MLB Player News

McClanahan (5-0) earned the win Thursday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over five innings in a 14-5 win over the White Sox. He struck out five.

McClanahan is now tied with Gerrit Cole and Joe Ryan for most wins in the league following Wednesday's victory. The southpaw also ranks seventh with 42 strikeouts. The Rays' ace has firmly established himself as an elite option in fantasy ahead of his next tentative start against the Pirates in a few days.

Sears (0-2) took the loss against the Angels on Thursday, allowing six runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 4.1 innings.

Sears made it through two scoreless innings before Los Angeles hung a five-spot on him in the third frame. The big blow was a three-run home run off the bat of Brandon Drury, which was the seventh homer Sears has given up across five starts this season. The southpaw turned some heads with 11 punchouts over six innings against Texas his previous time out, but he fell back to earth with just four strikeouts Thursday. Sears has mostly failed to impress as a full-time starter this season, posting a 6.23 ERA and 1.23 WHIP through 26 frames.

Wentz did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk over 5.2 innings against the Orioles. He struck out six.

Wentz was excellent Thursday, retiring 13 of the first 14 batters before Joey Ortiz tagged him for a single that drove in Jorge Mateo and Adam Frazier in the fifth. The 25-year-old has been incredibly inconsistent this season, allowing five runs in two of his five starts but stifling the Giants on April 14, striking out seven and allowing just one run. Thursday's contest also marked Wentz's second outing allowing no home runs. Considering Wentz owns an 0-3 record, he may be pushed out of the starting rotation once Matt Manning (foot) comes back, but considering Manning has just started throwing, Wentz should be expected to make at least one more start.

Gibson did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks over 4.1 innings against the Tigers. He struck out three.

Gibson dominated Detroit with 11 punchouts and just one run allowed over 6.1 frames in his previous start, but the Tigers had much more success Thursday. The right-hander has been off to a strong start to 2023, owning a 4-0 record with a 3.93 ERA through six starts. However, fantasy managers should be hesitant to trust Gibson considering he has a 4.35 ERA and a 3.2 BB/9 over his last four seasons.

Mahle exited Thursday's start against the Royals after four innings due to right posterior elbow soreness, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Mahle was effective across four innings, allowing only one earned run on two hits while striking out six. The severity of the issue is unclear, though he may undergo tests in the coming days to determine his availability for his next scheduled start.

Kirby (2-2) took a hard-luck loss Thursday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over eight innings against Philadelphia. He struck out seven.

Kirby faced little resistance from the Phillies on Thursday, as he allowed just one run in a career-high eight innings. Unfortunately, he got no help from his offense as the Mariners fell 1-0, handing Kirby a loss despite his dominant performance. Since allowing four runs in his first start, Kirby has strung together four straight quality starts. He lowered his ERA to 2.93 with a 0.95 WHIP and a sparkling 24:2 K:BB. The 25-year-old right-hander currently lines up to face the A's in his next outing.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Thursday that Maeda (elbow) will likely be placed on the injured list, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

MRI results on Maeda's right elbow showed no structural damage but did reveal a muscle strain. Maeda described his injury as arm fatigue -- a common occurrence for pitchers coming back from Tommy John surgery, which the right-hander underwent in September 2021. In any event, the 35-year-old will miss a couple starts and could be replaced in the rotation by Bailey Ober, who was recently optioned to Triple-A St. Paul after making a spot start last week.

Skubal (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

It will be the first mound work for Skubal since he underwent left flexor tendon surgery last August. The 26-year-old southpaw still has many boxes to check in his rehab, but he could perhaps be an option for the Tigers' starting rotation around early June. He was placed on the 60-day injured list before Opening Day.

Rucinski (hamstring) is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list to make a start during the Athletics' series with the Reds this weekend, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Rucinski pitched well Sunday in his final rehab start with Triple-A Las Vegas and got through a recent bullpen session with no issues. The Athletics haven't named a starter for Friday's series opener, so that day is seemingly the most logical time that Rucinski will slot into the rotation. Rucinski, who signed a one-year, $3 million deal with Oakland this offseason following a four-year run in the Korea Baseball Organization, has been sidelined since late March with a hamstring injury.

Jobe (back) is in the middle of the long-toss portion of his throwing program, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Jobe was diagnosed with lumbar spine inflammation back in mid-March and is expected to miss at least half of the season. The 20-year-old is a top-100 prospect but has a lot of catching up to do to get back on track.