MLB Player News

Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said Wednesday that Gasser (elbow) is progressing well and targeting a mid-to-late-April return, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The left-hander was diagnosed late in spring training with a bone spur in his left elbow. It's unclear whether Gasser has been cleared to begin a throwing program, but positive steps are being made in his recovery. Once healthy, Gasser looks to be a good bet to make his major-league debut sooner rather than later. He was placed on Triple-A Nashville's 7-day injured list last Friday.

Webb (0-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Dodgers, surrendering five runs on seven hits and two walks over 3.2 innings. He struck out five.

Webb failed to complete four full innings Tuesday, struggling mightily with the Dodgers' gauntlet of a lineup. Mookie Betts took him yard for a solo homer in the third inning, while Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Gavin Lux each notched extra-base hits. Even with Webb sporting a 6.52 ERA through two starts this season, fantasy managers should maintain confidence considering he hasn't finished a season with an ERA worse than 3.25 since 2020. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Padres on Sunday for a second time in 2024 after giving up two runs over six innings against them on Opening Day.

Darvish (0-1) was handed the loss Tuesday against the Cardinals, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk across seven innings. He struck out six.

Most of the damage came in the sixth inning, when Darvish yielded a two-run homer to Willson Contreras. Outside of the long ball, Darvish was solid but couldn't escape the loss with the Padres' offense plating just two runs on the day. Though Darvish has yet to enter the win column, he's been excellent through three starts, boasting a 2.30 ERA and 16 strikeouts -- good for the second most in MLB -- across 15.2 innings.

Mikolas (1-1) picked up the win Tuesday against San Diego, yielding two runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four.

Mikolas hasn't had the easiest of starts to open the season, facing the Dodgers in his 2024 debut before Tuesday's contest. However, he's escaped the pair of starts with a 1-1 record and has brought his ERA down to 6.10. With a quality start under his belt, Mikolas will look to keep the ball rolling in his next start, tentatively scheduled for Monday against the Phillies.

Castillo (0-2) took the loss Tuesday against Cleveland, allowing four runs on 10 hits and a walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out seven.

Castillo's strikeout total was the only positive from Tuesday's loss as he surrendered double-digit hits for just the third time in his career. He was tagged by Bo Naylor for a two-run homer in the fourth frame. Castillo will look to find the elusive first win of 2024 next time out, tentatively lined up for Monday against the Blue Jays.

Bieber (2-0) picked up the win Tuesday against the Mariners, allowing six hits over six scoreless inning. He struck out nine and did not issue a walk.

Bieber kept a clean sheet once again Tuesday, holding the Mariners scoreless to keep his season ERA at a perfect 0.00 through two starts. After regressing to a 3.80 ERA last season -- his worst since his rookie year -- Bieber could be recapturing his 2020 Cy Young form. He leads MLB in strikeouts (20) through 12 innings of work. The Guardians' ace will look to continue his dominance in his next start, likely Monday against the White Sox.

Brown is a candidate to pitch multiple innings behind opening pitcher Luke Little in Wednesday's game against the Rockies at Wrigley Field, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Little pitched an inning in Tuesday's 12-2 win over Colorado and is unlikely to work more than a frame or two before turning the game over to the bullpen. Though he'll be available on only three days' rest after he tossed 1.2 innings and 44 pitches in his MLB debut Saturday against the Rangers, Brown seems to be the most logical option to cover the bulk of the innings once Little exits the contest. Brown thus could be in a good position to scoop up a win against a Rockies club that enters Tuesday's game with a 1-5 record and a minus-33 run differential.

Freeland (0-2) took the loss Tuesday, surrendering seven runs on nine hits and three walks over 3.1 innings as the Rockies were routed 12-2 by the Cubs. He struck out two.

Chicago put at least one run on the board in every inning the southpaw pitched, starting with a two-run homer by Seiya Suzuki in the first inning. Freeland has had a brutal beginning to the season, coughing up 17 runs in only 5.2 innings -- and he hasn't even pitched at Coors Field yet. The 30-year-old lines up to make his first home start early next week against Arizona, the team that lit him up for 10 runs on Opening Day.

Heaney (0-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Rays after allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out seven in 4.2 innings. He did not issue a walk.

Heaney started the game on fire, striking out four of the first seven batters he faced. He endured some tough luck in the third after the Rays scored on a base hit that likely would've been a ground out had the ball not deflected off Heaney's glove. The southpaw opened up the fifth with back-to-back punchouts but couldn't finish the frame after a Jared Walsh error kept the inning alive and led to four more runs, none of which were charged to Heaney. He's set to take the mound again next week versus the Astros and will hope for some better fortune against the Rangers' division rivals.

Eflin (1-1) picked up the win over the Rangers on Tuesday after allowing one run on five hits and a walk while striking out five over 6.1 innings.

Eflin needed just 69 pitches to get through six innings before running into some trouble in the seventh. He allowed two hits to the first three batters he faced that inning before a Jonah Heim single drove in the Rangers' first run of the day and led to Eflin being pulled from the game. It was a major bounce-back performance against one of the league's most dangerous lineups after Eflin struggled a bit in his first start of the year. He's lined up to take the mound on the road against the Angels early next week.