he'll be looking to improve on his subpar 4.76 ERA in a tough road matchup against the Dodgers that lines up for this weekend.
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Carmen Mlodzinski RP | PIT
Pirates' Carmen Mlodzinski: Fans six in win
Mlodzinski (1-1) allowed a run on five hits and two walks over five innings Monday, striking out six and earning a win over the Cardinals.
Mlodzinski worked four shutout frames before the Cardinals put a run on the board in the fifth inning. It was a much more effective outing after he coughed up four runs in 3.2 frames during his season debut against the Rays. Still, Mlodzinski needed 92 pitches (54 strikes) to get through five innings. He'll carry a 5.19 ERA into his next matchup, which is lined up to be in Cincinnati this weekend.
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MacKenzie Gore SP | TEX
Nationals' MacKenzie Gore: Fans seven in victory
Gore (1-1) earned the win Monday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk over six innings. He struck out seven.
Gore stifled the star-studded Dodgers, generating an impressive 15 whiffs in this 100-pitch outing. The only blemish on the Washington left-hander's outing was a two-run homer yielded to Shohei Ohtani in the third inning. Gore has opened his season on an impressive run, pitching to a 2.65 ERA, supported by a 2.38 FIP, with 25:3 K:BB across 17 innings. The 26-year-old currently lines up to make his next start at Miami this weekend.
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Dustin May SP | STL
Dodgers' Dustin May: Quality start despite loss
May (0-1) took the loss Monday at Washington, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out one.
The Los Angeles right-hander picked up his first quality start since May 12, 2023 in this 86-pitch outing. May averaged 95.0 mph on his fastball but did struggle to miss bats, generating just two whiffs. The 27-year-old's season is off to a solid start after he missed all of 2024, as he sports a 0.82 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 7:6 K:BB across 11 innings. May should continue to stick in the Dodgers' rotation, especially since Blake Snell (shoulder) hit the injured list on Sunday.
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Joe Musgrove SP | SD
Padres' Joe Musgrove: Cleared for light throwing
Musgrove (elbow) played catch Monday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Musgrove was encouraged by Monday's throwing session, citing all of the rehab he's done in the last six months to simply make it to this point. The team doesn't expect him to make his return during the 2025 campaign, but if all continues to go as planned, he should be in a great spot to be ready for the beginning of 2026.
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Edward Cabrera SP | CHC
Marlins' Edward Cabrera: Could return over weekend
Cabrera (finger) has joined the team in New York following a rehab start Sunday at Triple-A Jacksonville, Fish on First reports.
Cabrera's activation from the 15-day injured list isn't imminent at this point, though the fact that he's joined Miami on the current road trip is likely a sign he's close to returning. The club will monitor the right-hander closely over the next few days to determine if he's in need of another rehab start.
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Clayton Kershaw SP | LAD
Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Arm 'ready to go,' toe not there
Kershaw (toe/knee) said Monday that his arm is "ready to go," but his surgically repaired left big toe "isn't all the way there," David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
The veteran lefty also had offseason surgery on his left knee, but it sounds like the toe is the bigger obstacle he needs to overcome. Kershaw faced hitters at the Dodgers' spring training complex in Arizona last Thursday and will do so again this Thursday. He is already on the 60-day injured list and thus not eligible to return until late May. There is no timetable for Kershaw's season debut.