MLB Player News

Lopez (2-1) earned the win against the Angels on Friday, giving up two earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six batters across five innings.

Friday's start marked Lopez's first time on the mound for the Twins since he strained his right hamstring April 8. He wasn't incredibly efficient, needing 101 pitches to get through five, but he still did enough to qualify for a win in his return from the injured list. RBI singles from Jo Adell in the second inning and Mike Trout in the fifth were all the Halos could manage against Lopez, and the 29-year-old righty departed the game with a comfortable 9-2 lead. He'll look to keep his momentum going during a divisional matchup in Cleveland next week.

Wesneski (1-2) took the loss Friday against the Royals, surrendering two earned runs on eight hits while striking out one batter over five-plus innings. He did not issue a walk.

Wesneski had 25 punchouts across 23 innings entering Friday's contest, but his third-inning strikeout of Jonathan India was the only one he was able to muster in five frames against Kansas City. Despite allowing consistent traffic on the bases, Wesneski didn't surrender a run until Kyle Isbel brought Drew Waters home on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. The right-hander then came back out for the sixth but was pulled after allowing hits to the first two batters he faced, one of which eventually came around to score. Houston's offense, on the other hand, wasn't able to get anything going against Seth Lugo, so Wesneski will take a 1-2 record as well as a 3.86 ERA into his next start at home against Detroit.

Erceg pitched a perfect ninth inning while striking out one batter to collect his first save of the season in a 2-0 victory over Houston on Friday.

The Royals turned to Erceg for the ninth inning after deploying primary closer Carlos Estevez twice in three days, and the former did not disappoint. With a 0.87 ERA and 0.39 WHIP through 10.1 innings this season, the 29-year-old Erceg remains one of the most reliable relievers in the league, and he could wrestle back the closer job from Estevez eventually.

Lugo (2-3) earned the win Friday against the Astros, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out eight batters across eight shutout innings.

Lugo was remarkably efficient Friday, needing only 94 pitches to get through eight innings, and he never faced more than four batters in an inning. Two of the four runners that Houston put on base against the 35-year-old reached scoring position, but neither advanced past second base. Lugo will carry a 3.08 ERA and 1.09 WHIP into his next start, tentatively scheduled to come in Tampa on Thursday.

Polanco went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's loss to Miami.

Polanco stayed hot Friday, having now homered in two of his last three games and logged a hit in seven of his last eight. On the season, the veteran switch hitter is batting .344 with five long balls, two doubles, 16 RBI and one stolen base over 61 at-bats. Although a side issue is currently preventing him from batting right-handed, Polanco is worth a look for fantasy rosters in need of infield help in shallower leagues while he's swinging such a hot bat.

Cleavinger picked up the save Friday against the Padres after tossing a clean ninth inning, striking out two.

With closer Pete Fairbanks having worked each of the past two days, Cleavinger was called upon to slam the door and protect a 1-0 lead. The left-hander earned his first save of the year after throwing seven of his 10 pitches for strikes, and he now sports a 2.53 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 16:2 K:BB over 10.2 innings. Cleavinger is one of Tampa Bay's top left-handed relievers, but his save opportunities are likely to remain scarce while Fairbanks is healthy.

Berrios did not factor into the decision in Friday's 4-2 win over the Yankees, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out four in 5.1 scoreless innings.

Berrios retired the side in both of the first two innings, and while he allowed two baserunners in each of the next three frames, he was able to escape without giving up a run. He generated only five whiffs while tossing 89 pitches (55 strikes) and was two outs shy of registering his third quality start of the season. Berrios has a 4.24 ERA and 1.41 WHIP over 34 innings this season, but his 15 walks are tied for second most in the American League behind Carlos Rodon's 18. Berrios is in line to start against the Red Sox at home next week, and the last time he faced Boston on April 7 he allowed just one run in seven innings.

Baz (3-0) earned the win Friday against the Padres after allowing four hits and one walk in seven scoreless innings. He struck out six.

After giving up a season-high five runs in his last start versus the Yankees, Baz bounced back in a big way Friday. The right-hander scattered four singles, matching a season high in innings pitched while turning in his fourth outing this year with at least six frames and two runs allowed or fewer. Baz holds an outstanding 2.45 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 36:9 K:BB across 29.1 innings in 2025, and he has a favorable matchup against the Royals in his next scheduled start. Kansas City ranks last in MLB in home runs as a team (12).

Guerrero went 1-for-3 with one walk and a solo homer in Friday's 4-2 win over the Yankees.

Guerrero opened Friday's scoring in the sixth inning, when he took Tim Hill deep to left-center field for a solo home run. It was just the second home run of the season for Guerrero, though he's tied for seventh in the American League in walks with 15 and tied for 12th in the AL in hits with 27. He has a .779 OPS with 10 runs scored and 11 RBI in 114 plate appearances so far this season.

Kirk went 2-for-4 with a two-run double in Friday's 4-2 win over the Yankees.

Kirk's double in the ninth inning off Devin Williams brought home Andres Gimenez and George Springer and gave the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead. It was Kirk's sixth multi-hit game of the season, and the 26-year-old catcher is slashing .227/.263/.307 with four runs scored, one home run and eight RBI in 80 plate appearances.