MLB Player News

Kopech (1-3) threw a scoreless ninth inning while allowing one walk and striking out one to earn the win Saturday against the Cardinals.

Kopech entered the game in the ninth inning with the score tied 5-5. He struggled with his control -- he hit a batter in addition to the free pass he issued -- but ultimately escaped for this third scoreless effort in his last four appearances. Despite a shaky start to the season, Kopech remains the White Sox's primary option in the highest leverage situations, often including save chances.

Maton picked up the save over the Mets on Saturday, pitching a scoreless ninth inning while issuing one walk.

Maton entered the contest with a two-run lead in the top of the ninth and needed six pitches to retire the leadoff batter before surrendering a walk to Harrison Bader. However, the right-hander was able to record the final two outs following the free pass to secure his first save of the season. Maton has now pitched two scoreless innings over his last two appearances after being tagged with the loss against the White Sox a week ago. However, he also needed 19 pitches to get through each of those two outings.

Littell allowed one run on six hits while striking out seven over six innings in a no-decision against the Mets on Saturday.

The only run Littell allowed on the night came across in the first inning when the right-hander allowed a leadoff double to Brandon Nimmo to open the frame followed by an RBI single from Starling Marte. From there, Littell went on to retire 10 of the next 11 batters he faced, with six of those batters going down on strikeouts. It marked the fourth start this season in which he's allowed one run or fewer, and he's now gone six innings in three straight, posting a 20:0 K:BB over that stretch.

Kessinger (shoulder) has resumed baseball activity, MLB.com reports.

Kessinger was on the field Saturday before Houston's game, marking his first activity since hitting the injured list April 30. Despite the progress, he's not expected back on the field until late May.

Javier (neck) allowed three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three across 3.1 innings in a rehab outing with Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday, MLB.com reports.

The results weren't overly impressive, but it was otherwise a successful outing for Javier, as he was slated to throw roughly 65 pitches in the outing and met that goal (68 pitches). Assuming no news of a setback emerges, he could rejoin the Astros' rotation at some point in the upcoming week.

Bradley (pectoral) allowed one earned run across six innings while striking out eight and walking two in a rehab outing with Triple-A Durham on Friday, MLB.com reports.

Bradley made his second rehab start with Durham and ramped up to 94 total pitches. He's looked good in each outing and will be up with the Rays shortly. It's possible Bradley's next start will come with Tampa Bay, but it looks like a near certainty he'll be activated for his season debut by mid-May.

Raleigh went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Astros.

Raleigh sent Houston starter Framber Valdez to the showers with a two-run blast in the sixth inning. The homer was a much-needed positive outcome for the backstop, as he entered the contest having gone 1-for-26 with 13 strikeouts over his previous eight games. Raleigh's .210/.292/.420 season slash line isn't great, but he is tied for second among MLB catchers with seven homers while adding 15 RBI and 13 runs scored.

Valdez (1-1) took the loss against Seattle on Saturday, allowing five runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out three batters over 5.1 innings.

Valdez turned in his worst start of the campaign, as the five runs and nine hits he allowed were both season-worst marks while he recorded a season-low three punchouts. The left-hander also gave up his first two homers of the year, with Cal Raleigh's two-run shot in the sixth inning resulting in the hurler getting the hook. Since being activated from the injured list April 27 following a near month-long absence due to an elbow injury, Valdez has surrendered seven runs on 14 hits across 10.1 frames over two starts.

Gilbert (3-0) earned the win in Saturday's 5-0 victory over Houston, allowing two hits and four walks while striking out six batters over eight scoreless innings.

Gilbert tied a season-high mark with four walks, but that didn't hurt him since he gave up just a pair of hits (both singles). The right-hander notched his fifth straight quality start and lowered his season ERA to 1.69, fifth lowest among qualified MLB pitchers. Gilbert also ranks fifth among qualified starters with a 0.79 WHIP and has registered a 50:13 K:BB through 48 innings on the campaign.

Lowe went 4-for-6 with a double, two runs and two RBI against the Royals in Saturday's 15-4 victory.

The Rangers pounded Kansas City pitching for 17 hits in the win, and Lowe was a big contributor from the No. 3 slot in the lineup with a season-high four base knocks. The first baseman began the campaign on the injured list due to a right oblique strain, but he's slid into Texas' offense comfortably since returning, reaching base safely via hit or walk in all but one of his 13 contests. Lowe is slashing .333/.418/.458 with a home run, nine runs, four RBI and a stolen base through 55 plate appearances.