MLB Player News

Almonte (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts to earn the win in Sunday's 8-1 victory over the Dodgers.

After the Cubs received only four innings from starter Shota Imanaga due to a lengthy rain delay, Almonte worked the fifth and walked away with his first win of 2024. The righty struggled two outings ago, allowing three runs while retiring just one batter, which has saddled him with a 9.00 ERA in the early going. However, Almonte has good raw stuff, and Chicago seems committed to letting him figure things out at the MLB level.

Lindor went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Reds.

Lindor entered the game mired in a 1-for-31 slump but doubled that hit total Sunday, including driving a 2-1 fourth-inning pitch from Andrew Abbott over the left field wall for his first home run of the season. After posting his fourth 30-home-run season and first 30/30 campaign last year, it was only a matter of time before Lindor would break out of his early-season slumber.

Stone (0-1) was tagged with the loss after he pitched three innings, giving up five runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks while striking out five in Sunday's 8-1 defeat against the Cubs.

Stone didn't have his best stuff Sunday, and combined with two fielding errors by his infield, he ended up with the loss. Through two starts in 2024, the right-hander has surrendered eight runs (four earned) on 11 hits and four walks over eight innings, navigating plenty of traffic on the basepaths. The 25-year-old is tentatively set to return to the mound Saturday at home versus the Padres.

Sanches (0-1) took the loss Sunday versus Washington, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks across 4.1 innings. He struck out one batter.

Sanchez's strikeout production took a 180 on Sunday, going from eight K's over five innings in his 2024 debut to just a single punchout. While the thought of Sanchez becoming a plus-strikeout pitcher was nice for fantasy managers who've invested in him, Sanchez has a career K/9 of 8.7 in 42 big-league appearances (23 starts) and will likely settle in near that number this season. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Pirates for his next start.

Diaz pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn his second save in Sunday's 3-1 victory over the Reds. He struck out two.

Diaz was dominant in picking up his second save of the series, needing just 12 pitches to finish off the Reds. Sunday represented Diaz's fifth appearance of the season. He's allowed only two baserunners and has struck out eight while not allowing an earned run over five frames.

Thomas went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three stolen bases during Sunday's game against the Phillies.

Thomas continued his tear on the basepaths, logging a trio of pilfers to push him into a three-way tie for the second most steals in MLB. He also seems to be turning the corner at the plate, finishing with two hits for a second straight game after opening the season 2-for-28 at the dish (.071).

Bellinger went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 8-1 win over the Dodgers.

Bellinger was able to connect on a sinker from Ryan Yarbrough in the bottom of the sixth inning, sending the ball 372 feet for his second long ball of the season. The 28-year-old has now reached base in six out of the last seven games, batting .250 with two homers, six RBI, five walks and four runs scored over that stretch.

Finnegan earned the save Sunday against Philadelphia, allowing no hits and one walk over a scoreless inning while striking out one.

Finnegan took another step away from his March 31 blown save, registering a second consecutive scoreless and hitless outing en route to his third save of 2024. With the Nationals still in the basement of the National League, Finnegan likely won't have much room to grow from his 28-save total in 2023, but he appears to be locked in as the club's closer in the early part of the campaign.

Palencia secured a save after he pitched three innings, surrendering one run on a hit and two walks while striking out two batters in Sunday's 8-1 win over the Dodgers.

Palencia was called up from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, and he was instantly given some extended run. Outside of an RBI double by Shohei Ohtani in the top of the eighth inning, the 24-year-old held Los Angeles down while recording the final nine outs of the contest. Palencia appeared in 27 games with the Cubs in 2023, producing a 4.45 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 33 strikeouts over 28.1 innings, something he'll look to build off of in 2024.

Abbott dropped to 0-1 in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Mets after allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out four.

Abbott allowed one run each in the first (unearned), third and fourth innings, which turned out to be too much for the Reds to overcome. It was not a bad start for the young lefty but also not the type of start that will force the Reds to stick with him. With Nick Lodolo's (calf) return from the injured list looming after making his final rehab start on Sunday, Abbott could be at risk of losing his rotation spot if manager David Bell elects to stick with a five-man starting staff.