MLB Player News

German will begin the season with Double-A Chesapeake, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.

This is a strong vote of confidence for German, as he only logged 25.1 innings at High-A last season after beginning the year at Single-A. The 23-year-old righty impressed this spring and was dominant in the lower levels last year, logging a 1.59 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 90:17 K:BB in 73.2 innings. German has a full four-pitch mix with several above-average offerings to go with above-average command.

Giolito (hamstring) allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over 2.1 scoreless innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.

Giolito threw mostly fastballs while adding a healthy dose of changeups and sliders during the start. The right-hander is expected to make at least two more rehab starts before being activated off the 15-day injured list.

Elder allowed three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three batters over four innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Atlanta jumped out to a five-run lead through the top of the second inning, but Elder gave two runs back on a home run by Tommy Edman in the bottom of that frame. The Dodgers didn't score in the third, but Elder served up another long ball -- this time a solo shot by Michael Conforto -- in the fourth, and he didn't return for the fifth. The right-hander's start was his first of the season, which may partly explain why he was held to 70 pitches. Elder is in the rotation as a replacement for Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder), who landed on the injured list Monday. Lopez is likely to miss at least a few months, which could open the door for Elder to make additional starts, though he may lose his rotation role when Spencer Strider (elbow) is done with the rehab stint he began last weekend.

Rodriguez (elbow) threw a bullpen session ahead of Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Wednesday marked the second time Rodriguez has tossed a bullpen session since getting shut down with right elbow inflammation during spring training, and the right-hander remains in a throwing buildup. It's unclear how far out he is from going on a potential minor-league rehab assignment, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect Rodriguez to rejoin Baltimore's roster until late April at the earliest. In the meantime, Cade Povich is filling in for Rodriguez in the rotation.

Snell allowed five unearned runs on five hits and four walks while striking out two batters over four innings in a no-decision against Atlanta on Wednesday.

Snell got no favors from his defense Wednesday, as Max Muncy committed a pair of early throwing errors and Andy Pages misplayed a flyball to center field that was courteously ruled a double. The errors prevented Snell from being charged with any earned runs, but he didn't help his own cause by issuing four free passes and uncorking a wild pitch. To his credit, Snell kept the Dodgers from falling into a deeper deficit after Atlanta took a 5-0 lead through two innings, and the southpaw managed to retire seven of the final nine batters he faced. Snell has had poor control early in his Dodgers tenure, as he's now walked eight batters over his first nine innings of the campaign. Walks have been an issue for him at various points in his career, but they've typically come with bunches of strikeouts; however, Snell has just four punchouts in his nine frames so far. That being said, there's no reason for fantasy managers to panic this early in the campaign, especially since Snell was a mess during his first handful of outings last year before turning things around and finishing in dominant form. He is tentatively slated to make his next start against Washington next week.

Gallen (1-1) earned the win over the Yankees on Wednesday, racking up 13 strikeouts without issuing a walk while allowing three hits over 6.2 scoreless innings.

Gallen struggled in his first start of the season, yielding four runs over four innings against the Cubs. He bounced back in elite fashion Wednesday, registering 24 whiffs -- surpassing his previous career-high mark of 20 -- en route to 13 strikeouts, tying his career-best total. Gallen worked up to 101 pitches in the outing after throwing 83 on Opening Day. The right-hander will try to build upon Wednesday's fantastic performance in his next start, which lines up to come at home against Baltimore next week.

Freeland (0-1) allowed three runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out three batters over 6.2 innings in a loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Freeland pitched well for the second straight outing, but he got very little run support as Zack Wheeler consistently stifled Colorado's hitters. Though he was tagged with the loss, Freeland notched his second quality start while giving up only one extra-base hit (a double) among the nine knocks against him. The veteran lefty has yielded just three runs across 12.2 frames while posting a 10:0 K:BB over his first two starts of the season. Freeland's home park and mediocre numbers in recent campaigns are valid reasons for fantasy managers to question whether he's worth a pickup, however.

Wheeler (1-0) earned the win over Colorado on Wednesday, allowing one run on three hits and no walks while striking out 10 batters over seven innings.

Wheeler racked up an outstanding 25 whiffs in the outing, the most swings-and-misses he has ever tallied in an MLB game. He held Colorado scoreless until the seventh inning, when Hunter Goodman tagged him for a solo homer that accounted for the Rockies' only run of the contest. Wheeler is off to a fantastic beginning to 2025, allowing just two runs over 13 frames while posting an 18:2 K:BB across two starts. He finished second in NL Cy Young Award voting two of the past four years and could be a contender for the honor again this season given how he's kicked off the campaign.

Rodon took a line drive off the bat of Ketel Marte in the fifth inning of Wednesday night's loss to the Diamondbacks, and while he had a bruise and wrap on his arm, an X-ray on the arm came back clean, Gary Phillips of The New York Daily News reports. Rodon allowed four early runs, but he ultimately retired the last 10 batters he faced to complete six innings, giving up three hits and four walks while striking out five.

Rodon also struggled with his velocity early on, averaging 93 mph for the start after averaging 94.5 mph Opening Day. He was also seen looking at his pitching hand throughout the start. "I tend to look pretty often," Rodon said of his frequent glances toward Yankee Stadium's radar gun, "but definitely down velo today. A little cold, just slow to get moving, but I'm not super worried about it."

Lively (0-1) took the loss against the Padres on Wednesday, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four batters in 4.1 frames.

Lively got off to a decent start Wednesday, striking out four of the first nine batters he faced. However, things took a turn for the worse in the third inning after four consecutive hits -- capped off by a Jackson Merrill homer -- gave San Diego a 4-0 lead that it would never relinquish. Lively is now up to a 6.75 ERA through his first two starts of the year but should have a decent chance to bounce back in his next outing, which is tentatively scheduled to come next week against the White Sox.