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Kris Bubic RP | LAD
Royals' Kris Bubic: Fans eight in quality start
Bubic (1-0) earned the win Monday against the Brewers. He allowed three hits and two walks while striking out eight across six scoreless innings.
Bubic beat out Daniel Lynch for the fifth starter role during spring training, and the former's performance Monday made it look like the right decision. Bubic came out firing by striking out the side in the first inning, and after escaping a bases-loaded situation in the second, he allowed only three more base runners over the next four frames and generated 15 whiffs in 95 pitches. Bubic served out of the Royals' bullpen for the past two seasons after a difficult 2022 campaign when he registered a 5.54 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across 28 starts, but the southpaw was locked in Monday and will look to carry that momentum into his next start tentatively slated for this upcoming weekend against the Orioles at home.
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Kevin Gausman SP | CHC
Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman: Could have start pushed to Friday
The Blue Jays could push Gausman's next start back to Friday against the Mets, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Gausman is currently scheduled to take the ball Wednesday versus the Nationals, but the Blue Jays might have Easton Lucas start that day if he's not needed in long relief before then. There does not appear to be anything wrong physically with Gausman, as this would simply give him a couple extra days of rest and also allow him to face the tougher lineup.
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Bailey Ober SP | MIN
Twins' Bailey Ober: Had been ill before poor start
Ober revealed after Sunday's poor outing in St. Louis that he had been battling an illness, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Ober said that he was "pretty much bedridden" Friday and got an IV Saturday due to the illness. He admitted that he "got a little tired" after the first inning Sunday and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli noted of Ober's illness that "clearly, I think it had some effect." Ober wound up getting charged with eight runs over just 2.2 innings against the Cardinals. The righty not feeling 100 percent helps explain why he fared so poorly Sunday, although it should be noted that Ober averaged just 90.3 mph with his fastball Sunday after he averaged only 89.9 mph with the heater during spring training. That's after his fastball averaged 91.7 mph in 2024. Ober will get an extra day of rest before his next scheduled outing Saturday against the Astros.
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Henry Lalane SP | SF
Yankees' Henry Lalane: Recovering from shoulder surgery
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.
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Yariel Rodriguez RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Yariel Rodriguez: Collects hold Sunday
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.
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Lance McCullers SP | MIL
Astros' Lance McCullers: Goes two frames in first rehab start
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.
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Richard Fitts SP | STL
Red Sox's Richard Fitts: Fades late against Texas
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.
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Jacob deGrom SP | TEX
Rangers' Jacob deGrom: Tosses five shutout innings
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.