MLB Player News

Heaney (0-1) was rocked for seven earned runs on six hits over 4.1 innings Friday, striking out six and walking two while taking the loss in the Angels' 8-1 defeat at the hands of the Giants.

Heaney was coming off a strong start in his first outing of the year against the Royals, striking out seven and giving up three earned runs in five innings, but he couldn't follow it up with a similar effort against the Giants, who did most of their damage in a six-run fifth inning. He'll look to get right the ship in his next start against a tough Yankees lineup next Friday.

Bundy (1-2) allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out nine over six innings to earn his first victory of the season over the Indians on Friday.

Cleveland's lone run Friday came on a bases-loaded hit by pitch to score Jason Kipnis, but Bundy scattered three hits and a walk over the next five innings. The 25-year-old has put together a stellar start to the season and now owns a 1.42 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 40 strikeouts across 31.2 innings. Bundy figures to next take the mound in a solid matchup at home against the Rays on Wednesday.

Gray (1-1) escaped with a no-decision in Friday's 8-5 loss to the Blue Jays, giving up five runs on five hits and four walks over 3,1 innings. He failed to strike out a batter.

After holding Toronto off the board in the first two innings, Gray got tagged for a two-run homer by Teoscar Hernandez -- the first long ball he's served up so far this year -- in the third before things went completely off the rails in the fourth. The right-hander now carries a brutal 8.27 ERA through 16.1 innings, and his 15:11 K:BB doesn't offer much hope of a quick turnaround. Gray will next take the mound Wednesday at home against the Twins.

Hammel took a no-decision in the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Tigers, allowing two runs on five hits with four strikeouts over nine innings during the 10-inning defeat.

Hammel's only blemish was the Tigers' two-run fifth inning, but even pitching a full nine innings wasn't enough to earn his first victory of the season. The 35-year-old allowed five runs over five innings during his first start of the season, but in his last three starts has given up only four runs on 16 hits over 20.1 innings pitched. Overall it's a solid start to the season for the right-hander, but he has a low K/9 (6.6) and the feeble Royals offense should continue to limit his opportunity to earn wins.

Blackburn (forearm) said his Friday throwing session went well and that he will continue with an every-other-day program moving forward, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

This marked the first time Blackburn has thrown since experiencing forearm tightness late in spring training. Over the next few weeks, he will be eased back into a progression as he targets a return in late May.

Rodon (shoulder) will begin throwing in extended spring training games Monday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The oft-injured southpaw underwent arthroscopic surgery on his throwing shoulder back in September, but it seems like he's finally healthy enough to get into game environments now. Rodon is still on track for a return in late May or early June barring any setbacks.

Bassitt was called up from Triple-A Nashville on Friday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Bassitt will join the major-league squad as a long reliever that has the potential to make a spot start if necessary. The 29-year-old has logged a 0.69 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with a 12:4 K:BB over 13 innings of work with Nashville over three appearances in 2018. In a corresponding move, the club optioned Danny Coulombe to Triple-A.

Hammel is scheduled to throw the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Tigers, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Hammel was previously scheduled to throw the night game, with Jakob Junis handling the first game, but the order has been flipped. Hammel has a 3.86 ERA (backed up by a 3.38 FIP) through his first three starts.

Rodriguez moved to 2-0 with Thursday's 8-2 win over the Angels, giving up two earned runs on three hits over six innings, striking out five and walking three.

Rodriguez only lasted 3.2 innings in his first start of the season but he's bounced back with quality starts in each of last two outings to bring his ERA down to 3.45 ERA and his WHIP to 1.28. He's shown that he has the ability to rack up strikeouts in the past, so if he can stay healthy and continue to post serviceable ratios he could establish himself as an under-the-radar solid fantasy option. He'll look to build on the pair of solid showings in his next start against the Blue Jays next Wednesday.

Gonzales (1-2) allowed three runs (zero earned) on four hits while walking one and striking out eight across 4.2 innings Thursday against the Astros. He did not factor in the decision.

Gonzales was pulled after just 79 pitches but the end result was still his most promising start of the season. As usual, he was in the strike zone frequently with 52 of his 79 pitches resulting in a strike. However, he wasn't especially deceptive -- he generated only eight swinging strikes -- and benefited greatly from the Astros fouling off 20 of his offerings. Gonzales has some name recognition due to his prospect pedigree, but he hasn't shown the ability to pitch deep into games or limit runs on a consistent basis.