MLB Player News

Matthews (1-1) earned the win over the Athletics on Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Matthews held the A's scoreless until allowing a run in the fifth inning. Despite that tally, the right-hander emerged with his first win this season and just the second of his big-league career. Matthews didn't miss many bats Wednesday, notching a modest seven whiffs and finishing with a season-low four punchouts, but this was the first time through four starts this year that he's given up less than two runs and the second time he's completed five frames. Matthews appears to be becoming more entrenched in Minnesota's rotation, especially with Pablo Lopez (shoulder) facing an extended absence. Matthews' next start is lined up to be home matchup against a woeful Texas offense that has scored the fourth-fewest runs in the league so far.

Gilbert (elbow) gave up two earned runs on five hits and one walk with two strikeouts in three innings during Wednesday's rehab start for Triple-A Tacoma, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Working his way back from a right elbow flexor strain, Gilbert was able to get up to 60 pitches in his second minor-league outing. The Mariners have not yet determined whether the right-hander will need another rehab appearance before rejoining the rotation, but a return early next week in Arizona against the Diamondbacks remains a possibility. Once Gilbert is ready to be activated from the injured list, Emerson Hancock stands out as the most likely candidate to be optioned to the minors to make room on the roster.

Vasil didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against Detroit, allowing two hits and no walks with three strikeouts over 3.2 scoreless innings.

Vasil followed opener Jared Shuster, who allowed four runs in his lone inning of work, and steadied the ship for the White Sox. The outing marked Vasil's third consecutive scoreless appearance, each of which lasted at least three innings. The 25-year-old rookie has been great to start 2025, owning a 1.89 ERA across 37 innings, though he could improve upon his 27:21 K:BB.

Gipson-Long didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the White Sox, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk over 3.2 innings. He struck out three.

Gipson-Long made his first MLB start since 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2024 and a hip operation last July. He worked up to 53 pitches during his rehab assignment and stretched out to 70 pitches Wednesday. Still, there was some lingering rust for Gipson-Long, and he got tagged for three runs. While it's encouraging to see Gipson-Long back in action, fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to stick around the rotation long term, as he'll likely be the first to get bumped from the rotation once Jackson Jobe (elbow) or Reese Olson (finger) returns. Gipson-Long's next start is expected to come early next week against the Orioles.

Povich didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Mariners, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Povich failed to complete six innings for a fourth consecutive start. However, the left-hander bounced back from a poor outing last time out against the Cardinals and didn't allow a long ball for the second time in his past six starts. On the year, Povich owns a 5.11 ERA and a 58:21 K:BB over 56.1 innings. He is tentatively scheduled to face the Tigers next time out.

Hancock didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against Baltimore, allowing one run on two hits and two walks with six strikeouts over 5.2 innings.

Hancock blanked the Orioles through five innings before Adley Rutschman broke the stalemate with a solo homer in the sixth frame. Aside from a rough start May 12 against the Yankees, Hancock has been excellent lately. Outside of that game in which he gave up seven runs, Hancock owns a 2.93 ERA across 27.2 innings since the start of May. With Logan Gilbert (elbow) on the mend, Hancock's time in the Mariners' rotation could be coming to a close.

Lopez was diagnosed Wednesday with a Grade 2 teres major strain in his right shoulder and is expected to be out for approximately 8-to-12 weeks, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Lopez reported tightness in his right shoulder during his start Tuesday against the Athletics and requested to come out of the game after throwing a few warmup pitches prior to the sixth inning. After being sent in for further testing, Lopez has now been determined to have suffered a moderate-grade strain that will keep him out for at least two months. The Twins haven't yet announced a replacement for Lopez in their starting rotation, though David Festa looks to be a leading candidate to come up from Triple-A St. Paul to fill the void.

Baz (5-3) earned the win Wednesday against the Rangers after giving up three runs on five hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out five.

While Baz did record the most punchouts in his past four outings, he remains without a quality start over his last seven appearances. It's worth noting Jonah Heim's 356-foot two-run shot in the fifth frame would have been a homer in only three MLB ballparks, per Statcast. The right-hander delivered a 2.45 ERA through his first five starts of the season, but he's stumbled to a 7.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 24:14 K:BB across 36 innings. Baz will look to turn things around the next time he takes the mound, which lines up for early next week against the Red Sox.

Rocker (1-4) was saddled with the loss Wednesday against the Rays after giving up five runs on six hits and two walks in 3.1 innings. He struck out five.

The hard-throwing right-hander's velocity was encouraging in his first MLB start since April 23, as Rocker induced 16 whiffs and was able to touch 99 mph twice with his sinker, but his return from a right shoulder impingement was still a rocky one overall. Three of his six hits allowed went for extra bases, and Rocker notably failed to cover first base on a groundball that allowed two runs to score with two outs in the third inning. He'll bring a ghastly 8.87 ERA and 1.84 WHIP with 21 strikeouts across 23.1 innings into his next scheduled outing against the Twins, currently projected for early next week.

Schmidt (2-3) took the loss Wednesday against the Guardians, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out eight.

The Guardians got to Schmidt early Wednesday, scoring three runs on four hits during the opening frame, highlighted by an Angel Martinez two-run homer. While Schmidt managed to keep Cleveland off the board over his final 4.2 innings while matching a season high with eight strikeouts, the Yankees couldn't climb out of the early hole in an eventual 4-0 loss. The 29-year-old Schmidt sports a 4.04 ERA through nine starts (49 innings) this year with a 1.29 WHIP and 50:21 K:BB. He's currently scheduled to face the Royals on the road next week.