MLB Player News

Giolito left his start Friday against the Tigers with abdominal tightness in his left side.

Giolito certainly wasn't pitching as if he was at less than 100 percent. In four innings, he allowed just a single hit, striking out six while walking two. Whether or not he'll have to miss time should become clear following further tests.

Kaprielian (shoulder) will throw three simulated innings Sunday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Kaprielian has been dealing with AC joint irritation since early in camp. While that will cost him at least the first few weeks of the season, he's been making steady progress. He'll continue stretching out at the team's spring training complex before embarking on a rehab assignment.

Kershaw will make his season debut Wednesday against the Twins, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin and Julio Urias are starting during the season-opening series in Colorado, and Kershaw will take the ball for the second game of the series in Minnesota. The veteran left-hander appears to be fully healthy and threw 75 pitches in a simulated game Thursday, so he shouldn't face any significant restrictions in his first start of 2022.

Webb will be on a pitch count Friday against the Marlins, though the Giants didn't specify what that pitch count would be, Amy Gutierrez of the Giants' official site reports.

The pitch count will hurt Webb's chances at getting a win, though he'll hardly be alone in that regard, as many pitchers won't be fully built up following the shortened spring training. Webb reached four innings in his final spring tune-up start, so it's still very possible that he can reach five innings Friday.

Ashby (0-1) was the pitcher of record in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Cubs after giving up one run on three hits and a walk over 1.2 innings of relief. He struck out one in the 41-pitch appearance.

On Wednesday manager Craig Counsell said Ashby "will make starts this year," but the skipper noted that the Brewers are waiting to decide whether the 23-year-old will be part of a six-man rotation to begin the season, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Though he came on in relief of ace Corbin Burnes in the season opener, Ashby's workload won't necessary preclude him from making a start as soon as next week. After Friday's game in Chicago was postponed due to rain, the Brewers will have a stretch of 12 games in 12 days, so Ashby could be added to the rotation at some point during that period if the Brewers want to give each of their other five starters an extra rest day.

Woodruff won't make his scheduled start Friday against the Cubs as the game has been postponed due to poor weather, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader in late May. The Brewers will push their starters back a day, so Woodruff will take his turn Saturday at Wrigley Field, lining him up for a start in Baltimore the following Thursday.

Steele's scheduled start Friday against the Brewers has been postponed due to poor weather, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader in May. The Cubs will simply push their rotation back a day, so Steele will face the Brewers on Saturday instead. That lines him up for a trip to Coors Field next Thursday or Friday.

Darvish didn't factor into the decision Thursday against Arizona after tossing six scoreless innings, walking four and striking out three without allowing a hit.

Darvish wasn't exactly dominant in this one, throwing only 51 of his 92 pitches for strikes, but the Diamondbacks couldn't make any good contact against him. This was perhaps a step in the right direction for the Japanese hurler, who posted a 4.22 ERA last season.

Strider struck out five over two perfect innings of relief in Thursday's loss to the Reds.

Entering the game with Atlanta down 6-1 in the top of the seventh inning, Strider sliced through the heart of Cincinnati's lineup. The rookie right-hander needed only 24 pitches (16 strikes) to breeze through his outing, hitting triple digits with his fastball twice and consistently sitting at 99 mph with his heater. Strider figures to handle a multi-inning role in a stacked Atlanta bullpen to begin the season, but his ability to pile up strikeouts while collecting the occasional win or hold should still give him fantasy value in deeper formats even if he doesn't graduate to a more high-profile gig.

Valdez (1-0) allowed two hits and one walk while striking out six across 6.2 scoreless innings to earn the win Thursday against the Angels.

Many pitchers will struggle this week to work deep into their first starts after a shortened spring training, but Valdez was incredibly efficient and put together a dominant outing. His method to get there was familiar, as he induced nine groundball outs, though he also racked up 11 swinging strikes on 84 total pitches. Valdez has put together two consecutive seasons with an ERA below 3.60, and his first start of the 2022 campaign makes those results look attainable once again.