MLB Player News

Vasquez (1-0) earned the win over Detroit on Saturday, pitching six scoreless innings and allowing two hits and three walks while striking out eight batters.

San Diego's offense remained mostly stagnant, but Vasquez made sure that didn't matter by blanking the Tigers over his six frames. The right-hander also had his swing-and-miss stuff working, notching 13 whiffs and eight punchouts. The latter total was more than Vasquez had in all but one of his 28 outings last season, and he promisingly averaged 95.0 mph on his fastball after averaging 93.4 mph on the pitch last year. If he's able to maintain the uptick in velocity and build on Saturday's excellent start, Vasquez could prove to be a fantasy steal for managers who selected him near the end of drafts or plucked him off the waiver wire.

Soto walked one and struck out three across 1.1 scoreless innings Saturday against the Mets.

Soto has appeared in each of Pittsburgh's first two games of the season and has racked up five strikeouts across 2.1 innings of work. He entered the game with two outs in the seventh inning and also worked around a leadoff walk to complete the eighth frame. Soto could figure into save chances this season, though Dennis Santana did follow him into the game in the ninth inning on Saturday.

Murakami went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Saturday against the Brewers.

Murakami has kicked off his MLB career in style, homering in both of his first two starts. He led off the fourth inning with a home run Saturday, which came after he worked a walk in his initial plate appearance. While it's a small sample, Murakami has struck out only once in eight plate appearances.

Santana allowed one walk but no hits across one scoreless inning in Saturday's game against the Rockies.

Santana has pitched in both of Pittsburgh's games to begin 2026, and he has yet to allow an earned run. His usage Saturday was particularly notable, as he entered the game in the ninth inning with the score knotted at 0-0. Manager Don Kelly noted shortly before the new season began that Santana may not get every save chance, though Santana's clearly still a high-leverage arm for the Pirates and should work in plenty of save situations.

Doyle went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base Saturday against the Marlins.

Doyle didn't have a remarkable day at the plate, and he's now 0-for-7 in his first two games of the season. However, he did manage a free pass in the second inning, and he also went on to notch his first stolen base of the campaign. Doyle has hit seventh for both of Colorado's first two contests.

Tovar went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Saturday against the Marlins.

Tovar pulled an offering from Eury Perez over the left-field fence in the fourth inning for his first home run of the season. He's hit cleanup in each of Colorado's first two games, collecting two hits in eight plate appearances.

Kerkering (hamstring) threw a clean inning in Saturday's minor-league rehab appearance for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, striking out one.

Kerkering, who's working his way back from a Grade 1 right hamstring strain, is next expected to pitch in consecutive games Sunday and Monday, per MLB.com. Once he's cleared to join Philadelphia's bullpen, Kerkering is likely to operate primarily as a setup man for closer Jhoan Duran in 2026.

Uceta (shoulder) threw live batting practice Friday, per MLB.com.

Another session is on tap for Uceta on Tuesday, and the hope is that a minor-league rehab assignment will be on the horizon shortly thereafter. The right-hander was in contention to begin the season as one of Tampa Bay's closer options, and it sounds like Uceta has a chance to return from right shoulder soreness and make his season debut by late April. It's worth noting that Griffin Jax has already blown two saves in as many appearances to start the year.

Meyers went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 11-9 win over the Angels.

Meyers did a little bit of everything Saturday, showing off both power and speed with his first extra-base hit and steal of the year. The 29-year-old has close to an everyday role in center field in store for 2026, but the right-handed-hitting Meyers hasn't turned in an OPS higher than .727 in any of his prior four seasons and may struggle to carve out consistent fantasy value.

Schanuel went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 11-9 loss to Houston.

It was already the second homer of the young season for Schanuel, who gave the Angels some temporary life in the ninth inning. The 24-year-old had belted 24 long balls over the course of his prior three years in the major leagues (308 games), but he's tapping into his power stroke early in 2026 and should consistently occupy a premium spot in the Halos' lineup throughout the campaign.