MLB Player News

Crawford tossed six innings against Seattle on Saturday, allowing one unearned run on three hits and one walk while striking out seven batters in a no-decision.

Crawford pitched well in spring training and carried that over into his first start of the campaign, holding the Mariners to a first-inning unearned run. At one point, the right-hander retired 14 straight batters, including five by strikeout. Crawford is locked into the middle of Boston's rotation and could be in for a breakout campaign after posting a 4.04 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 135:36 K:BB over 129.1 innings last season.

Gilbert tossed seven innings in a no-decision against Boston on Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out eight batters.

Gilbert threw a first-pitch strike to 18 of the 26 batters he faced and gave up just one extra-base hit -- a fifth-inning Ceddanne Rafaela leadoff double that led to the lone run Boston managed against the hurler. Gilbert also induced a healthy 16 swinging strikes en route to fanning eight Red Sox batters. Though Seattle's offense was unable to produce enough to get Gilbert a win, this was an excellent first start for the right-hander, who is looking to build off last year's 3.73 ERA and career-best 1.08 WHIP.

Henry (0-1) took the loss against Colorado on Saturday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters over four-plus innings.

Henry got through four frames having allowed a manageable two runs, but he unraveled in the fifth. In that inning, the Rockies put their first three batters on base to chase Henry, and all three crossed the plate to mar the hurler's final stat line. Henry received a spot in the rotation as a result of Eduardo Rodriguez landing on the IL with a lat injury, but he'll likely need to pitch much better to remain a starter when Rodriguez returns or when Jordan Montgomery, whom the Diamondbacks signed March 26, is ramped up enough to join the big club.

Gomber allowed four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three batters over 4.2 innings in a no-decision against Arizona on Saturday.

The Rockies scored five runs in the top of the fifth inning to give Gomber a 7-3 lead, but he couldn't get through the bottom of the frame, giving up a two-run homer to Lourdes Gurriel followed by a walk before he was pulled. The inability to remain in the game long enough to qualify for a victory compounded an overall poor start by the southpaw, as he walked as many batters as he struck out and tossed a laborious 91 pitches. Gomber posted a 5.53 ERA over his previous two campaigns and finished with a 5.6 K/9 last season, so he's not someone fantasy managers are likely to have on their radar.

Severino (0-1) took the loss Saturday against the Brewers, coughing up six runs on 12 hits over five innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The right-hander fired 67 of 88 pitches for strikes, but he wasn't exactly fooling anyone and generated only seven swinging strikes, leading to plenty of contact that found holes in the defense. Severino had similar issues in 2023, giving up 113 hits in 89.1 innings for the Yankees en route to a 6.65 ERA, so this was far from an encouraging first outing with the Mets. The team won't pull the plug on Severino yet, but he'll need to deliver better results to earn the trust of fantasy GMs. He's in line to take the mound next weekend in Cincinnati.

Cease (0-1) took the loss in his Padres debut Saturday, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and two walks over 4.2 frames. He struck out six.

Cease struck out three of the first four batters he faced but ran into trouble in the second with a walk and a couple doubles. He settled in after that but couldn't quite get through five as the Giants plated an unearned run. Cease picked up 12 whiffs on 85 pitches, with eight of them coming on his slider. The right-hander's fantasy outlook received a nice boost with a trade to the Padres, but his name wound up in the loss column in his debut.

Miller worked the ninth inning of Saturday's 12-3 loss to the Guardians, allowing two earned runs on three hits and a walk over one inning. He struck out one.

The Athletics' closer didn't come close to sniffing a save situation in the first two games, so manager Mark Kotsay opted to give him some work in the blowout defeat. Making his first appearance since an exhibition against the Giants on Monday, Miller got only 19 of his 30 pitches into the strike zone, but his status as the top ninth-inning option remains unchanged for the time being.

Brown took a no-decision Saturday, permitting one unearned run over four innings against the Yankees.

The only damage the Yankees managed against Brown came when they scored on a Jose Abreu fielding error. They made him work, though, as Brown wasn't able to go beyond four innings because he threw 88 pitches. The right-hander fanned five batters on the day, picking up eight whiffs. Brown had issues in the second half last season, particularly with the home run ball as he served up a whopping 17 in 61.2 frames after the break. Keeping the ball in the park as he did Saturday could certainly lead to more consistency in 2024.

Stroman (1-0) picked up the win in Saturday's 5-3 win over Houston, allowing three unearned runs on four hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out four.

The Astros plated two runs in the second inning following an Oswaldo Cabrera error and added another in the fifth on errors from Anthony Volpe and Stroman. The right-hander was sharp, though, picking up 13 swinging strikes on his 101 pitches as he won his first start in pinstripes. Stroman is lined up to face the Blue Jays at home in his next outing.

Jefferies will be called up to start for the Giants on Sunday in San Diego, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

The Giants will need to make moves on their 26-man and 40-man rosters to clear a spot for Jefferies. The 28-year-old hasn't pitched in the majors in nearly two years after having a second Tommy John surgery, but he impressed this spring in allowing four earned runs with a 16:3 K:BB over 14 innings. Jefferies could earn additional starts, depending on when Blake Snell is ready.