MLB Player News

Kikuchi (0-1) took the loss in Thursday's Opening Day loss to the White Sox. He allowed three runs on five hits while striking out five across six innings.

Kikuchi got off to a nice start with two first-inning strikeouts, but he gave up a solo homer to Austin Slater to open the second frame before relinquishing a two-run double to Miguel Vargas in the same inning. Kikuchi didn't allow a base runner over his last four innings of work, but the Angels weren't able to supply the 33-year-old southpaw enough runs for him to avoid the Opening Day loss. Kikuchi will look to pick up his first win of the season in his next start, which is tentatively slated for the Angels' road series against the Cardinals next week.

Sale didn't factor into the decision in Thursday's loss to the Padres, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out seven.

Sale's 2025 campaign got off to a rocky start after Jackson Merrill drove in a pair of runs with a two-out single in the first inning. The reigning NL Cy Young winner would settle in, holding the Padres to one run over his final four innings before departing with a one-run lead. Sale was dominant in his age-35 season last year, posting a 2.38 ERA. 1.01 WHIP and 225 strikeouts in 29 starts. He's currently in line to face the Dodgers on the road in his next outing.

Webb didn't factor into the decision in Thursday's win over the Reds, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out five.

Webb showed signs of rust in his season debut -- the right-hander had to contend with traffic throughout the start, eventually conceding three runs on a pair of Jeimer Candelario base hits. The 28-year-old Webb will look for better results in his next outing, currently lined up for next week against Seattle. Webb went 13-10 with a 3.47 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 172 strikeouts at the front of San Francisco's rotation last season.

Greene didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Giants, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out eight.

A two-run Heliot Ramos homer in the fourth inning accounted for all of the Giants' scoring against Greene in what was an otherwise impressive opener for the right-hander. The 25-year-old Greene is coming off an excellent 2024 campaign where he went 9-5 with a 2.75 ERA and 169 strikeouts across 150.1 innings. He's currently lined up to face the Brewers on the road in his second outing.

Burke (1-0) earned the win against the Angels on Thursday after allowing three hits and no walks while striking out three across six scoreless innings.

Making the first Opening Day start of his career, Burke was a bit rocky early Thursday as he allowed four baserunners in the first two innings, but he kept the Halos off the board and followed up by retiring the final 13 batters he faced. It was a strong start to the 2025 campaign for the 25-year-old after he posted a 1.42 ERA across 19 frames in his first taste of the majors down the stretch last year. He's tentatively slated to pitch next week against the Twins at home.

Lively did not factor into the decision in Thursday's 7-4 win over Kansas City, allowing three runs on four hits over five innings. He struck out three.

Lively was announced as Cleveland's Opening Day starter Thursday morning after Tanner Bibee (illness) was a late scratch. The 33-year-old Lively filled in admirably, with all of Kansas City's offense coming on Vinnie Pasquantino's three-run homer in the third. Lively figures to hold down a spot at the backend of Cleveland's rotation after going 13-10 with a 3.81 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 118 strikeouts in 151 innings last year.

Holmes (0-1) came away with the loss against the Astros on Thursday after giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out four.

Holmes entered Opening Day on the heels of a strong spring, during which he posted a 0.93 ERA and 23:8 K:BB across 19.1 Grapefruit League innings. Thursday was his first Opening Day start and his first MLB start period since his rookie year in 2019. Holmes was able to limit the damage despite a lot of traffic, but he couldn't avoid the loss since New York managed just one run. The right-hander will look to display better control in his next start, which tentatively lines up for next week in Miami.

Ragans did not factor into the decision in Thursday's 10-inning loss to the Guardians. He allowed three runs on five hits and two walks over five innings while striking out three.

Ragans had to contend with traffic for most of his outing, as the Guardians had men on base in all but two innings. The left-hander was ultimately forced out of the game after Carlos Santana led off the sixth with a base hit. Expectations are understandably high for Ragans this year after he pitched to a 3.14 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP and 223 strikeouts in 32 starts last season. He currently lines up to face the Brewers on the road in his next outing.

Valdez (1-0) picked up the win Thursday against the Mets, striking out four and giving up four hits and two walks across seven scoreless frames.

Valdez got off to a rocky start by allowing one hit and one walk in the first frame, but he managed to escape unscathed and didn't face much resistance over the following six innings. The Astros' shutout was broken in the ninth inning when Josh Hader gave up a sacrifice fly to Francisco Lindor, but the southpaw reliever managed to punch out Juan Soto for the save to give Valdez the Opening Day victory. It's a strong start to the 2025 season for Valdez after posting career bests in 2024 in ERA (2.91) and WHIP (1.11) across 176.1 regular-season frames. He's tentatively slated to face off against the Giants at home next week.

Peralta (0-1) was charged with the loss Thursday against the Yankees, striking out eight and allowing two runs on four hits and one walk across five innings.

The 28-year-old surrendered solo homers in each of the first two frames but settled down from there to keep the Brewers close. It was an inefficient outing despite just one free pass, as Peralta needed 93 pitches to record 15 outs. The right-hander averaged only 5.4 innings per start while throwing a career-high 173.2 frames last year, and his season debut doesn't inspire confidence that he'll be able to consistently work deeper into games in 2025. Even with some volume limitations however, he's reached 200 strikeouts in each of the past two seasons. Peralta lines up to face the Royals at home next week.