MLB Player News

Taillon is scheduled to start Sunday's game against the Brewers.

It seemed like Taillon would be the team's No. 2 starter behind Marcus Stroman to begin the year, but it will be Justin Steele starting Saturday, followed by Taillon on Sunday. Taillon should still be a rotation mainstay all season after agreeing to a four-year, $68 million contract with the Cubs back in December. The righty posted a 3.91 ERA across 177.1 innings with the Yankees last season.

Steele is listed as the starting pitcher for Saturday's contest against the Brewers.

It seemed like offseason acquisition Jameson Taillon would be the team's No. 2 pitcher behind Marcus Stroman to begin the year, but it will be Steele pitching the second game with Taillon set to debut Sunday. This allows the Cubs to go righty-lefty-righty with the top of their rotation. Steele had a strong 2022 with a 3.18 ERA and 126 strikeouts across 119 innings, which he'll look to build upon in 2023.

May didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Diamondbacks, allowing three hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings while striking out four.

The big right-hander generated plenty of weak contact among his 84 pitches (56 strikes) and was in line for the win before Alex Vesia served up a two-run homer to Kyle Lewis in the eighth inning. May's top priority in 2023 is just to stay on the mound after throwing only 74 innings over the last two years across all levels. If the 25-year-old can avoid the injured list he has the stuff to put together a breakout campaign. May's next turn in the rotation figures to be a road rematch with the Diamondbacks next week.

Kelly didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 2-1 win over the Dodgers, allowing three hits and four walks over 3.2 scoreless innings while striking out four.

The right-hander lasted only 74 pitches in his first start of the season, tossing 42 of them for strikes with 12 swinging strikes, but rookie Drey Jameson took the baton in relief of Kelly and supplied four strong innings of his own to record the win. Considering Kelly threw over 200 innings last year for the first time, managing his workload early in 2023 is justified. The 34-year-old should be ready for a higher pitch count in his next outing, which is likely to be a rematch with Los Angeles next week at Chase Field.

Ray (0-1) took the loss Friday as the Mariners fell 9-4 to the Guardians, giving up five runs (three earned) on four hits and five walks over 3.1 innings. He struck out three.

A pair of throwing errors on the same play in the second inning -- one by Teoscar Hernandez and the other by Ray himself -- led to Cleveland's first two runs and softened the blow to the southpaw's ERA. The fact that he threw only 51 of 91 pitches for strikes played a bigger role in his early exit. Ray's success the last two seasons has been built on improved command and a walk rate below 10 percent, and it's far too early to assume he's fallen back into old, wild habits. The 31-year-old will look to bounce back in his next start, likely coming next week at home against the Angels.

Gaddis didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 9-4 win over the Mariners, giving up four runs on five hits and a walk over 3.2 innings. He struck out four.

While the right-hander was able to keep the ball in the park, Gaddis gave up plenty of loud contact as three of the five hits off him went for extra bases. He also produced only five swinging strikes among his 70 pitches, a poor recipe for future success. Gaddis will hold down the fort in the rotation for now while Triston McKenzie (shoulder) is sidelined, but another shaky start or two could cause him to get bumped aside, whether by another depth option like Konnor Pilkington or by a top prospect who has a hot start at Triple-A, such as Tanner Bibee.

Freeland (1-0) tossed six shutout innings and earned a win over San Diego on Friday. He allowed three hits and a walk while striking out one.

Freeland leaned on his defense all night with just one punchout and two swinging strikes. The only batter that gave him much trouble was Ha-Seong Kim, who knocked two doubles. Freeland needed just 74 pitches (48 strikes) in the easy win. He's scheduled for a home tilt with the Nationals next week.

Lynn yielded two runs on three hits and four walks across 5.2 innings in Friday's loss to Houston. He struck out six and did not factor in the decision.

The veteran right worked five shutout frames before his day was ended by Kyle Tucker's two-run shot in the sixth. Lynn forced 16 whiffs on 96 total pitches (55 strikes). He worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning but otherwise didn't have much trouble until serving up the homer. Lynn is expected to start at home against the Giants next week.

Javier allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk over five frames during Friday's win against the White Sox. He struck out six and did not factor in the decision.

The 26-year-old settled in after allowing an RBI double to Eloy Jimenez in the first inning until Jimenez brought home another run as part of a two-run sixth. Javier forced 19 whiffs, including 10 with his fastball. He was in line to take the loss before his offense took over late in the game. Javier is lined up for a solid matchup against the Tigers at home next week.

Luzardo (1-0) picked up the win Friday, giving up two hits and four walks over 5.2 scoreless innings in a 2-1 victory over the Mets. He struck out five.

The southpaw was effectively wild, throwing only 51 of 91 pitches for strikes but generating 15 swinging strikes and not allowing much hard contact. Luzardo posted strong numbers over 18 starts in 2022, and if he can stay healthier this season he could blossom into an ace for the Marlins. His next start is likely to come at home against the Twins next week.