MLB Player News

Lively did not factor into the decision in Thursday's 7-4 win over Kansas City, allowing three runs on four hits over five innings. He struck out three.

Lively was announced as Cleveland's Opening Day starter Thursday morning after Tanner Bibee (illness) was a late scratch. The 33-year-old Lively filled in admirably, with all of Kansas City's offense coming on Vinnie Pasquantino's three-run homer in the third. Lively figures to hold down a spot at the backend of Cleveland's rotation after going 13-10 with a 3.81 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 118 strikeouts in 151 innings last year.

Holmes (0-1) came away with the loss against the Astros on Thursday after giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out four.

Holmes entered Opening Day on the heels of a strong spring, during which he posted a 0.93 ERA and 23:8 K:BB across 19.1 Grapefruit League innings. Thursday was his first Opening Day start and his first MLB start period since his rookie year in 2019. Holmes was able to limit the damage despite a lot of traffic, but he couldn't avoid the loss since New York managed just one run. The right-hander will look to display better control in his next start, which tentatively lines up for next week in Miami.

Ragans did not factor into the decision in Thursday's 10-inning loss to the Guardians. He allowed three runs on five hits and two walks over five innings while striking out three.

Ragans had to contend with traffic for most of his outing, as the Guardians had men on base in all but two innings. The left-hander was ultimately forced out of the game after Carlos Santana led off the sixth with a base hit. Expectations are understandably high for Ragans this year after he pitched to a 3.14 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP and 223 strikeouts in 32 starts last season. He currently lines up to face the Brewers on the road in his next outing.

Valdez (1-0) picked up the win Thursday against the Mets, striking out four and giving up four hits and two walks across seven scoreless frames.

Valdez got off to a rocky start by allowing one hit and one walk in the first frame, but he managed to escape unscathed and didn't face much resistance over the following six innings. The Astros' shutout was broken in the ninth inning when Josh Hader gave up a sacrifice fly to Francisco Lindor, but the southpaw reliever managed to punch out Juan Soto for the save to give Valdez the Opening Day victory. It's a strong start to the 2025 season for Valdez after posting career bests in 2024 in ERA (2.91) and WHIP (1.11) across 176.1 regular-season frames. He's tentatively slated to face off against the Giants at home next week.

Peralta (0-1) was charged with the loss Thursday against the Yankees, striking out eight and allowing two runs on four hits and one walk across five innings.

The 28-year-old surrendered solo homers in each of the first two frames but settled down from there to keep the Brewers close. It was an inefficient outing despite just one free pass, as Peralta needed 93 pitches to record 15 outs. The right-hander averaged only 5.4 innings per start while throwing a career-high 173.2 frames last year, and his season debut doesn't inspire confidence that he'll be able to consistently work deeper into games in 2025. Even with some volume limitations however, he's reached 200 strikeouts in each of the past two seasons. Peralta lines up to face the Royals at home next week.

Rodon (1-0) earned the win Thursday versus Milwaukee, striking out seven and giving up one run on four hits and two walks over 5.1 innings.

The left-hander generated 13 swinging strikes and six groundball outs on 89 pitches, with the only damage against him coming via a solo homer by Vinny Capra during the third inning. Rodon had some command issues during spring training with six walks and two wild pitches in 10 frames, but he was more in control during his season debut. A matchup with the Diamondbacks likely awaits next week for his second start of 2025.

Herz will receive a second opinion on his injured left elbow from Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Herz has been diagnosed with a sprained UCL, and he will determine after his visit with Dr. Meister whether to undergo surgery or attempt to rest and rehab the injury. If the southpaw does go under the knife, he could be sidelined until around the middle of next season.

The Athletics placed Waldichuk (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2024, Waldichuk isn't expected to rejoin the Athletics until closer to midseason. The 27-year-old southpaw began throwing bullpen sessions in early March, but it will take a while for him to build to a starter's workload, if that's the role the A's have planned for him.

Kopech (shoulder) said Thursday that he feels food and is ramping back up his throwing program, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The forearm issue Kopech came into camp with felt good early on in spring training, but he developed a shoulder problem because he ramped up his throwing too quickly, which sent him to the injured list. He also was delayed at one point due to a stomach bug. Kopech appears to be getting back on track now, but there's no timetable for his return.

The Athletics placed Basso (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list Thursday.

Basso has been held out of action since early March due to a left shoulder strain. It's still unknown how far he is from a return to the mound, but he'll be out for at least the first couple weeks of the season. Whenever he is able to return, he'll likely be optioned out to Triple-A Las Vegas.