MLB Player News

Lugo (2-0) earned the win over Houston on Wednesday, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out two batters over six innings.

Lugo induced just five swinging strikes and allowed at least one baserunner in five of his six frames, but aside from a two-run fourth inning, the Astros were unable to score on him. The veteran right-hander has completed at least six frames and has notched a quality start in each of his three outings so far this season, leading to his sterling 1.45 ERA. Lugo's unimpressive 9:5 K:BB over 18.2 innings provides reason to doubt this level of success moving forward, but he showed last year that he can be an effective (if unsensational) rotation piece without big punchout numbers when he posted a 3.57 ERA and 8.6 K/9 across 26 starts for the Padres.

Stroman (1-1) took the loss Wednesday against Miami, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out seven.

All of the damage against Stroman came during a four-run third inning in which he surrendered a walk and two singles to the first three batters he faced before being tagged by Jake Burger for a three-run homer. His struggles with command and some long at-bats by Miami resulted in Stroman failing to reach the sixth inning for the first time all season. Through 17 innings, Stroman owns a 2.12 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 17 strikeouts. He's in line for a start next week in Toronto.

Crawford didn't factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two hits and four walks while striking out six over five scoreless innings against the Orioles.

Crawford somehow kept the Orioles off the scoreboard despite loading the bases in the fourth and fifth innings. He lost all command to start the fifth frame, walking two of his first three batters and tossing a pair of wild pitches. Crawford has yet to be part of a decision this season, but he's allowed just one earned run on seven hits in three starts spanning 15.2 innings. He's currently lined up to toe the rubber Monday against the Guardians.

Irvin didn't factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks across five innings against Boston. He struck out four.

Irvin benefitted from a pair of inning-ending double plays in the first and second, keeping a bad start from turning even worse. He was tagged by Triston Casas for a two-run home run during the fifth inning. Irvin has lasted exactly five innings in both of his starts, yielding nine earned runs in total with a 8:5 K:BB on the year. While he could easily be replaced by John Means (forearm) -- who made his second rehab start last weekend -- Irvin is tentatively lined up for a start against the Twins on Monday.

Kikuchi didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Mariners, allowing one run on three hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out nine.

After struggling in his first outing this year, Kikuchi's held opponents to just one run over 11.1 innings while striking out 16 in his subsequent two starts. However, the southpaw was stuck with another no-decision Wednesday, as the Blue Jays couldn't crack Logan Gilbert in an eventual extra-innings loss. Overall, Kikuchi is 0-1 with a 2.30 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 20:7 K:BB through his first 15.3 innings. He'll look for his first win in his next outing, tentatively scheduled for early next week on the road against the Yankees.

Gilbert didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Blue Jays, allowing one run on five hits and one walk over 7.2 innings. He struck out eight.

Gilbert was excellent Wednesday, holding the Blue Jays scoreless through six innings before allowing a lone run on a Vladimir Guerrero homer in the seventh. The 26-year-old Gilbert has struck out 23 batters through his first three starts, ranked second in the league in the early going. While Gilbert has yet to earn a win this year, he's posted an impressive 2.66 ERA with a 0.84 WHIP through his first 20.1 innings. Gilbert currently lines up for a home matchup with the Reds in his next outing.

Paddack didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out five.

After allowing a run in the first inning, Paddack rebounded to put together a solid outing, holding the Dodgers to just one additional run on a Max Muncy solo homer. However, the right-hander allowed a pair of hits in the fifth and ultimately left the contest one out away from qualifying for the win. Paddack's allowed four runs on 12 hits while striking out seven through his first two starts this season. He's currently in line for a tough road matchup against the Orioles in his next outing.

Waldichuk (elbow) threw a bullpen session Monday that went off without any setbacks, Jason Burke of SI.com reports.

Manager Mark Kotsay remarked that "so far everything is going in the right direction for Kenny," adding the left-hander continues to feel good during his ramp-up process. While Waldichuk continues without a timetable for return, he may only need another bullpen session or two before progressing to facing live hitters.

The Astros selected Arrighetti's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Arrighetti is set to make his major-league debut in a starting role Wednesday in Kansas City. The 24-year-old is one of the team's top pitching prospects and holds a 2.16 ERA and 10:7 K:BB over 8.1 innings this season with Sugar Land. A 29.2 percent strikeout rate in the minors points to Arrighetti's promise, but a 10.7 walk rate suggests he's not a finished product yet, and fantasy managers might be best served with a wait-and-see approach.

Eder (shoulder) struck out three and allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks across four innings Sunday in Double-A Birmingham's 8-2 win over Chattanooga.

Eder threw 69 pitches (49 strikes) in his season debut for Birmingham, after he was unable to make any Cactus League appearances for the White Sox before being optioned to minor-league camp in early March while he contended with right shoulder soreness early in camp. The southpaw retains a spot on the White Sox's 40-man roster, and if health prevails in the months to come, he should have an opportunity to make his big-league debut later in the 2024 season.