MLB Player News

Soto didn't allow a baserunner across one inning to earn a hold Friday against the Rays.

Soto entered the game in the eighth inning with the Pirates up by two runs. He's remained very sharp all season, allowing only one earned run across 10.2 innings while maintaining a 15:5 K:BB. However, Soto has now pitched in the seventh or eighth inning in five consecutive appearances, suggesting Dennis Santana is the primary option for saves at this point.

Nimmo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 5-0 win over the Mariners.

He took the third pitch of the game out to right field, and that was ultimately all the run support Jacob deGrom and company would need. Nimmo's bat has cooled down a little bit this week -- he's 3-for-20 (.150) with two RBI and seven strikeouts over his last five games. The drop in hitting was to be expected after the outfielder's hot start, which has helped him stay at a .313 batting average with a .934 OPS, four homers, 11 RBI, 13 runs scored and one stolen base over 20 contests.

DeGrom allowed four hits and two walks while striking out three over four scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Friday.

While he pitched well, the Mariners were able to run deGrom's pitch count up early, as he exited with 88 pitches (57 strikes) in his four frames. This was his shortest outing of the season and also included a season low for strikeouts, but it was his first scoreless start of the year. The veteran right-hander has maintained a 2.29 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 25:6 K:BB through 19.2 innings this season. DeGrom is projected to make his next start at home versus the Pirates.

Gilbert (1-3) took the loss Friday versus the Rangers, allowing two runs on seven hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out seven over 5.1 innings.

Gilbert had a decent game, settling in well after allowing a leadoff home run to Brandon Nimmo in the first inning. He fell short of a third straight quality start, but Gilbert tied his season high for strikeouts, which he's achieved in three of five starts so far. He's at a 4.03 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 32:5 K:BB across 29 innings. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Athletics.

Schanuel went 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored in Friday's 8-0 win over the Padres.

Schanuel's three hits were a season high, and it's just his fourth multi-hit effort of the year. The first baseman is regarded for his contact skills, so this has been an unusually quiet start to the campaign for him. He's batting .227 with a .631 OPS, two home runs, 12 RBI, five runs scored, two doubles and no stolen bases over 18 games. His plate discipline (8:12 BB:K) is in line with his norms, so it's just a matter of Schanuel getting the bat to the ball at an acceptable rate.

Lowe went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 8-0 win over the Padres.

Lowe provided the Angels' last runs of the game with his fifth-inning blast off San Diego reliever David Morgan. Lowe has hit safely in three straight games while striking out three times in that span, an improvement from his rough showing early in the season. He's still hitting a paltry .167 with a .598 OPS, three homers, nine RBI, eight runs scored and a stolen base over 18 contests.

Moncada went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-0 win over the Padres.

Moncada has started to turn things around lately. He's gone 7-for-22 (.318) over his last six games, adding two homers and five RBI in that span. The third baseman is still batting just .172 on the year, but he's nudged his OPS up to .686 while adding three homers, eight RBI, eight runs scored and a triple over 17 contests. Moncada's got a lot of work to do to get his numbers into a respectable range, and injuries are always a lingering concern for him -- he's fallen short of 110 games played in four straight seasons. Even at his best, he puts up relatively modest numbers across the board.

Soriano (5-0) allowed two hits and four walks while striking out eight over 5.2 shutout innings to earn the win Friday over the Padres.

Soriano fell short of a quality start for the first time this season, but he's still picked up a win in all five outings so far. The four walks matched his season high from Opening Day versus the Astros, but that's about the only complaint to be had with his performance. The right-hander has a tiny 0.28 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 39:13 K:BB across 32.2 innings so far. The walk rate is a concern in the long run, but he's consistently shown an ability to limit home runs as a groundball pitcher. He'll see his luck fade at some point, but he looks like the Angels' clear ace early in 2026. Soriano is tentatively projected to make his next start at home versus the Blue Jays.

Waldron (0-1) allowed six runs on eight hits, a walk and a hit batsman over 3.2 innings Friday, taking the loss versus the Angels. He struck out four.

Waldron missed time due to hemorrhoid surgery in late February. The knuckleballer didn't have success in his major-league season debut as the Angels got to him in the second and fourth innings. The right-hander was limited to just one big-league start in 2025, allowing four runs over 4.2 innings, and he pitched to a 6.67 ERA over 82.1 innings across 18 starts with Triple-A El Paso last year. There's an opening in the Padres' rotation with Nick Pivetta (elbow) on the shelf, but it's not yet clear if Waldron will be the one to fill it on a permanent basis.

Gimenez went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Gimenez is 11-for-32 (.344) with three extra-base hits and two steals over his last nine games. The infielder continues to hit well and is batting .290 on the year with an .822 OPS, three home runs, four steals, 11 RBI, six runs scored, two doubles and one triple over 19 contests. Gimenez has primarily hit in the bottom half of the order but has a starting job at shortstop. He's missed the 10-homer mark the last two seasons and was limited to 12 steals on 14 attempts over 101 regular-season games in 2025, but if he maintains steady playing time, he should rebound slightly in the counting stats.