MLB Player News

Clement got a shot to lead-off with George Springer getting a day off and did great in that spot. He started the game off with a single and then knocked in a run next time around. His time atop the lineup will likely be short-lived, but Clement plays nearly every day and is a good source of batting average. The two steals don’t hurt either.

The Dodgers outscored the Angels 21-3 in a Freeway Series sweep. They scored their 10 runs today despite collecting just one extra-base hit, that being Tucker’s two-run double. It’s Tucker’s first three-RBI game of the year. He’s batting .300/.410/.500 in 15 games this month.

Sasaki walked none and needed just 91 pitches to get 21 outs in his longest and probably his best major league start to date. He produced 18 whiffs and finished with a 34 percent CSW. It’s probably best not to make too much of one outing, but it was the kind of showing that suggests he’s turned a corner and potentially should be back on mixed-league radars. He’ll face the Brewers next.

It was just criminal of the Angels to throw Rodriguez to the wolves like this after one start in the Complex League and one in Low-A ball. His stuff was pretty good today, but he was wild in walking four. He gave up two runs in the second after Jo Adell let an outfield fly drop for a single in right to start a rally. The remaining runs all came in the fifth, when he walked two and gave up four singles. Only one of those singles was a hard-hit ball. Rodriguez struck out four while averaging 96.3 mph with his fastball today. Better days are ahead if he keeps throwing like this. He’ll face the Rangers next time out.

Ohtani went 6-for-12 with seven RBI during the Freeway Series. Since departing Anaheim, he’s hit .360 with five homers, 17 RBI and 12 walks in 13 career games against his former team.

The homer was just his third of the season, as Guerrero is hitting .286 with only a .754 OPS through Sunday. He’s been between 23 and 30 homers the past three seasons, so power wasn’t the primary reason fantasy managers used an early-round selection on him. Still, more pop was expected thus far. Guerrero doesn’t have a ground-ball problem this season, but he has an alarmingly low HR/FB% with one of the lowest barrel rates of his career. He’s hit for a high average while striking out as often as he walks, but the hope is that Sunday’s blast helps him find the power stroke he flashed during last year’s postseason. Sunday was his first time batting second after spending the entire season in the three-hole.

Gausman allowed four hits without walking anyone, lowering his ERA to 3.45 while picking up his third win. He’s performed like his usual self so far in 2026, cutting his walk rate for the second straight season. It’s his lowest K/BB since 2022, and the second-lowest of his career. Gausman’s ever-dangerous splitter will take on the Pirates at home in his next scheduled start.

Louis Varland had three outings of 20-plus pitches this week, including a two-inning performance on Saturday. Rogers filled in during the 4-1 win, but the ground-ball-heavy right-hander will return to a setup role moving forward. The submariner signed a three-year, $37 million deal with Toronto this past offseason.

Flaherty entered Sunday with one of the 10 lowest strike rates among 170+ starting pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched. That explains his 5.77 ERA, with indicators that don’t hint at any positive regression unless he simply begins pitching better. The 30-year-old exercised a player option in his contract to remain with the Tigers this past offseason, but he’s in the final year of the deal. He’ll visit his former team in Baltimore for his next scheduled start.

Winn argued for staying in Sunday’s game, but he was lifted. If he can’t go on Tuesday, then Thomas Saggese or Cesar Prieto could start at short.

Varsho’s three-bagger was an opposite-field poke that scored Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from first base. It was the second straight multi-hit performance for Varsho, and fourth in his past eight games. That doesn’t include his walk-off grand slam against the Rays earlier this week, either. He batted in the three-hole on Sunday, but that coincided with days off for George Springer and Kazuma Okamoto. Varsho mostly hits fifth against righties, and his defense keeps him in the lineup against most lefties as well, though lower in the order.