MLB Player News

Stott went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run Thursday in a 5-1 victory versus Pittsburgh.

Stott's two-run blast in the seventh inning capped the scoring in the contest for Philadelphia. It was his first homer of the year and just his second extra-base hit of any sort. It's been a slow start to the campaign for Stott, who is slashing just .220/.313/.317 through 48 plate appearances.

Marsh went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a 5-1 win against the Pirates on Thursday.

The Phillies were clinging to a narrow 1-0 lead in the seventh inning when Marsh gave them some breathing room with a two-run blast off talented rookie Jared Jones. The long ball was the outfielder's fourth of the campaign through 12 games. He's already one-third of the way to the 12 homers he hit over 133 contests last season, and Marsh has added a .333/.357/.641 slash line, nine RBI, six runs and a stolen base to his strong start.

Jones (1-2) took the loss against Philadelphia on Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits and no walks while striking out eight batters over 6.1 innings.

The rookie right-hander was very good in the outing, but home runs by Alec Bohm in the fourth inning and Brandon Marsh in the seventh accounted for three runs against him, which was enough to tag Jones with his second straight loss. He nonetheless continues to impress, as he's notched a quality start in two straight outings and has punched out at least seven batters in all three of his appearances so far this season. Overall, Jones has a a 4.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and outstanding 25:2 K:BB through 18 innings as a big-leaguer, so fantasy managers who roster him have ample reason to be excited for what lies ahead.

Suarez (2-0) earned the win over Pittsburgh on Thursday, tossing six scoreless innings during which he allowed two hits and two walks while striking out eight batters.

Suarez didn't allow any extra-base hits in the dominant outing, and the Pirates didn't get any runners to third base against him. The southpaw racked up a season-high eight punchouts and recorded his second straight quality start. Suarez has been great through three appearances this season, posting a 2.65 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 19 strikeouts over 17 innings. It's a small sample size, but it's promising that he's also cut his walk rate significantly compared to last season, as he's walked just three batters over those 17 frames thus far.

Cuas was optioned to Triple-Iowa on Thursday.

Cuas was projected to serve in a prominent role in the Cubs' bullpen, but he surrendered at least one earned run in four of his first five appearances to begin the campaign. He'll look to get on track at Iowa and has a good chance to return to the majors fairly quickly.

Holderman allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit across two-thirds of an inning Thursday against the Phillies.

Holderman was sidelined with an illness for a significant part of spring training, so he began on the season injured list to build up his workload. He was activated Thursday and entered the game in the seventh inning, only to serve up a two-run home run to the second batter he faced. Holderman will likely pitch in high-leverage spots, though he'll be behind both David Bednar and Aroldis Chapman for save opportunities.

Elder is a top candidate to fill Atlanta's vacant rotation spot, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Atlanta needs to fill the rotation spot of Spencer Strider (elbow), and there are a number of candidates to step into the role. Elder experienced plenty of success in the majors last year, as he posted a 3.81 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 173.2 innings. He faded down the stretch, however, and then failed to secure a rotation spot out of spring training. The team's current plans should become clearer this weekend, as Elder is currently expected to start Saturday for Triple-A Gwinnett, which would in turn make him unavailable to start Tuesday for Atlanta. Dylan Dodd is the other top candidate for a promotion, while Darius Vines is also in the mix.

Dodd is among the top candidates to make a spot start for Atlanta on Tuesday against the Astros, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Dodd had a tough start Thursday night for Triple-A Gwinnett, allowing five earned runs across 4.2 innings while allowing six hits and two walks to go along with five strikeouts. However, he pitched well in two prior outings with Gwinnett, putting himself in the conversation for a promotion. His start Thursday notably puts him on turn with the vacated spot in the big-league rotation. Darius Vines and Bryce Elder are also vying for the job, and they are scheduled to pitch Friday and Saturday, respectively, for Gwinnett. If either is scratched, it could be an indication that they will get the call in place of Dodd.

Walker (shoulder) allowed two earned runs on two hits and no walks while striking out four across four innings during a rehab appearance with Single-A Clearwater on Thursday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Walker is expected to make four rehab appearances, with Thursday's start being the first. While he was able to work deep into the game, he sat at 91 mph with his fastball -- 1.7 mph below his average from 2023. Walker projects to return from the injured list in early May.

Cincinnati manager David Bell said Friedl (wrist) is scheduled to undergo an MRI and check-in this week, Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Friedl opened the season on the 10-day injured list, which is a positive sign that the Reds believe he can return at some point before the end of May. The imaging and checkup could provide a clearer return timeline.