MLB Player News

Wheeler (1-1) allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out three in six innings in a loss to the Cardinals on Sunday.

Wheeler blanked the Cardinals through three frames, but Willson Contreras was able to open up the scoring with a two-run blast in the fourth. The Cardinals tacked on two more in the sixth with three doubles in the inning. After a hot start to the year, Wheeler has allowed nine runs over his last two starts. His three strikeouts were the fewest in a start since he had two May 12 last year. Sunday was also the first time Wheeler has gone consecutive outings without a quality start since June 25 and July 1 in 2023. The 35-year-old righty is lined up for an excellent bounce back opportunity at home against the Marlins this week.

Walker went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's win over the Phillies.

Walker connected on a two-run missile in the eighth that traveled 112 mph off the bat to put the Cardinals ahead 7-0. It was his second home run and also his only other extra-base hit so far this season. The 24-year-old is slashing .275/.351/.392 with six RBI, five runs, two steals and a 5:16 BB:K in 57 plate appearances thus far. He's looked more comfortable at the dish and showed Sunday how hard he can hit the ball when making solid contact.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, a double and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Phillies.

Contreras opened up the scoring in the fourth with a two-run blast to left for his first home run of the year. He also matched his extra-base hit season total with two Sunday. Contreras is off to a very slow start with his bat but now has four hits and three RBI in his last two games. For the year, he's hitting .158/.213/.263 with six RBI, six runs and a 2:22 BB:K in 62 plate appearances.

Liberatore (1-1) tossed six scoreless innings in a win over the Phillies on Sunday, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out seven.

Liberatore had an outstanding performance leading to his first win of the season. He had almost 60 pitches through three frames but went nine up, nine down over the next three innings. Liberatore did an excellent job of getting ahead of the count and his slider was fooling hitters with a 66.7 percent whiff rate. Liberatore owns a 3.93 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 18:1 K:BB in 18.1 innings and lines up for a road start against the Mets this week.

Through 65 plate appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Kim is slashing .293/.359/.603 with three home runs, seven doubles, a triple, 16 runs, 13 RBI and four stolen bases.

After signing Kim to a three-year, $12.5 million contract in early January, the Dodgers opted to have the Korean infielder begin his professional career in the minors. Kim has taken the assignment in stride, as he's collected at least one hit in 11 of his 14 contests with OKC so far. Kim isn't projected to be much of a power hitter in the majors, but he's defied that expectation of late, smashing three home runs -- including a 462-footer -- over his past three games. There was always a strong likelihood that Kim would see the majors this season, and his time could come relatively soon if he continues to succeed against minor-league pitching.

Cronenworth (ribs) could miss a month or more due to a non-displaced fracture in his ribs, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Cronenworth was plunked in the ribs by a pitch April 6, but he was in the lineup the following day and even hit a homer. The second baseman was pulled from the Padres' next game, however, and the team initially said Cronenworth experienced cramping in his ribs. However, a subsequent evaluation revealed a non-displaced fracture, and Cronenworth was consequently placed on the IL. Manager Mike Shildt wouldn't put a timeline on Cronenworth's return when asked about the injury, but Sanders notes that Lars Nootbaar missed about a month after suffering a similar injury last season and that a physician recommended 6-to-8 weeks off for Aaron Judge after the slugger was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture in his ribs in 2020. Shildt did express some optimism about Cronenworth's outlook, saying "it's a matter of getting some of the fluids and the healing to take place, and then it's a matter of his functionality. And then hopefully it doesn't take too long. And then it's unlike a pitcher where he has to get ramped up as much we can. Get him some at bats and get him back on the field." That being said, it seems unlikely that Cronenworth will be ready to return when first eligible April 19.

Darvish (elbow) has been playing long toss out to 180 feet, but he's likely at least three weeks away from being activated off the injured list, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Darvish landed on the 15-day injured list in late March due to right elbow inflammation. The veteran hurler threw 11 pitches to a catcher standing up in the bullpen at less-than-full intensity Saturday, per Talking Friars, so he at least seems to be making some progress, but it doesn't appear that he's close to seeing game action. Acee suggests that Darvish will need multiple bullpen sessions and a minimum of two minor-league rehab appearances before he's able to join San Diego's rotation, putting his earliest possible return date in early May.

Amador went 0-for-3 with a strikeout Sunday against the Padres.

Amador was summoned to the majors Sunday as Tyler Freeman (oblique) landed on the injured list and Amador hit ninth while starting at second base. While he didn't make an impact with the bat, he did make a nice play with his glove. It's unclear how much Amador will play as Kyle Farmer has served as Colorado's primary second baseman, but Amador possesses an intriguing power-speed profile and is capable of making consistent contact.

Koss went 1-for-4 with a run scored during Sunday's 5-4 win over the Yankees.

Koss started at second base for the third time this season, recording his first big-league hit before coming around to score on a three-run home run by Jung Hoo Lee in the sixth frame. Koss has played in five games during the 2025 campaign, scoring two runs across 11 plate appearances. The 27-year-old infielder is slashing .100/.182/.100 with a 1:4 BB:K so far this season.

Birdsong picked up a hold during Sunday's 5-4 win over the Yankees, tossing two scoreless innings while striking out three and hitting one batter.

The 23-year-old entered the game in the sixth frame and retired all three batters he faced. The right-hander later hit Aaron Judge with a pitch in the seventh but escaped the inning without allowing a hit. Birdsong was efficient, facing seven batters and throwing 15 of his 20 pitches for strikes. After falling short in his bid for a spot in the Giants' Opening Day rotation, Birdsong has been dynamite in relief, having yet to allow a run while posting an 0.89 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB with three holds across nine innings over four appearances. The Giants don't seem motivated to have Birdsong get stretched back out for a starting role anytime soon, as manager Bob Melvin told Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News on April 5 that the right-hander is being treated as a true reliever at this point after San Francisco chose not to have him piggyback No. 5 starter Landen Roupp in his first start earlier this month.