MLB Player News

The Pirates optioned Murdock to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

Murdock was up as the 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Yankees, but he did not make an appearance. The big right-hander has collected a 3.24 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 26:5 K:BB in 16.2 innings for Indianapolis in 2026.

The Marlins optioned Brzykcy to Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday.

Brzykcy made one scoreless appearance during his most recent stint in the majors. He's heading back to the minors in order to free up a roster spot for the return of John King (ankle) from the injured list.

The Marlins activated King (ankle) from the 15-day injured list Thursday.

King required just a minimum absence with a sprained left ankle. He did not go out on a rehab assignment, as the Marlins were satisfied with how King looked throwing to live hitters this week. The lefty reliever holds a 2.48 ERA and 30:10 K:BB across 40 innings this season with six wins, four holds and a save in 40 appearances.

Pfaadt (5-1) earned the win Thursday against the Cardinals, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out one over six innings.

Pfaadt got off on the wrong foot Thursday, surrendering four consecutive hits to open the game, which led to two St. Louis runs in the first inning. He settled in from there, blanking the Cardinals over the next five frames while allowing just three more hits. The right-hander has won each of his five starts since re-joining the rotation in late June, posting a 2.33 ERA with a 14:3 K:BB across 27 innings during that stretch. For the season, Pfaadt owns a 4.43 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 45:20 K:BB over 65 innings. He's lined up to make his next start on the road against the Pirates.

Holmes (fibula) surrendered two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two batters across 2.1 innings in a rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday.

Holmes was expected to pitch three frames in his first minor-league rehab outing since suffering a fractured right fibula in mid-May, and he fell two outs short of the goal. The right-hander had a tough time finding the strike zone at times, tossing only 28 of his 51 total pitches for strikes. Holmes will require at least one more rehab start before being activated from the 60-day injured list.

Iglesias earned the save in Thursday's 6-5 win over San Diego, working around two hits while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning.

Iglesias found himself in some trouble in the ninth after the Padres logged back-to-back singles. However, the right-hander struck out Luis Rengifo to end the game, stranding the tying and go-ahead runs on base. It's a nice bounce-back outing from Iglesias, who gave up a home run in each of his previous two appearances. He's up to 21 saves this season while posting a 2.50 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 42:7 K:BB across 36 innings.

Rajcic revealed on his Instagram account Thursday that he recently underwent a right elbow UCL reconstruction.

Rajcic has been sidelined since early July and indications had been his injury was serious, so it's not a surprise he ultimately went under the knife. The right-hander projects to be sidelined until late in the 2027 campaign, at minimum. Rajcic has yielded five runs with an 8:6 K:BB over nine innings out of the Cardinals' bullpen in 2026.

Mautz's last two appearances at Triple-A Memphis have come in relief. He's tossed four scoreless frames with a 4:0 K:BB in those outings.

The lefty's two relief outings came after a five-start stretch that saw him post a 4.58 ERA and 16:22 K:BB over 19.2 innings. It's unclear whether Mautz's shift to the bullpen is permanent, but if it is, it could lead to a quicker big-league promotion. Righties have slashed .222/.361/.349 off Mautz this season, while lefties have hit only .189/.324/.267.

Soto recorded his 13th save of the season in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader split with the Yankees, striking out one in a perfect 10th inning.

The southpaw did send the phantom runner to third base on a wild pitch as he looked to protect a 5-3 lead, but Soto left him stranded thanks to two popups and a strikeout of Cody Bellinger. Soto has been struggling over the summer, blowing three of nine save chances since the beginning of June, but he may be turning things around in July, getting scored upon just once in six appearances while posting a 1.35 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 6:3 K:BB over 6.2 innings.

Hart will serve as the Padres' opening pitcher for Thursday's game in Atlanta.

Hart -- who has an ugly 10.80 ERA in six appearances this month -- will handle the first inning or two for the Padres before turning things over to Griffin Canning. The lefty has had one other opener assignment this season, giving up one run in two frames on June 27 versus the Dodgers.