MLB Player News

Suzuki went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Monday's 7-0 win over the Rangers. He also stole a base.

Suzuki had a good all-around effort Monday, which included his first stolen base of the season. The outfielder isn't a huge speed threat, though he did have a career-high 16 steals a season ago. If Suzuki gets a little more aggressive on the bases in 2025, he could be poised for his first campaign with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He reached the 20-homer plateau in each of the last two years.

Sauer is expected to be optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City ahead of Tuesday's game against the Nationals, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Sauer was unable to prevent Washington from extending the lead during Monday's game, surrendering one run on three hits over 1.2 innings of work in his 2025 debut. His time with the big-league club won't last long, as the team has elected to option him to Triple-A to make room for Justin Wrobleski, who is set to start Tuesday.

Finnegan picked up the save in Monday's 6-4 victory over the Dodgers, allowing two hits and a walk over 1.2 innings. He struck out two.

Finnegan tossed 32 total pitches to collect his fourth save of the season, tying San Diego's Robert Suarez for the National League lead. The Washington reliever entered in the eighth inning with two runners on, allowing one to score on a Will Smith single, but managed to escape before polishing off the win in the ninth. Finnegan, who re-signed with the Nationals on Feb. 25, is cemented as the team's closer, securing all four save opportunities this season.

Harrington allowed three runs on four hits and one walk over four innings in Monday's 8-4 win over St. Louis. He struck out five and earned his first MLB save.

After making a four-inning start in his MLB debut last Tuesday against the Royals, Harrington shifted to the bullpen but ended up piggybacking starter Carmen Mlodzinski, who covered five innings before the rookie right-handed finished out the game. Harrington entered with a 4-1 lead and earned the save in the Pirates' four-run win, despite a shaky performance. Harrington has now given up nine earned runs and holds a 7:5 K:BB through eight innings, so he hasn't made a strong case for a more permanent spot in the Pittsburgh rotation just yet. That said, the Pirates have been committed to building in at least five days of rest between starts for Paul Skenes, so Pittsburgh could move back to a six-man rotation that includes Harrington on Friday, when the team begins a stretch of 10 games in as many days.

Busch went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple, an RBI and a run scored in Monday's 7-0 win over the Rangers.

After recording no extra-base hits over his first six games of the season, Busch now has four extra-base hits across his last six contests. The 27-year-old often sits against southpaws, but he's an effective hitter against righties, and Busch now has a strong .831 OPS for the year. He posted a .775 mark in 2024, which was his first season with the Cubs, along with 21 home runs and 65 RBI.

Steele (3-1) picked up the win Monday against the Rangers after giving up three hits and two walks in seven scoreless innings, striking out eight.

Steele looked to be right at home on a cold night at Wrigley Field, scattering three singles with the benefit of having the wind blowing in Monday. It was easily the star left-hander's finest performance of the campaign thus far, as he allowed a season low in knocks and fanned a season-high eight during his longest outing among four starts. Steele has a strong 21:5 K:BB and 1.15 WHIP to go with three wins over his first 22.2 frames, but he'll be looking to improve on his subpar 4.76 ERA in a tough road matchup against the Dodgers that lines up for this weekend.

Mlodzinski (1-1) allowed a run on five hits and two walks over five innings Monday, striking out six and earning a win over the Cardinals.

Mlodzinski worked four shutout frames before the Cardinals put a run on the board in the fifth inning. It was a much more effective outing after he coughed up four runs in 3.2 frames during his season debut against the Rays. Still, Mlodzinski needed 92 pitches (54 strikes) to get through five innings. He'll carry a 5.19 ERA into his next matchup, which is lined up to be in Cincinnati this weekend.

Gore (1-1) earned the win Monday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk over six innings. He struck out seven.

Gore stifled the star-studded Dodgers, generating an impressive 15 whiffs in this 100-pitch outing. The only blemish on the Washington left-hander's outing was a two-run homer yielded to Shohei Ohtani in the third inning. Gore has opened his season on an impressive run, pitching to a 2.65 ERA, supported by a 2.38 FIP, with 25:3 K:BB across 17 innings. The 26-year-old currently lines up to make his next start at Miami this weekend.

Lord will start Tuesday's game against the Dodgers, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Lord hasn't pitched more than one inning in an outing this season, but the Nationals are targeting him for 45-to-50 pitches in Tuesday's contest. Orlando Ribalta and Jackson Rutledge are two candidates to cover an inning or more behind Lord. Both pitchers should be fresh, as Rutledge hasn't pitched in a game since April 1 at Triple-A Rochester, while Ribalta hasn't been used out of the bullpen since Friday.

Ohtani went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, a triple and a walk in Monday's 6-4 loss the Nationals.

The Japanese superstar was a perfect 3-for-3 against southpaw starter MacKenzie Gore. After leading the game off with an infield single, Ohtani slugged a 378-foot homer in the third inning to tie the game at 2-2. The three-time MVP wasn't finished, however, returning in the fifth to hit his first triple of the season. Ohtani looks headed for another great season, as he's opened with a .311/.436/.644 slash line across 55 plate appearances.