MLB Player News

Lucchesi can't be added to the 26-man roster until April 12 without an associated injured list move, and he likely isn't an option to replace Tylor Megill (shoulder) in the rotation when the Mets next need a fifth starter April 9, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The Mets are caught in a bind when it comes to their pitching staff. With Yohan Ramirez facing a two-game suspension, the team elected to add Reed Garrett to the roster for bullpen depth when Megill landed on the IL, which blocks Lucchesi or Jose Butto from being promoted to plug the immediate hole in the rotation. That gives prospects Christian Scott and Mike Vasil, who aren't yet on the 40-man roster, a leg up to take Megill's spot. The Mets are also said to have interest in signing Julio Teheran. Lucchesi could be added late in the month, however -- New York plays 13 games in 13 days starting Friday and will likely need a sixth starter to get through that stretch.

Butto can't be added to the 26-man roster until April 12 without an associated injured list move, and he likely isn't an option to replace Tylor Megill (shoulder) in the rotation when the Mets next need a fifth starter April 9, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The Mets are caught in a bind when it comes to their pitching staff. With Yohan Ramirez facing a two-game suspension, the team elected to add Reed Garrett to the roster for bullpen depth when Megill landed on the IL, which blocks Butto or Joey Lucchesi from being promoted to plug the immediate hole in the rotation. That gives prospects Christian Scott and Mike Vasil, who aren't yet on the 40-man roster, a leg up to take Megill's spot. The Mets are also said to have interest in signing Julio Teheran. Butto could be added late in the month, however -- New York plays 13 games in 13 days starting Friday and will likely need a sixth starter to get through that stretch.

Jefferies was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday.

Jefferies was clobbered for nine runs (five earned) over two innings in a spot start Sunday in San Diego and now finds himself back in the minors. He dealt with hip soreness during the outing, but the fact that Jefferies was optioned and not placed on the injured list suggests the hip is a non-issue. He'll go into Sacramento's rotation.

Winn (0-1) threw five innings in a loss to the Dodgers on Monday, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out six batters.

Winn threw 60 of his 89 pitches for strikes and induced 14 swings and misses, so he wasn't entirely overwhelmed by the Dodgers' vaunted offense. However, the right-hander gave up a pair of extra-base hits that were turned into two of the three runs against him. It's a somewhat positive sign that Winn was able to hang around against one of the league's top offenses, but the right-hander will likely need to show much more to move onto the radar in fantasy redraft formats.

Paxton (1-0) earned the win over San Francisco on Monday, pitching five shutout innings during which he allowed four hits and five walks while striking out five batters.

Paxton put quite a bit of traffic on the basepaths due largely to his five free passes, but he held the Giants to an 0-for-4 mark with runners in scoring position to escape without allowing any runs. The veteran hurler has been troubled by injuries in recent campaigns but looked completely healthy in his 2024 debut, tossing 97 pitches. Paxton hasn't completed more than 100 innings or posted better than a 4.50 ERA since 2019, so he's far from a sure bet to be a reliable starter for the entirety of the campaign, but he appears to have a set spot at the back of the Dodgers' rotation for the time being.

Waldron (0-1) took the loss against St. Louis on Monday, allowing four runs on nine hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over four innings.

Waldron impressed in Cactus League play to win the role of fifth starter to open the campaign, but he was hit hard in his regular-season debut. Three of the Cardinals' nine hits against him went for extra bases, including Wilson Contreras' two-run homer in the first inning. Waldron did strike out seven batters in four frames, but punchouts aren't normally a big part of the knuckleballer's skill set -- he struck out less than a batter per inning at the Triple-A level across 2022 and 2023. Waldron doesn't have the longest of leashes, so he'll likely need to pitch better moving forward to hang on to a big-league rotation spot.

Gibson (1-0) earned the win over San Diego on Monday, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts over seven innings.

Gibson gave up a pair of solo homers, but the Padres otherwise failed to cross the plate against him. The veteran hurler didn't dominate -- he notched just eight swinging strikes and four punchouts -- but he limited traffic on the basepaths and went deep into the contest, throwing 94 pitches. The start was Gibson's first as a Cardinal after he went 15-9 despite posting a mediocre 4.73 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 7.4 K/9 with Baltimore last season.

Nelson (0-1) took the loss Monday against the Yankees, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and four walks across 2.2 innings. He struck out two.

The command Nelson showed in spring training went away in his regular-season debut. Just 43 of 76 pitches landed in the zone, and the right-hander was constantly behind and pitching with runners on base. Both Nelson and Tommy Henry have put up troubling starts the first time through the rotation and could be gone before long. Eduardo Rodriguez (lat) could return from the IL within the next few weeks and Jordan Montgomery (recently signed) begins ramping up in the minors this weekend. After logging a 5.31 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP in his first full season as a starter in 2023, Nelson's performance Monday didn't exactly instill confidence for an improved 2024 campaign. He'll face another tough test in his next projected start, which is scheduled to come Sunday at Atlanta.

Hudson (0-1) allowed three runs (zero earned) on four hits and two walks over 5.1 innings to suffer the defeat Monday against the Cubs. He struck out two.

Hudson allowed just three baserunners and no runs through five innings while matching Shota Imanaga pitch-for-pitch. He then ran into some trouble in the sixth when, with two men on and one out, he allowed a single to Christopher Morel that would have loaded the bases. However, a fielding error followed by a throwing error by left-fielder Nolan Jones led to a little-league home run with all three runs crossing the plate and Hudson's day coming to an end with a tough-luck loss. Hudson is tentatively scheduled to next take the hill this weekend in his first home start as a member of the Rockies against the Rays.

Meyer yielded two runs on two hits and two walks over five innings Monday. He struck out four and did not factor in the decision during a loss to the Angels.

Meyer gave up one run through three innings before Mike Trout tagged him with a solo shot in the fourth. It was Meyer's first regular-season appearance since July 23, 2022. His fastball averaged 95.1 mph but he forced only seven whiffs on 79 total pitches. Meyer is currently lined up to start in St. Louis this weekend.