MLB Player News

Pearson (groin) is scheduled to throw off a mound Friday, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

The 24-year-old aggravated a right groin injury in mid-March and was previously limited to long toss, so a return to mound work is a big step in his recovery. Pearson doesn't have an official timeline for his return, but Toronto figures to remain cautious with the young right-hander, especially since he already suffered one setback after originally suffering the injury March 4.

Rogers threw a scoreless inning with a strikeout in Thursday's Opening Day loss to the Brewers. He appeared in the seventh to face key left-handed batters Christian Yelich and Travis Shaw. "Over the course of this year, we're going to see him, and probably everybody, pitching some different spots when it makes the most sense," manager Rocco Baldelli told the Minneapolis Star Tribune afterward.

It was only one game, but Rogers was used in a high-leverage setup spot while Alex Colome was used in the ninth inning to protect a three-run lead. Colome blew the save chance, so performance could dictate save opportunities more than anything, but for now it looks like Colome may get the majority of save chances even without Baldelli defining any roles.

Nelson (0-1) was tagged with the loss Opening Day against Toronto, allowing one unearned run on one hit while striking out three.

Nelson looked good in the appearance, throwing 11 of 15 pitches for strikes. However, he allowed a leadoff 10th-inning double to Randal Grichuk, permitting Jonathan Davis -- who was on second base due to MLB's extra-innings rule -- to come around to score. Despite the disappointing outcome, Nelson's ability to recover and subsequently strike out the side bodes well for his effectiveness this season following a strong spring.

Montero gave up a solo home run and blew the save Thursday against the Giants. He struck out two in an inning of work.

The Mariners took a 7-6 lead into the top of the ninth, which is when Alex Dickerson hit a 408-foot home run off Montero to tie the game, although the Mariners ended up winning in the 10th inning. He made one bad pitch and was otherwise fine, so Montero should still have some leash as Seattle's closer going forward.

Paredes picked up his first hold of the season during Thursday's 8-1 win over the Athletics, allowing one unearned run on one hit and two walks while striking out two in one inning.

The final score indicates a blowout, but it wasn't so when Paredes warmed up in the sixth inning of a 3-1 ballgame. That is an indication he will be used in high-leverage situations. Starter Zack Greinke cleaned up the inning on his own before Paredes got himself into a dicey situation in the seventh. Yuli Gurriel dropped a foul popup which gave Ramon Laureano a second life, and he doubled. After a couple of walks and a sacrifice fly, Paredes bore down to whiff the final two batters and claim his first hold.

Hearn allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out two over 2.1 innings in Thursday's 14-10 loss to Kansas City.

In what may have been one of the ugliest Opening Day games in MLB history, the stretched-out Hearn came on in relief of starter Kyle Gibson, who lasted one-third of an inning and left with a 135.00 ERA. Hearn is part of one of Texas' tandem rotation slots and was originally expected to pitch Sunday on what would now be two days rest.

Bummer (0-1) allowed two unearned runs on two hits and one walk while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning to take the loss against the Angels on Thursday.

Holding a one-run lead entering the eighth inning, the White Sox were set up for a season-opening win and the debut of new closer Liam Hendricks, but Bummer couldn't work around a couple of fielding miscues. On a fielder's choice, Nick Madrigal's throw drew Tim Anderson off the second-base bag, then a Yasmani Grandal passed ball advanced the runners. A single, a walk and a sacrifice fly later, and Opening Day went from a delight to, well, a bummer. Bummer's been stellar out of the bullpen for the White Sox the previous two seasons and has earned the role as a setup man.

Iglesias struck out two while recording the save in Thursday's win over the White Sox.

Iglesias was dominant in his Angels debut, fanning two of the three batters that he faced while recording an eight pitch save. The 30-year-old will look to hold his closing role in an Angels bullpen that will be looking for consistency. The right-hander appeared in a closer-by-committee situation in 2020 for the Reds and should benefit from Joe Maddon's emphasis on consistently inserting particular pitchers in certain innings.

Barlow allowed a hit and two walks and struck out four in 1.2 innings to earn a hold in Thursday's 14-10 win over the Rangers.

Barlow is in the mix for saves this year, but he entered Thursday's game in the seventh inning. He did well to keep the Rangers off the board -- one of just three Royals pitchers who achieved that in a high-scoring Opening Day game. Barlow was alright with a 4.20 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, seven holds and two saves in 32 appearances last year. The 28-year-old righty is likely to work in a setup role behind Greg Holland to begin 2021.

Hernandez (1-0) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk over three innings in Thursday's win over the Rangers. He struck out five.

Starter Brad Keller lasted just 1.1 innings Thursday, forcing the Royals to dip into their bullpen early in the slugfest. Hernandez allowed both runs in the third inning. The 24-year-old Hernandez is expected to be the Royals' fifth starter this year even though he's begun the campaign in the bullpen. The Royals' schedule is light enough in April that a fifth starter in the rotation won't be needed until April 14. Hernandez had a 4.91 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across 14.2 innings in 2020. He made five appearances (three starts).