MLB Player News
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Tarik Skubal SP | LAD
Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Falls apart in fifth frame
Skubal (1-2) took the loss against the Twins on Tuesday, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out seven across 4.2 innings.
Skubal opened things up by striking out four of the first seven batters he faced. He kept the Twins off the board through four frames, but things fell apart for the reigning AL Cy Young winner in the fifth, when he yielded four runs on three hits and two walks before being pulled. Skubal gave up just one earned run through his first two starts of the season, so Tuesday's outing can be considered a blip on the radar for the 29-year-old southpaw. He still generated 19 whiffs while recording 65 strikes on 95 pitches (68.4 percent). Skubal's next start is tentatively slated for this weekend at home against the Marlins.
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Jacob deGrom SP | TEX
Rangers' Jacob deGrom: No structural damage
MRI results on deGrom's right knee came back negative Tuesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
DeGrom left his start Monday after feeling tenderness in his right knee, but testing has determined that he didn't suffer any structural damage and isn't facing an extended absence. The Rangers will have him throw a bullpen session in the next couple of days to see how he feels, but he's still expected to make his next start, which is lined up to come against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
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Justin Topa RP | MIN
Twins' Justin Topa: Collects first save of 2026
Topa earned the save in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Tigers, allowing one walk and no hits in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.
Eric Orze was given the initial save opportunity but was pulled after yielding an RBI double to Kevin McGonigle. With Cole Sands and Taylor Rogers already deployed earlier in the game, the Twins turned to Topa, who proceeded to seal the win for Minnesota after getting two of the next three batters to ground out. Topa is one of three Twins pitchers to record a save this season, but there doesn't appear to be a clear-cut favorite for the closing job in Minnesota as of yet.
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Taj Bradley SP | MIN
Twins' Taj Bradley: Fans 10 for second win of 2026
Bradley (2-0) came away with the win against the Tigers on Tuesday, allowing one run on six hits while striking out 10 across 6.1 innings. He did not issue a walk.
Bradley set the tone by striking out the first two batters he faced, and he struck out at least one batter in each of the next six frames. He was tagged with an earned run after Parker Meadows came around to score in the seventh, but that was the only blemish in an outstanding start for Bradley, who generated 15 whiffs while logging 68 strikes on 104 pitches (65.4 percent). Bradley has logged back-to-back quality starts and has yielded only two runs while striking out 22 batters across 16.2 innings to open the season. He's slated to start this weekend on the road against the Blue Jays.
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George Kirby SP | SEA
Mariners' George Kirby: Tosses eight innings, takes loss
Kirby (1-2) took the loss against the Rangers on Tuesday, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four across eight innings. He did not issue a walk.
Kirby ended up being the only pitcher deployed by the Mariners during Tuesday's game, tossing 68 strikes in 90 pitches (75.6 percent) while inducing 12 groundouts. He kept the Rangers off the board for the majority of his start but gave up three runs in the fifth inning, including a two-run homer to Kyle Higashioka that was enough for Kirby to take the loss since his teammates failed to generate any more runs. Kirby has recorded a quality start in each of his first three appearances of the season and has a 3.60 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB across 20 innings. He'll look to get back in the win column in his next start, which is slated for next week at home against the Astros.
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Brendan Donovan 3B | SEA
Mariners' Brendan Donovan: Belts leadoff homer Tuesday
Donovan went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk during the Mariners' 3-2 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday.
Donovan wasted no time getting the Mariners on the board, taking the first pitch of the game from Nathan Eovaldi deep to right field for a solo shot. It was Donovan's third home run of the season, and he appears to be past the groin injury that caused him to miss the Mariners' final two games of the weekend series against the Angels. He has gone 12-for-35 (.343) with a steal and five RBI to open the season.
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Kevin McGonigle SS | DET
Tigers' Kevin McGonigle: Collects two more hits Tuesday
McGonigle went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Twins.
McGonigle now has at least one hit in eight of his 11 games so far, and he's batting .302 overall with an .853 OPS. The rookie infielder has hit the ground running, and it looks like he's earned a prominent spot in Detroit's lineup moving forward. McGonigle displayed similar offensive skills in the minors the past few years, and he's emerging as a fantasy weapon at just 21 years old.
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Jakob Junis RP | TEX
Rangers' Jakob Junis: Collects another save
Junis earned the save in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Mariners, when he allowed two hits with no strikeouts over a scoreless ninth inning.
For the second straight game, Junis was called to the mound to close out the game for the Rangers. He gave up back-to-back singles to open the ninth inning but needed just six pitches to get the next three batters out. Junis and Tyler Alexander each have two saves this season, but while Alexander's both came when Robert Garcia and Chris Martin were unavailable, Junis was deployed ahead of Martin on Tuesday. The back of the Texas bullpen remains muddled for the time being.
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Spencer Torkelson 1B | DET
Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Shows some life Tuesday
Torkelson went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Twins.
While Torkelson still hasn't delivered his first home run of the season, he did muster his first multi-hit effort Tuesday. The first baseman is batting just .206 with a .622 OPS, and he's striking out 31 percent of the time. Torkelson sported a .789 OPS and blasted 31 home runs during the regular season last year, so the power potential is there and his bat could get going at any point, though strikeouts remain a prominent part of his game.
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Kyle Higashioka C | TEX
Rangers' Kyle Higashioka: Smacks first homer of 2026
Higashioka went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer during the Rangers' 3-2 win over the Mariners on Tuesday.
Higashioka gave the Rangers the lead for good in the fifth inning, when he took George Kirby deep to left-center field for a two-run homer for his first long ball of the season. It was Higashioka's fourth start behind home plate in 11 games, and for now, it looks like he is the clear second option at catcher behind Danny Jansen to open the 2026 season.