MLB Player News

Lalane, who is currently on Single-A Tampa's 60-day injured list, is recovering from an offseason shoulder surgery, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reports.

It's not clear which specific shoulder procedure Lalane had or when he had it, but those rostering him in dynasty leagues shouldn't be surprised if he doesn't pitch this season. Lalane's value peaked when he was flashing three plus pitches while logging a 34:4 K:BB in 21.2 innings in the Florida Complex League in 2023.

Rodriguez picked up his first hold of the season in Sunday's win over the Orioles, giving up one hit and striking out two in a scoreless eighth inning.

The right-hander is considered the favorite to step into the rotation for Max Scherzer (thumb) on Friday, and the 16 pitches (10 strikes) Rodriguez threw Sunday shouldn't impact his availability. His high-leverage usage was unexpected, but it came after Yimi Garcia and Nick Sandlin had worked Thursday and Friday, while Chad Green was on the bump Thursday and Saturday. If the Jays continue to lean heavily on their late-inning relief arms during the week and decide to keep Rodriguez in that role, Easton Lucas could get Friday's start instead. Jake Bloss -- who is currently scheduled to pitch Tuesday for Triple-A Buffalo -- might also be an option if he gets scratched, or the game gets rained out.

The Twins selected McCaughan's contract from Triple-A St. Paul on Monday, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

McCaughan will provide length in the bullpen for Minnesota. He's replacing Randy Dobnak, who was needed for 5.1 innings out of the bullpen Sunday in St. Louis.

McCullers (forearm) struck out three and allowed two earned runs on two hits and one walk across two innings Sunday in a rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land.

After tossing a scoreless, 13-pitch inning in his lone Grapefruit League appearance March 18 before opening the season on the 15-day injured list, McCullers increased his workload in his first rehab outing, covering an additional frame and tossing 35 pitches (20 strikes). Since he missed the last two seasons while recovering from June 2023 surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon, McCullers will build up slowly in the minors, but a late April or early May return from the IL could be in the cards if all goes smoothly during his subsequent rehab starts.

Fitts (0-1) allowed three runs on six hits over six innings Sunday, striking out four and taking a loss against the Rangers.

Fitts looked impressive through five innings of one-run ball. He coughed up three straight singles in the second inning but went on to retire 12 consecutive batters. However, he gave up solo homers to Wyatt Langford and Adolis Garcia in the sixth, his third time through the order. Fitts was efficient with just 71 pitches (53 strikes) but still took the loss during his quality start. He's projected for a home matchup against the Cardinals this weekend. Beyond that, Fitts' role is unclear with both Brayan Bello (shoulder) and Lucas Giolito (hamstring) expected to begin rehab assignments this week.

DeGrom allowed two hits and two walks over five scoreless frames in a no-decision against Boston on Sunday. He struck out six batters in the Rangers' win.

DeGrom looked sharp in his season debut; he generated 16 whiffs, including 10 with his slider, and coughed up just one extra-base hit. His fastball averaged 96.7 mph and touched 98.1 mph. DeGrom went into the start with a limit of around 75 pitches or five innings, which he nearly matched with his 73 pitches (49 strikes) across five frames. The veteran righty should progressively see his workload expand, starting with his next projected outing this weekend at home against the Rays.

Kochanowicz did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 3-2 win over the White Sox, pitching six innings while allowing two runs on four hits and no walks. He struck out four.

The 24-year-old required only 64 pitches, 47 of which were strikes, to secure his ninth career quality start, incredibly achieved in just 12 games started. Kochanowicz allowed both runs in a shaky first inning that saw him yield a leadoff homer to Nick Maton and run-scoring single to Matt Thaiss. However, after Thaiss's hit, Kochanowicz retired 14 of the next 16 batters faced while inducing four punchouts. The Angels right-hander is currently slated to make his next start against the Guardians at home next weekend.

Martin took a no-decision Sunday against the Angels. He struck out two over six innings while allowing two unearned runs on four hits and two walks.

The Chicago right-hander scattered four hits -- three singles and a double -- in this solid outing, notching his fifth career quality start out of 20 total games started. Despite generating just two punchouts, Martin was sharp and kept the Angels lineup in check with a 55.6 percent groundball rate. The 28-year-old should continue to be a mainstay in the White Sox rotation with performances like this one. Martin currently lines up to make his next start at Detroit next weekend.

Ober (0-1) coughed up eight runs on eight hits and three walks over 2.2 innings Sunday, striking out two and taking a loss against St. Louis. He was pitching despite coming down with a virus that had him in bed Friday and getting IV fluids Saturday, Phil Miller of the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Ober danced out of a two-on, one-out situation in the first inning, but things quickly unraveled from there. He served up a three-run shot to Victor Scott in the second and gave up five runs in the third, including another three-run jack by Pedro Pages. Ober looked impressive during spring training, posting a 1.77 ERA across 20.1 frames. The 6-foot-9 righty has posted a sub-4.00 ERA in each of his last three seasons. Ober's next outing is currently projected to be at home against the Astros.

Wacha (0-1) yielded a run on four hits and four walks over four innings Sunday, striking out two and taking a loss against Cleveland.

The lone run against Wacha came in the second inning when Carlos Santana knocked a leadoff double and came around to score on Gabriel Arias' sacrifice fly. Wacha worked around a couple of other sticky situations but ultimately needed 87 pitches (52 strikes) to work through four frames. He walked four or more batters just twice out of his 29 regular-season starts in 2024. Wacha will look for better results in his next outing, which is projected to be at home against Baltimore.