MLB Player News

Cabrera struck out 11 batters over six innings Friday for Triple-A Jacksonville, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk.

The innings and whiffs were both season highs for the 24-year-old right-hander, and the outing came while Max Meyer (elbow) was on the shelf with ulnar nerve irritation. If the Marlins decide to open a spot in the big-league rotation within the next couple weeks, Cabrera appears to be ready for the assignment.

Crawford hit a batter and struck out two over four scoreless innings in his first start at Triple-A Worcester last Thursday.

Crawford is a starter by trade, but he won a spot as a reliever on Boston's expanded April roster. There were rough outings in the majors, which can be partially traced to working sporadically out of the bullpen, a role in which the right-hander is not accustomed. He was scheduled to throw only three innings Thursday, but Crawford was so efficient he went back out for another frame.

Strasburg (neck) is expected to need at least three rehab starts before rejoining the Nationals' rotation, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The right-hander will make the first of those starts Tuesday at Single-A Fredericksburg, where he'll have a target workload of four innings and 60 pitches. Manager Dave Martinez indicated Sunday that the team wants Strasburg to comfortably be able to throw at least six innings and 90 pitches before being activated, and given his long layoff after thoracic outlet surgery last summer, it's possible he could need more than three rehab outings to prove to the organization he's ready. Strasburg threw only 26.2 big-league innings over the prior two seasons and still has four years and $140 million remaining on his current contract, so don't expect the Nationals to push him too hard in 2022.

Severino struck out five in seven shutout innings while allowing eight hits and hitting two batters in a 5-0 loss Sunday against the White Sox. He did not factor into the decision.

Despite allowing 10 baserunners, Severino held the White Sox scoreless by getting out of a number of jams, including loading the bases with no outs in the fifth. It was his longest outing since 2018 and the fourth consecutive start where he's thrown more than 90 pitches. In May, he's allowed three earned runs or fewer in each start and has compiled a 2.78 ERA with a 24:5 K:BB in 22.2 innings. He'll likely make one more start before the end of the month, this weekend in Tampa Bay.

Kopech (1-1) earned the win, striking out six in seven scoreless innings while giving up two walks and a hit in a 5-0 victory Sunday against the Yankees.

Kopech retired the first 17 batters he faced before allowing his lone hit, a double to Rob Brantly. He pitched around two walks in the bottom of the seventh and the White Sox scored five times in the top of the eighth to put Kopech in line for the win. It was the longest, and arguably best, start of his major-league career. The 26-year-old has been incredibly stingy and batters are hitting just .122 with no home runs against him through 42 innings. His next start will likely be next weekend against the Cubs.

Bieber (1-3) allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks over seven innings Sunday, striking out 10 and taking a loss against Detroit.

Bieber gave up a run in each of the first two innings, including on an RBI double by Miguel Cabrera in the opening frame. He then allowed a third and final run in the fifth on an error by Josh Naylor. Sunday was Bieber's first double-digit strikeout performance since May 27 of last season. The 26-year-old is now sporting a 3.55 ERA and a 46:14 K:BB through 45.2 innings. He's projected for a rematch in Detroit next weekend.

Eflin allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out 12 in seven innings during Sunday's win over the Dodgers. He didn't factor into the decision.

Although Eflin recorded a quality start during Sunday's outing, he was in line for his third straight loss when he exited the matchup. However, the Phillies tied the game in the ninth inning, allowing the right-hander to settle for a no-decision. Eflin now has three quality starts in his last four outings, but he's picked up just one win during that time. He projects to make his next start on the road against the Mets on Friday.

Gonsolin allowed a run on three hits and a walk while striking out seven in six innings during Sunday's loss to the Phillies. He didn't factor into the decision.

Gonsolin logged a second consecutive quality start Sunday, but he was forced to settle for a no-decision in the low-scoring matchup. Although he was unable to pick up his fifth win, the right-hander matched his season-high strikeout total and continued his strong start to the season in which he's posted a 1.62 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 39 innings over eight starts. Gonsolin tentatively lines up to make his next start on the road against Arizona on Friday.

Ashcraft allowed two runs on four hits and two walks over 4.1 innings in Sunday's win over Toronto. He struck out three and did not factor in the decision.

Ashcraft allowed an RBI single to Matt Chapman in the second inning followed by Bo Bichette's RBI groundout in the third. The 24-year-old had started seven games with Triple-A Louisville this season prior to making his MLB debut Sunday. He threw 76 pitches and leaned heavily on a mix of sliders and sinkers, with the latter touching 99 miles per hour. Ashcraft could get another turn in the rotation, as the Reds are dealing with several injured starters.

Kikuchi allowed two runs on two hits and three walks over 4.1 innings in Sunday's loss to the Reds. He struck out seven and did not factor in the decision.

Kikuchi coughed up a ground-rule double to Aristides Aquino in the first inning but managed to retire 10 straight batters shortly thereafter. He needed 86 pitches (49 strikes) to get through 4.1 frames, his shortest start since April 29. The 30-year-old southpaw is now sporting a 3.47 ERA and a 40:22 K:BB through eight starts. Kikuchi is projected to face the Angels on the road next weekend.