MLB Player News

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.

Morton (1-0) allowed no runs on three hits and two walks over 5.2 innings to pick up the win Monday against the White Sox. He struck out six.

It wasn't entirely clean early on for Morton, who loaded the bases in the first on a single, a walk and hit batter and allowed a total of six batters to reach base in the first two-plus innings, but Morton settled down to retire the final 11 batters he faced in cruising to his first win of the season. The 40-year-old veteran continues to excel despite his advanced age. His next opportunity to toe the rubber is tentatively scheduled to take place Sunday in a home matchup against the defending National League champion Diamondbacks.

Sanchez did not factor into the decision Monday against the Reds, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk over five innings. He struck out eight.

Sanchez blew away the Reds on Monday with an electric three-pitch mix of fastballs, changeups and sliders to gather eight strikeouts. The Phillies lefty showed increased average velocity on both his fastball (94.3-mph, up from 92.1-mph in 2023) and changeup (84.5-mph, up from 81.8-mph in 2023) over his 85-pitch outing. He managed to toss a clean five innings before being lifted in the sixth after allowing a walk and double. Sanchez is tentatively slated to face the Nationals on the road in his next start.

Abbott did not factor into the decision Monday against the Phillies, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out four.

Abbott drew a difficult task in his first 2024 start facing the Phillies on the road but escaped relatively unscathed. He settled in and pitched 4.2 scoreless innings after allowing two runs in the first inning on an Alec Bohm double. However, the Reds lefty struggled to avoid contact on his fastball, generating just one whiff despite throwing it 44 times. Abbott is currently scheduled to face the Mets at home in his next start.

Gore did not factor into the decision Monday against the Pirates, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out six.

Gore struggled to find a groove and work deep into his outing against the Pirates as he required 101 pitches to complete his 5.1 innings. However, the 25-year-old lefty's arsenal showed increased velocity over last season as he averaged 97-mph on his fastball (up from 95-mph in 2023) and 91.7-mph on his slider (up from 88.6-mph in 2023). Gore also mixed in his changeup more than last season, throwing it 16.8 percent of the time Monday versus 3.0 percent in 2023. He looks for better results from his new arsenal in his next scheduled start, tentatively slated to be at home against the Phillies.

Gonzales did not factor into the decision Monday against the Nationals, allowing one run on four hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out two.

Gonzales drew an easy assignment in his Pirates debut Monday facing the Nationals and made the most of it. The 32-year-old turned back the clock as he averaged 90.2-mph on his fastball, up 1.2-mph from last year. The last full season in which Gonzales averaged above 90-mph on his fastball was in 2018. However, he remains useful in only the deepest of fantasy leagues at the moment. The Pittsburgh lefty is tentatively scheduled to face the venerable Orioles offense on the road in his next start.