MLB Player News

Craig Kimbrel threw 18 pitches on Friday and has not been used in back-to-back outings in over a week, so it’s likely that the Orioles are still being cautious with their erstwhile closer after a poor stretch a few weeks ago. Canó now has five saves on the season and could be looked at as a part of a committee with Kimbrel, but he’s not taking over the closer’s role. At least not yet.

Yelich drove in a run with a fielder’s choice in the third inning that increased the Brewers’ edge to 2-0. He then swiped third base before being stranded there. The dynamic 33-year-old outfielder then capped off the scoring with a 429-foot (104.6 mph EV) solo blast off of John Schreiber in the eighth inning. He’s got just two hits in his first 16 at-bats on the season (.125), but has still contributed a homer, three RBI and a pair of stolen bases.

Turang singled to lead off the game, but was ultimately forced out at second base. He singled again in the third and raced around to score as Christian Yelich bounced into a fielder’s choice. The speedy 25-year-old has gotten off to a terrific start at the plate in 2025, hitting .368 (7-for-19) with a homer, three RBI and a stolen base in his first five ballgames.

The 32-year-old backstop opened the scoring in this one with his 419-foot (107.4 mph EV) solo shot off of Michael Lorenzen in the third inning. That would be his lone hit in three at-bats on the night, but was all the run support that Chad Patrick and company would require. Haase is now 2-for-5 (.400) with in his limited action to begin the 2025 campaign.

The 26-year-old right-hander punched out five opposing hitters while issuing three free passes. He was lifted after allowing a two-out double to Jonathan India and an intentional walk in the fifth inning, just one out shy of qualifying for a victory. Patrick generated six whiffs on 86 pitches on the night, posting an underwhelming CSW of only 21 percent. Given the current state of the Brewers’ rotation, he’ll surely draw another start after this one, which will come on Sunday against the Reds.

The 24-year-old superstar smacked a one-out double off of Chad Patrick in the third inning, but the Royals were unable to cash him in from there. He was then intentionally walked in the fifth inning. While he’s still looking for his first home run of the season, Witt is off to a solid start overall, hitting .286 (6-for-21) with three RBI and three stolen bases.

The 33-year-old right-hander piled up seven strikeouts on the night while also allowing three walks. He served up a solo homer to Eric Haase and allowed an unearned run in the third inning, then the Brewers scratched out another pair while chasing Lorenzen in the sixth inning. The 33-year-old righty got 12 whiffs on 97 pitches on the night, registering a CSW of 29 percent. He’ll try again to get in the win column when he does battle against the Twins at home on Monday night.

Schmidt opened the regular season with a trip to the injured list after dealing with shoulder discomfort during spring training. The 29-year-old’s return should provide a lift to New York’s injury-depleted rotation. He should be rostered in all fantasy formats already, but it’s worth checking if he’s still out there in some shallow mixed leagues.

Stowers was back in the lineup tonight after sitting against lefties the previous two days. He’s played big roles in three of the Marlins’ four wins this season, delivering a walkoff hit on Opening Day and three hits, one of them tying the game in the 11th, in a 12-inning win Saturday. That’s important with Jesús Sánchez presumably returning sometime this month; Stowers needs to outproduce Griffin Conine to ensure that he’ll stay in the lineup.

The Mets say they’re not limiting Alcantara’s workload in his return from Tommy John, but he exited after just 70 pitches tonight, which is something that certainly wouldn’t have happened a couple of years ago. At least it didn’t cost him a win, as the bullpen protected a 4-2 lead for four innings. Alcantara will take a 3.72 ERA into a rematch with the Mets in New York next Monday.

Lefty Anthony Veneziano opened the ninth with Juan Soto coming to bat, but he retired just one of the three batters he faced. Bender entered to face Mark Vientos and got both he and Jesse Winker to end the game and claim the Marlins’ first save of the year. Bender also got a win on Sunday. He’s probably not the Marlins’ sole closer just yet, but we do like him more than Calvin Faucher, who went unused for a second straight day after throwing 47 pitches between Saturday and Sunday.