MLB Player News

Liberatore didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Rays, allowing one run on seven hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out two.

Despite giving up seven hits, the left-hander was able to limit the damage to just one run in his season debut. Liberatore topped out at 65 pitches during spring training, which he reached in his third Grapefruit League start, so he'll be looking to raise his pitch count even further his next time out after firing 78 pitches Thursday. Liberatore has a tough matchup at home against the Mets on tap for his second start of the year.

Misiorowski (1-0) earned the win Thursday against the White Sox, allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out 11 over five innings.

The 23-year-old was electric on Opening Day, piling up 25 whiffs on 94 pitches while leaning heavily on his fastball, throwing it 61 times. Misiorowski's only blemish came on a leadoff home run, but he quickly settled in and dominated from there, striking out eight of the next 12 batters. After breaking onto the scene with a strong finish to last season, posting a 4.36 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 87 strikeouts across 66 regular-season innings, the right-hander looks to be picking up right where he left off.

Brown allowed two runs on three hits across 3.1 innings in Thursday's 10-4 loss to the Nationals. He walked one and struck out three.

The righty reliever was forced into early action after Chicago starter Matthew Boyd covered only 3.2 innings in a rough outing. Brown served up a two-run home run to Jacob Young to account for the runs against him. After making 23 regular-season starts for the Cubs across the last two seasons, it looks like Brown will handle a long-relief role out of the bullpen in 2026. He should be a decent source of strikeouts, though his overall fantasy value will be capped as a reliever.

Abbott allowed seven hits and one walk while striking out four over six scoreless innings, picking up a no-decision in Thursday's 3-0 loss to Boston.

Abbott pitched in and out of trouble in three of his innings, but he matched zeros with Boston's Garrett Crochet on the scoreboard. The seven hits off the Reds' left-hander were all singles, four of which didn't leave the infield. It was an encouraging outing for Abbott, who had a shocking 11.72 ERA in spring training. He's become the team's No. 1 starter with Hunter Greene (elbow) unavailable and on the 60-day injured list.

Crow-Armstrong went 2-for-5 with two RBI in Thursday's 10-4 loss to the Nationals.

The Cubs put Crow-Armstrong in the cleanup spot Opening Day, and he responded with a team-best two RBI. After a breakout 2025 campaign, the young outfielder inked a six-year, $115 million contract extension earlier this week. Crow-Armstrong did fade some down the stretch last year, however, which is something he will aim to avoid in 2026. He made some minor mechanical tweaks in the offseason in an effort to make his swing more compact and find a bit more consistency at the plate across the long season.

Busch went 3-for-4 with a walk, two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's 10-4 loss to the Nationals.

Like he did much of last season, Busch hit leadoff Opening Day, and the Chicago first baseman picked up right where he left off after an impressive 2025 campaign. Busch batted first with Washington starting righty Cade Cavalli, and the Cubs have said the left-handed bat won't be deployed strictly in a platoon, so he should have plenty of opportunities against southpaws moving forward.

Stewart batted cleanup and went 3-for-4 with two doubles in Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Red Sox.

Reds manager Terry Francona began experimenting with Stewart batting fourth followed by Eugenio Suarez late in spring training and stuck with it for Opening Day against Boston left-hander Garrett Crochet. The 22-year-old Stewart collected three of the four hits Boston's ace would allow, and Stewart managed to stay in the game after taking a Roman Anthony line drive off the hand while playing the field. Stewart slashed .327/450/.592 during spring training with four doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI across 20 games and will be the Reds' mainstay at first base and part of the rotation at DH, but he could also be an option at second or third base.

Wiemer went 3-for-3 with a home run and a second run scored in Thursday's 10-4 win over the Cubs.

After claiming one of the Nats' final roster spots out of spring training, Wiemer was responsible for Washington's first run of the season with a solo homer off Matthew Boyd in the second inning Thursday. The 27-year-old Wiemer appeared in 27 games with the Marlins in 2025, batting .236 with three homers and a .715 OPS across 61 plate appearances. While Wiemer's 2026 debut was certainly encouraging, he'll likely be limited to starts against left-handers to open the year while platooning with Daylen Lile.

Cavalli did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Cubs, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks across 3.2 innings. He struck out five.

Making his first Opening Day start, Cavalli was limited to 75 pitches Thursday in an eventual 10-4 Nationals victory. The 27-year-old Cavalli made 10 starts last season, posting a 4.25 ERA with a 1.48 WHIP and 40:15 K:BB across 48.2 innings as he pitched in the big leagues for the first time since 2022. He's currently slated to face the Phillies on the road his next time out.

Lowe went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Thursday's 11-7 loss against the Mets.

Lowe made an immediate impact in his Pirates debut, launching a pair of homers in his first two at-bats: a two-run bomb in the first inning and solo shot in the third. It marked the ninth multi-homer game of the 31-year-old's career. If he can stay healthy, Lowe's power should be a key asset for Pittsburgh after he hit .256 with 31 home runs and 83 RBI last year with the Rays.