MLB Player News

Rocker (2-4) earned the win over Colorado on Tuesday, allowing three hits and issuing three walks while striking out seven batters over 7.2 scoreless relief innings.

Rocker has struggled in first innings this season, so the Rangers elected to pitch him behind opener Tyler Alexander on Tuesday. That proved to be a fruitful decision, as Rocker ended up tossing his longest outing of the campaign while keeping the Rockies off the scoreboard. The right-hander racked up an impressive 19 whiffs en route to a season-high seven punchouts. Rocker was hit hard in his first two starts of May, but he's responded well, tossing 12.2 scoreless frames over his subsequent two outings. Given how well he pitched Tuesday, it wouldn't be surprising if the Rangers decide to pitch Rocker behind an opener again the next time he takes the mound.

Paredes went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Twins.

Paredes accounted for all of Houston's offense with one swing, taking Zebby Matthews deep for a two-run homer in the first inning. The long ball was his fifth of the season and his second in the last four games. On the year, Paredes is batting .250 with a .728 OPS, seven doubles, 20 RBI and 18 runs scored across 182 plate appearances.

McMahon went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and a steal during the Yankees' 5-4 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

Dylan Cease dominated the Yankees' bats through the first three innings of Tuesday's game, but McMahon came up big for his team with a three-run homer to left field that tied things up at 3-3. It was a much-needed performance out of the veteran third baseman, who entered the game with a .541 OPS (in 133 plate appearances) and having gone 0-for-23 across his seven prior outings.

Rice went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during the Yankees' 5-4 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

Rice helped give the Yankees the lead for good by smacking a two-run homer off Dylan Cease in the fifth inning. Rice has smacked three home runs over his last five games and is up to 16 homers on the season, tied with Yankees teammate Aaron Judge for third in the majors behind Kyle Schwarber (20) and Munetaka Murakami (17). Rice is slashing .297/.397/.671 with 33 RBI across 184 plate appearances this season.

Abreu earned the save in Tuesday's 2-1 against the Twins, recording the final out of the game.

After Bryan King allowed the potential tying run to reach base with two outs in the ninth inning, Abreu was summoned to close things out. The right-hander added some drama by hitting Luke Keaschall to move the lead runner into scoring position, but he recovered by inducing a game-ending popout from Byron Buxton. The save was his third in as many chances. Abreu has been scoreless over his last six appearances, but his early-season struggles continue to weigh down his overall numbers, as he currently owns a 7.63 ERA and 2.09 WHIP across 15.1 innings.

Doval earned the save in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Blue Jays, allowing one run on two hits and a walk in the ninth inning.

David Bednar was used in each of the Yankees' last two games (including Monday's win against Toronto, when he picked up the save), so manager Aaron Boone turned to Doval to close things out Tuesday. He gave up a run on a Vladimir Guerrero sacrifice fly, but Doval escaped the ninth without yielding another run. Doval is unlikely to see many more save opportunities this season as long as Bednar is healthy and effective.

Warren (6-1) earned the win against the Blue Jays on Tuesday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out three across five innings.

Warren was impressive for most of Tuesday's start, retiring eight consecutive batters from the first to third innings. He was shaky in the fourth frame, however, yielding three runs on four hits (all singles) and a walk, though he came back out to finish the fifth and ended his night tossing 54 strikes on 86 pitches with nine whiffs and eight groundouts. Warren has picked up the win in five of his last six starts and has a 3.61 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 62:13 K:BB across 52.1 innings this season. He's lined up to face the Rays at home this weekend.

Matthews (1-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Astros, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out six over six innings. He did not issue a walk.

Matthews fell behind immediately, surrendering a two-run homer to Isaac Paredes before recording his first out of the night, but the right-hander settled in beautifully afterward. Over the next five innings, he allowed just three baserunners while consistently attacking the zone, throwing 66 of his 100 total pitches for strikes. Despite the loss, Matthews has looked excellent since being recalled, limiting opponents to two runs with an 11:1 K:BB across 13 innings over his first two starts back in the majors. The 25-year-old is currently scheduled for a matchup against the White Sox next, the first in a two-start week.

Varsho went 4-for-5 with a steal and a run scored during the Blue Jays' 5-4 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday.

Varsho posted a career high in hits Tuesday, all of which were singles. He's recorded at least two hits in three of his last four games, improving his season slash line to .278/.346/.438 with four steals, five home runs and 15 RBI in 179 plate appearances.

Cease (3-2) took the loss against the Yankees on Tuesday, allowing five runs on four hits and four walk while striking out nine across five innings.

It was an up-and-down performance from Cease, who recorded six of his nine punchouts through the first three innings, striking out the side in the third. However, Cease issued three of his four walks over the next two frames and gave up all five runs on homers by Ryan McMahon and Ben Rice in the fourth and fifth, respectively. Cease had given up just one home run through his first nine starts of the season, and Tuesday was the first time he yielded two homers in a start since last Aug. 21. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, which is lined up for this weekend at home against the Pirates.