MLB Player News

Donovan went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk and three total runs in a 6-2 win against the Padres on Monday.

Donovan capped the scoring for St. Louis with a two-run blast to right field in the sixth inning. He added a single and a double for his first multi-hit game of the campaign. Prior to Monday, Donovan had gone just 2-for-18 with six strikeouts, but he has batted leadoff while starting in left field for each of St. Louis' five games so far, so he appears to be set in that role.

Waldron (0-1) took the loss against St. Louis on Monday, allowing four runs on nine hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over four innings.

Waldron impressed in Cactus League play to win the role of fifth starter to open the campaign, but he was hit hard in his regular-season debut. Three of the Cardinals' nine hits against him went for extra bases, including Wilson Contreras' two-run homer in the first inning. Waldron did strike out seven batters in four frames, but punchouts aren't normally a big part of the knuckleballer's skill set -- he struck out less than a batter per inning at the Triple-A level across 2022 and 2023. Waldron doesn't have the longest of leashes, so he'll likely need to pitch better moving forward to hang on to a big-league rotation spot.

Gibson (1-0) earned the win over San Diego on Monday, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts over seven innings.

Gibson gave up a pair of solo homers, but the Padres otherwise failed to cross the plate against him. The veteran hurler didn't dominate -- he notched just eight swinging strikes and four punchouts -- but he limited traffic on the basepaths and went deep into the contest, throwing 94 pitches. The start was Gibson's first as a Cardinal after he went 15-9 despite posting a mediocre 4.73 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 7.4 K/9 with Baltimore last season.

Nelson (0-1) took the loss Monday against the Yankees, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and four walks across 2.2 innings. He struck out two.

The command Nelson showed in spring training went away in his regular-season debut. Just 43 of 76 pitches landed in the zone, and the right-hander was constantly behind and pitching with runners on base. Both Nelson and Tommy Henry have put up troubling starts the first time through the rotation and could be gone before long. Eduardo Rodriguez (lat) could return from the IL within the next few weeks and Jordan Montgomery (recently signed) begins ramping up in the minors this weekend. After logging a 5.31 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP in his first full season as a starter in 2023, Nelson's performance Monday didn't exactly instill confidence for an improved 2024 campaign. He'll face another tough test in his next projected start, which is scheduled to come Sunday at Atlanta.

Morel went 2-for-3 with a run scored during Monday's 5-0 victory over the Rockies.

Despite the modest stat line, Morel's sixth-inning single with two-men on was the impetus for the Cubs' victory as a misplay by left-fielder Nolan Jones saw the ball roll all the way to the wall and allowed both runners to score. Jones then added a throwing error on the same play that allowed Morel to complete the little-league home run. Unfortunately, Morel did not get credited with an RBI on the play but it's been a solid start to the season for the Cubs' third-baseman. Through four games he's collected seven hits in 17 at-bats with a homer, three RBI and four runs scored.

Hudson (0-1) allowed three runs (zero earned) on four hits and two walks over 5.1 innings to suffer the defeat Monday against the Cubs. He struck out two.

Hudson allowed just three baserunners and no runs through five innings while matching Shota Imanaga pitch-for-pitch. He then ran into some trouble in the sixth when, with two men on and one out, he allowed a single to Christopher Morel that would have loaded the bases. However, a fielding error followed by a throwing error by left-fielder Nolan Jones led to a little-league home run with all three runs crossing the plate and Hudson's day coming to an end with a tough-luck loss. Hudson is tentatively scheduled to next take the hill this weekend in his first home start as a member of the Rockies against the Rays.

Riley went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, four RBI and two runs scored during Monday's 9-0 victory over the White Sox.

Riley entered Monday's contest with just one RBI over his first three games but drove in Ozzie Albies with an RBI single in the sixth, then hit a three-run shot to put the icing on the cake for Atlanta in the eighth inning. Riley has topped 30 home runs in each of the last three seasons and has now officially begun his quest for four straight with Monday's initial long ball of the 2024 campaign.

Arraez went 2-for-2 with three walks and a run scored during Monday's loss to the Angels.

Arraez had an uncharacteristic opening series against the Pirates, going just 2-for-18 in the four-game set. Monday's performance was his first multi-hit effort of the year and looked much more like the elite bat-to-ball star that fantasy managers are used to. He's registered a .360 OBP through five games despite the slow start.

Meyer yielded two runs on two hits and two walks over five innings Monday. He struck out four and did not factor in the decision during a loss to the Angels.

Meyer gave up one run through three innings before Mike Trout tagged him with a solo shot in the fourth. It was Meyer's first regular-season appearance since July 23, 2022. His fastball averaged 95.1 mph but he forced only seven whiffs on 79 total pitches. Meyer is currently lined up to start in St. Louis this weekend.

Morton (1-0) allowed no runs on three hits and two walks over 5.2 innings to pick up the win Monday against the White Sox. He struck out six.

It wasn't entirely clean early on for Morton, who loaded the bases in the first on a single, a walk and hit batter and allowed a total of six batters to reach base in the first two-plus innings, but Morton settled down to retire the final 11 batters he faced in cruising to his first win of the season. The 40-year-old veteran continues to excel despite his advanced age. His next opportunity to toe the rubber is tentatively scheduled to take place Sunday in a home matchup against the defending National League champion Diamondbacks.