MLB Player News

Santana went 1-for-3 with a double in Sunday's loss at Kansas City. He's started all three games this season at first base and is 3-for-11 with a walk.

Santana may get more playing time with Royce Lewis out a month or more with a quad injury as Alex Kirilloff has been used in the outfield the last two games with Willi Castro playing more third base. Santana did not bat leadoff against a left-handed starter in the season opener but could still be an option to lead off against southpaws as had been talked about in spring training. Santana looks set to play against both right-handed and left-handed pitching at first base with an occasional game at DH, while Kirilloff primarily will be used at DH and in the outfield and sit against most lefties.

Flaherty did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing one run on four hits over six innings during a win over the White Sox. He struck out seven.

It's only one start against a weak White Sox lineup, but Flaherty was everything the Tigers hoped they'd start to see after they signed him as a free agent this past offseason. The right-hander allowed a solo shot to Korey Lee in the third inning but otherwise kept the White Sox off the board in the quality start. He pitched well enough to earn the win, but Andrew Chafin allowed a home run to Paul DeJong in the seventh that left Flaherty with a no-decision. His soft start to the schedule continues next week, as he's tentatively slated to face Oakland.

Turner went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and a walk, driving in four runs and scoring twice in Sunday's 9-2 win over Tampa Bay.

Turner had collected just one hit in the first three games of the season but tripled that figure Sunday. He drove in the first run of the game with an RBI single in the first, then added a two-RBI double in the third and a solo homer in the fifth. The 39-year-old offseason signing from Boston is the primary third baseman for the Blue Jays and can still bring it at the plate after hitting .276 with 23 homers and 96 RBI last season

Shewmake went 1-for-4 with a stolen base Sunday against the Tigers.

Shewmake started his second consecutive game, the first coming at shortstop and the latter at second base. He was productive with the opportunity, combining to go 3-for-8 with a home run and stolen base -- both of which were the first of his career. Shewmake's fit in the White Sox's infield is unclear as he's an unnatural platoon partner with Nicky Lopez at second base. That could make his primary path to playing time displacing Paul DeJong at shortstop, though it's unclear whether the team is willing to consider that move early in the season.

Sands gave up a run over two innings with two strikeouts, no walks and a home run allowed in Sunday's blowout loss at Kansas City.

Sands made the major-league roster as a long reliever. He shuffled between Triple-A and the majors multiple times last season, working in a long-relief role with the Twins. He posted a respectable 3.74 ERA, but it was accompanied by an 8.7 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9. At least he didn't allow any walks in his first outing.

Funderburk gave up a run over 1.2 innings with a strikeout, walk and home run allowed in Sunday's loss to Kansas City.

Funderburk wasn't sharp during the outing as he also had an error and a balk. He made the roster as the second lefty in the bullpen, but he'll likely be used in low-leverage spots initially like in Sunday's loss.

Armstrong (0-1) picked up the loss Sunday, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and one walk over one inning. He struck out one.

Armstrong served as the opener for the Rays on Sunday, allowing two runs to cross in his one inning of work. While he allowed the first three batters to reach base, leading to the first run of the game on a Justin Turner single, the second run was set up by a passed ball and is the reason Armstrong ended up as the pitcher of record.

O'Neill started in left field and went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Mariners.

O'Neill is off to a strong start with his new team, going 4-for-10 with three walks and two homers. After dealing with a calf injury that limited him to DH duties for the final two weeks of the Grapefruit League, O'Neill played the field -- twice in right field and once in left -- in his first three starts of the season.

Devers went 1-for-5 in Sunday's 5-1 win over Seattle.

Devers was back in action after missing two games due to a shoulder injury. He was back at third base and batted second.

Rodriguez allowed one hit and two walks (one intentional) while striking out two over two scoreless innings in Sunday's 9-5 loss to the Cubs.

Rodriguez breezed through the seventh inning before working out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam. The right-hander has legitimate heat with a fastball that averaged 97.5 mph and topped out at 98.5. Rodriguez, who had command issues (4.0 BB/9) in 13 games for the Rangers in 2023, showed improvement in that area during spring training. The 26-year-old could be a weapon in the bullpen if he can locate his pitches with consistency.