MLB Player News

Paddack (0-1) took the loss Monday against the White Sox, allowing eight runs on eight hits and no walks in four innings. He struck out six.

Despite getting what appeared to be a soft matchup versus the lowly White Sox, Paddack completely came apart following two scoreless frames to begin his outing. Chicago plated four runs in each of the subsequent innings, though Paddack was at least able to fan six and register 15 whiffs to provide something of a silver lining Monday. Paddack's next start is lined up to come in New York against the Yankees, and he won't be a recommended streaming option for that one.

Phillips earned the save Monday against the Pirates, walking two in a hitless and scoreless ninth inning. He struck out one.

Closer Emilio Pagan was likely unavailable after working each of the past two days for Cincinnati, opening the door for Phillips to claim his first save opportunity of the year. Monday marked Phillips' first career major-league save, though the right-hander doesn't figure to see very much ninth-inning work in 2026 when Pagan or other Reds high-leverage arms are available.

Ashcraft (0-1) took the loss Monday against the Reds, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks in six innings. He struck out three.

The right-hander was saddled with a tough-luck loss, logging a quality start in his season debut. The four walks allowed matched a career high for Ashcraft, but it was still a fine showing overall at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. Ashcraft's next start is scheduled to come over the weekend at home versus the Orioles, and he'll be trying to reach the 90-pitch mark after tossing 87 pitches Monday.

Burns (1-0) earned the win Monday against the Pirates, allowing no runs on one hit and three walks in five innings. He struck out seven.

It was a sparkling season debut for the hard-throwing right-hander, who held Pittsburgh to a lone single in the hit column. Burns touched 99 mph on his fastball on 10 occasions, producing an impressive 15 swings and misses on the evening as well. The righty is set for his next start later this week in Texas versus the Rangers, and Burnes will be looking to stretch out further after throwing 78 pitches Monday.

Hoerner went 1-for-2 with a walk, a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 7-2 win over the Angels. He also stole a base.

The runs and RBI are certainly icing on the cake, but Hoerner is once again making his biggest impact from a fantasy perspective on the bases. The speedy infielder has stolen a base in three straight games and has yet to get caught this season. Hoerner had 103 steals over the last three years, reaching the 30-steal plateau twice in that span and falling just short with 29 in 2025. It looks like he'll once again push toward that mark in 2026 if he stays healthy.

Swanson went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Monday's 7-2 win over the Angels.

Swanson started the season going 0-for-8 with three walks across the first three games against Washington, but he got on the board with his first hits of the year Monday. The shortstop is traditionally a slow starter with a .670 career OPS in March and April, which is his lowest of any month. Even if he scuffles some, Swanson should maintain a regular role for the Cubs, and his MLB track record suggests that production will come.

Rea allowed two runs on four hits across three innings of relief and earned the save in Monday's 7-2 win over the Angels. He struck out four.

New Chicago starter Edward Cabrera tossed six scoreless innings in his team debut, and with the Cubs up 6-0 at that point, they let Rea close things out to save other arms in the bullpen. The veteran righty allowed a two-run home run to Yoan Moncada in the seventh inning, but then tossed blanks in the eighth and ninth. Rea has never had more than one save in a season during his MLB career, and he's unlikely to have too many more in 2026 from his long-relief role.

Happ went 1-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Monday's 7-2 win over the Angels.

After a relatively quiet performance on Opening Day, Happ has now gone deep in Chicago's last three games. He's thriving in the No. 3 spot in the order between Alex Bregman and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Happ's career high in home runs for a season is 25, which he's done twice, and while it's too early to say he'll surpass that figure, he is at least off to a promising start for fantasy managers.

Suarez will start Tuesday's game against the Athletics, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Suarez will see his first action of the 2026 season Tuesday, and depending on how the outing goes, he could remain in the rotation as Atlanta's fifth starter until Spencer Strider (oblique) returns from the injured list. Suarez made one start a season ago with Atlanta and allowed two runs over seven innings and struck out nine in a victory over the Nationals.

Poulin will serve as the Nationals' opening pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Phillies, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Poulin has appeared in two games so far this season, walking two and striking out one over 1.2 scoreless frames. He'll likely work the first inning before giving way to a primary pitcher, who the Nationals have yet to name. Zack Littell could be in the mix to eat up innings considering he's the only starter who's yet to see action in 2026.