MLB Player News

Gray (0-2) took the loss against Pittsburgh on Thursday, allowing six runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three batters over 4.1 innings.

Gray gave up seven runs over four innings in a season-opening loss to the Reds last Thursday, and he was only slightly better in his second start, which also ended in defeat. The right-hander at least kept the ball in the park after allowing two homers in his first outing, but he put far too many batters on the basepaths and didn't have his strikeout stuff working to help him get out of trouble. Gray had a modest breakout campaign last year with a career-best 3.91 ERA and his first trip to the All-Star Game, but the underlying metrics weren't strong, and his performance through two games this season justifies his placement on the waiver wire in most standard fantasy leagues.

Perez (1-0) earned the win over Washington on Thursday, pitching 6.2 innings and allowing two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six batters.

Perez was efficient in the outing, needing a modest 85 pitches to get through 6.2 frames. He induced just eight swinging strikes but was still able to notch six punchouts, and he picked up both his first win and his first quality start as a Pirate. Perez was largely ineffective last year with the Rangers, recording a 4.45 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 5.9 K/9 over 141.2 innings. He's started off 2024 on a better foot, however, allowing just three runs through 11 frames despite an uninspiring 8:5 K:BB.

Butto allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out six batters over six innings in a no-decision against the Tigers in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader.

Butto was called up from Triple-A Syracuse as the Mets' 27th man and got the start for Game 2 of the twin bill. The right-hander made a strong impression, firing 90 pitches and racking up 12 whiffs among his 52 strikes. He allowed just a second-inning run but departed in line for the loss since New York's offense couldn't put a run on the board until the ninth inning. Butto held his own over nine big-league appearances last year, posting a 3.64 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 38:23 K:BB over 42 innings. The Mets signed Julio Teheran on Wednesday to fill a spot in the rotation with Kodai Senga (shoulder) and Tylor Megill (shoulder) both on the injured list, but if Teheran doesn't perform well, a door could open for Butto to make additional big-league starts.

Houser allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out three batters over five-plus innings in Game 1 of a doubleheader against Detroit on Thursday.

Houser made it through five scoreless frames and took the mound for the sixth, but he didn't record any outs in that inning and was pulled after allowing both batters he faced to reach base. One of those runners came around to score after his departure, accounting for the lone run on the right-hander's ledger. It was an overall solid season debut for Houser, as he didn't allow any extra-base hits and exited in line for the win. He struck out only three batters, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect much from him in that department, as he's punched out less than a batter per inning in each of the past four seasons.

Weathers didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Cardinals. He allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out six over five innings.

Weathers was solid for the most part Thursday, holding St. Louis to an Ivan Herrera solo homer in the second inning before the Cardinals tacked on a pair of unearned runs in the fifth. Weathers departed with a one-run lead, though the Marlins' bullpen couldn't make it hold up in an eventual 8-5 defeat. The 24-year-old southpaw is 0-1 while allowing four runs in nine innings across his first two starts this year. Weathers could carve out a more permanent role in Miami's rotation after it was announced that Eury Perez (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery. He's currently lined up for a road matchup with the Yankees in his next outing.

Lynn did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk over 4.2 innings versus the Marlins. He struck out seven.

Lynn was sharp early, blanking Miami through his first three innings. However, he'd give up a leadoff home run to Jake Burger in the fourth before Josh Bell and Burger tacked on three more runs with back-to-back blasts in the fifth. Lynn struggled with the long ball last year, allowing a league-most 44 homers while struggling to a 5.73 ERA across 32 starts between the Dodgers and White Sox. The veteran right-hander has given up four runs on 12 hits through 8.2 innings in his first two starts this season.

Cabrera (shoulder) will make his second rehab start Friday with Triple-A Jacksonville, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Cabrera is aiming to work four innings Friday, after he tossed three scoreless frames and 43 pitches in his first outing with Jacksonville last Sunday. The right-hander will presumably need one more rehab appearance after Friday's outing to get stretched out enough to the point that the Marlins are comfortable bringing him back from the 15-day injured list and inserting him into the big-league rotation. Cabrera's imminent return is welcome news for a Miami rotation that will be without Eury Perez (elbow) for the rest of the season when he undergoes Tommy John surgery Monday.

Garrett (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Garrett was scheduled for a three-inning simulated game earlier this week, which evidently must have gone off without a hitch. He'll next throw four innings with Jacksonville and seems likely to require at least one additional rehab start before rejoining the Miami rotation. The left-hander has been working his way back from a left shoulder impingement.

McDonald is on the injured list at Double-A Richmond with a groin injury, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

McDonald is a nice sleeper prospect for dynasty leagues, as he has excellent control and could potentially get to pitch half his games in the pitcher-friendly park in San Francisco. In his age-22 season, McDonald logged a 1.33 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 47.1 innings across 14 appearances in the lower levels of the minors. He averaged 94 mph with his two-seam fastball last year (touching 98 mph) and had a groundball rate north of 70 percent. McDonald also sports a plus curveball, while mixing in a four-seamer and a slider.

Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix announced Thursday that Perez (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery Monday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Perez was diagnosed with mild inflammation in his right elbow late in spring training and opened the season on the shelf, but he was never shut down from throwing and looked to be tracking toward making his season debut sometime in April. However, after experiencing elbow tightness following a bullpen session Tuesday, Perez met with Dr. Keith Meister, who recommended that the season-ending procedure. Even if no further damage is detected beyond a torn UCL once surgery is performed Monday, the 20-year-old is still likely facing a 14-to-16-month recovery timetable, meaning that he'll be out for a significant portion of the 2025 season as well. The injury is an unfortunate setback for the budding young ace, who disclosed in spring training that he had no history of elbow issues before the inflammation cropped up. He'll join Sandy Alcantara (elbow) among Marlins starters who are out for the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but Miami should soon get some reinforcement to its rotation with both Edward Cabrera (shoulder) and Braxton Garrett (shoulder) having recently pitched in rehab games.