MLB Player News

Diaz went 5-for-6 with a double and four RBI in Sunday's 11-7 win over the Cardinals.

Diaz couldn't be contained Sunday, matching his career high in hits while tallying his 10th career game with at least four knocks. The 34-year-old first baseman is coming out of the gates furiously, going 9-for-16 (.563) in his first three games while hitting safely in each outing so far as Tampa Bay's leadoff man.

Matz (1-0) notched the win Sunday against the Cardinals, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out two.

Matz hardly pitched well enough to deserve the win Sunday, but the Rays gave him plenty of run support. The veteran southpaw produced a respectable 10 whiffs on the day, and it's notable he was able to throw 81 pitches in his first start since April of last year. The expectation entering the season was that Matz would be on a pitch count initially, making his workload something to monitor in next week's scheduled outing in Minnesota versus the Twins.

Early did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Reds, allowing one run on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Early exited with a 2-0 lead and a runner on first in the sixth inning before Greg Weissert came on and allowed a three-run homer. The 23-year-old generated just seven swinging strikes in an otherwise solid debut, and it was encouraging to see manager Alex Cora let him reach 96 pitches. The southpaw posted a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 29:4 K:BB across 19.2 regular-season major-league innings last season and lines up for a home matchup against the Padres next weekend.

Waters was outrighted to Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.

Waters was designated for assignment by the Royals on Wednesday, and he will now head to Omaha after clearing waivers. The outfielder played in 71 contests with Kansas City in 2025, batting .243 with a home run, 14 RBI, 21 runs scored and five stolen bases, and he'll likely get another shot with the major-league roster down the road this year.

Kay did not factor into Sunday's decision against the Brewers. He allowed two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out five across 4.2 innings.

Kay yielded a two-run homer to Gary Sanchez in the first frame, but the former received plenty of run support from the White Sox through the first three innings of Sunday's game. However, Kay allowed at least two baserunners in three of five innings, running up his pitch count to 92 (54 strikes) before being pulled with two outs in the fifth frame. Kay mostly worked out of the bullpen in his MLB career before serving as a starter in 2024 and 2025 in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan with the Yokohama Bay Stars. Kay is slated to start next weekend at home against the Blue Jays.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, a double and an additional run scored in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Phillies.

Making his second start this season, McCutchen extended Texas' lead to 5-0 with a three-run blast off left Jesus Luzardo, his first home run this season. The 39-year-old McCutchen is expected to fill the short side of a platoon with Joc Pederson at DH after making the team out of spring training as a non-roster invitee. Through three games, McCutchen is 4-for-9 with four RBI.

Murakami went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during the White Sox's 9-7 loss to the Brewers on Sunday.

Murakami continued his excellent start to his MLB career Sunday with a solo home run off Brandon Sproat in the second inning. All three of Murakami's hits through three games have resulted in solo homers, and he's also shown discipline at the plate with four walks across 13 plate appearances. The 26-year-old has clearly brought his power over from Japan, where he recorded 246 home runs over an eight-season span in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Jensen went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a sacrifice fly in Sunday's 4-1 win over Atlanta.

Jensen extended Kansas City's lead to 2-0 with a 371-foot shot off Grant Holmes, his first hit and home run of the season. The 22-year-old Jensen should continue to see regular at-bats in the middle of the Royals' lineup -- he got his first start at catcher Sunday after serving as the DH in his first two games. Jensen is now 1-for-8 to open the year after slashing .300/.391/.550 with three homers in 69 plate appearances last season.

Montgomery went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and an RBI single during the White Sox's 9-7 loss to the Brewers on Sunday.

Montgomery put the White Sox on the board in style with a 405-foot grand slam off Brandon Sproat in the first inning, and the former tacked on another run with an RBI single in the second. It was an encouraging way for Montgomery to finish the three-game road series after he went 1-for-7 with four strikeouts over the first two games. He had an elevated strikeout rate last season in both Triple-A and the majors, but Montgomery has shown to be incredibly effective when he makes contact. He's looking to build off a 2025 campaign in which he slashed .239/.311/.529 with 21 home runs and 55 RBI in 283 major-league plate appearances.

Ober did not factor into the decision Sunday against Baltimore, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk across four innings. He struck out one.

Ober kept the Orioles off the board for three innings before Tyler O'Neill cut Minnesota's lead to 4-3 with a three-run homer in the fourth. The 30-year-old Ober's fastball velocity remains a concern - it averaged just 89.8 MPH Sunday after sitting at 90.3 last season. Ober struggled overall in 2025, posting a 5.10 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP and 120 strikeouts across 27 starts (146.1 innings).