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Nolan McLean SP | NYM
Mets' Nolan McLean: Impresses in second start
McLean (1-0) allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit and two walks while striking out four over 5.1 innings to earn the win over the Giants on Friday.
McLean was perfect through five innings. He got into a bit of trouble in the sixth, but the Mets had put up five runs before McLean faltered, and Brooks Raley was able to finish off the frame despite allowing one inherited runner to score. Through 10.1 innings over two starts, McLean has allowed just four runs (three earned) while posting a 12:4 K:BB. The 24-year-old right-hander is looking promising so far after impressing with a 2.06 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 57:16 K:BB over 48 innings in eight regular-season starts at the tail end of 2025. His next start is projected to be at home versus the Diamondbacks.
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Max Muncy 3B | ATH
Athletics' Max Muncy: Homers, drives in three
Muncy went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a two-run double and two total runs scored in Friday's 11-4 win over the Astros.
Muncy stretched the Athletics' lead to 4-1 with the two-run double in the third inning, and he went back-to-back with Lawrence Butler in the fourth to turn the game into a blowout. With at least one extra-base hit in four of the last five contests, Muncy is showing some power potential early in the season. He's batting .269 with two homers, three doubles, five RBI, six runs scored and a stolen base over seven contests. The one flaw in his performance so far is the 10 strikeouts over 27 plate appearances, especially considering he struck out at a 30.9 percent clip as a rookie in 63 games in 2025. Improving his plate discipline would raise his ceiling, but it remains to be seen how much he'll be able to do in that area.
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Lawrence Butler RF | ATH
Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Swats first homer of season
Butler went 3-for-5 with a three-run home run, an additional RBI and two total runs scored in Friday's 11-4 win over the Astros.
Butler had an RBI single in the third inning before taking Houston reliever Roddery Munoz deep in the fourth. This was Butler's first big game of the season -- he had gone just 1-for-12 over his first five contests. The outfielder is now hitting .235 with three strikeouts over 18 plate appearances. Butler had a 20-20 season (21 long balls, 22 stolen bases) in 152 games last year, so he'll offer both power and speed from the middle of the order against right-handed pitchers once he gets his hitting on track.
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Jeffrey Springs SP | ATH
Athletics' Jeffrey Springs: Sharp in win over Astros
Springs (1-0) allowed one run on two hits and a walk while striking out seven over six innings to earn the win over the Astros on Friday.
Springs collected his first quality start of the season and showed some improvement from his season debut. He threw 66 of 103 pitches for strikes in this outing, limiting the damage to a Yordan Alvarez sacrifice fly in the third inning. Springs has a 9:4 K:BB with three runs allowed over 11.1 innings across two starts this season. He had a decent 2025, posting a 4.11 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 138:54 K:BB over 171 innings across 32 appearances (30 starts). Springs should be firmly in the rotation for the Athletics this season, and he could rebound in the strikeout department since his 7.3 K/9 last year was a career low. The southpaw is projected to make his next start on the road versus the Yankees.
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Cristian Javier SP | HOU
Astros' Cristian Javier: Struggles against Athletics
Javier (0-1) took the loss Friday versus the Athletics, allowing six runs on six hits and five walks while striking out two over 3.2 innings.
Javier ran into trouble in the third inning and then found more of it in the fourth before he was pulled from the game. He threw just 44 of 82 pitches for strikes, though he was able to keep the ball in the yard after allowing two homers to the Angels in his season debut. Javier's command is looking like a big problem -- he has a 3:9 K:BB with two hit batsman over 8.1 innings across his two starts this season. He's also given up 12 runs, but much of that is self-inflicted damage from putting too much traffic on the bases. The right-hander won't catch a break in his next scheduled outing, which is projected to be on the road in Colorado.
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Brendan Donovan 3B | SEA
Mariners' Brendan Donovan: Makes early exit Friday
Donovan was removed from Friday's game against the Angels with a potential leg injury, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Donovan landed awkwardly on first base while attempting to leg out an infield single in the seventh inning and was replaced on defense to begin the bottom of the frame. The Mariners haven't officially announced that Donovan is dealing with an injury, but it's still possible the 29-year-old tweaked something during the play. If so, Leo Rivas may get an opportunity to start at third base, or the team could bring up Colt Emerson for his MLB debut.
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Ronald Acuna Jr. RF | ATL
Braves' Ronald Acuna: Picks up second steal
Acuna went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Friday's 2-0 win over Arizona.
Acuna has two steals on three attempts this season. The star outfielder has yet to get his bat in order -- he's batting just .179 with a .528 OPS over eight contests so far, but the early slump hasn't cost him his leadoff spot. Acuna has been limited by injuries in the last two years, logging 25 stolen bases over 144 regular-season contests after posting 73 thefts on 87 attempts over 159 games during the 2023 regular season. If he can stay healthy, his power/speed combination is among the best in baseball, but Acuna has topped 120 games played just twice in the first eight years of his career.
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Kyle Teel C | CHW
White Sox's Kyle Teel: Nearing tee work
Teel (hamstring) will begin hitting off a tee either April 7 or 8, MLB.com reports.
Teel suffered a hamstring injury during the World Baseball Classic and has been able to resume running for roughly the last two weeks. However, he'll still require a rehab assignment and is hoping to return by mid-to-late April.
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Austin Hays LF | SD
White Sox's Austin Hays: Knocks in pair
Hays went 1-for-5 with two RBI on Friday against the Blue Jays.
Hays made his lone hit of the day count, knocking in two with a single in the third inning. He has struggled overall to begin the season, striking out 10 times in 24 plate appearances while also logging only four hits. However, those knocks have been timely, as Hays has five RBI across six games.
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Matt Olson 1B | ATL
Braves' Matt Olson: Homers again Friday
Olson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-0 win over Arizona.
Olson went back-to-back with Ozzie Albies in the ninth inning to produce the lone runs of the game. This was Olson's second long ball in as many days after he hit his first homer of the year in Thursday's 17-2 win over Arizona. The first baseman has hit at least 29 homers in each of the last seven full-length seasons, and he has played in all 162 regular-season games in four straight years, offering reliable power and availability. This season, he's batting .313 with two homers, six RBI, six runs scored and four doubles over eight contests, though he's also racked up 11 strikeouts.