MLB Player News
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Jeff Hoffman RP | MIN
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Earns another win
Hoffman (4-3) earned the win Thursday against the Orioles after tossing a scoreless seventh inning, allowing one hit and striking out two.
Hoffman allowed a two-out single to Jackson Holliday, who then stole second base, but he ended the threat by striking out Blaze Alexander. Hoffman has two wins, two saves and a hold over his last five appearances, allowing zero runs and posting a 9:0 K:BB across five innings, and the right-hander owns a 2.84 ERA across 12.2 innings (13 appearances) since the beginning of May. That's a step in the right direction compared to the 6.39 ERA he posted over March and April.
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Louie Varland RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Louis Varland: Records four-out save
Varland recorded his eighth save of the season in Thursday's win over the Orioles, allowing one hit over 1.1 scoreless innings. He didn't record a strikeout.
The 28-year-old right-hander entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning and saw catcher Brandon Valenzuela pick off Pete Alonso at first base to close out the frame. Varland allowed a one-out single to Leody Taveras in the ninth, but he'd close the door on an O's comeback by getting Jackson Holliday to ground out. Varland has gone 8-for-8 in save chances this season while sporting a pristine 0.30 ERA and 1.07 WHIP through 27 appearances (30 innings). He's also on a run of 14 straight outings without allowing an earned run dating back to April 26.
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Greg Weissert RP | BOS
Red Sox's Greg Weissert: Lets close game get away
Weissert allowed two runs on one hit and one walk over one inning in Thursday's 10-2 loss to Atlanta.
Weissert was handed a tough ask by interim manager Chad Tracy, who brought the reliever in to a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the middle of the sixth inning of a tie game. The right-hander proceeded to walk the first batter he faced and then was taken deep for a grand slam, with Danny Coulombe getting stuck with the loss as a result. Weissert's struggled this season with inherited baserunners, allowing 12 of 21 to score. His own ERA ballooned to 4.43 (11 ER in 22.1 IP) following the outing.
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Travis Adams RP | MIN
Twins' Travis Adams: Sent down after loss
Adams was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul following Thursday's 6-2 loss to the White Sox, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Adams was able to toss a perfect inning out of the bullpen Thursday, striking out a batter in the process. It was a nice bounce-back outing for the 26-year-old after he gave up five runs on four hits, including two home runs, over one frame in Wednesday's loss to Chicago. The right-hander will now return to the Triple-A level and wait for his next chance to potentially rejoin the major-league roster later this year.
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Tyler Samaniego RP | BOS
Red Sox's Tyler Samaniego: Operating as opener Friday
Samaniego will serve as the Red Sox's opening pitcher Friday in Cleveland, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.
Called up from Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Samaniego is now slated for the first start of his major-league career a day later, though he'll likely be limited to an inning or two. The southpaw will be followed by Brayan Bello, who will operate in a bulk-relief role for the fourth time in five outings. Samaniego owns an impressive 1.04 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 13 strikeouts over 17.1 frames in 18 appearances out of the bullpen with Boston this season.
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Ricky Vanasco RP | DET
Tigers' Ricky Vanasco: Gets hit hard Thursday
Vanasco allowed four runs on four hits and two walks across two innings of relief in Thursday's 7-1 loss to the Angels. He struck out one.
Making his first appearance since getting recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, Vanasco struggled mightily. The 27-year-old righty saw his ERA jump up to 15.63, and he's now been scored upon in each of his five outings for the Tigers so far this season. It's safe to say that Vanasco is off the fantasy radar at the moment, and he may be ticketed for a return trip to the minors in the near future due to his lack of effectiveness at the MLB level.
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Jeff Criswell RP | COL
Rockies' Jeff Criswell: Back from IL, staying in minors
The Rockies reinstated Criswell (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Thursday and optioned him to Triple-A Albuquerque, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
Criswell has spent the entire season on the injured list while finishing up his recovery from a Tommy John procedure he underwent in March 2025. He's already made a handful of appearances in the minors while on a rehab assignment but has struggled to the tune of a 5.91 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 10.2 innings split between three affiliates. The Rockies will keep him in the minors for the time being, but now that he's back on the organization's 40-man roster, he's a likely candidate to return to the majors at some point once Colorado needs a fresh bullpen arm.
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Joe Mantiply RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Joe Mantiply: Slated for surgery
Mantiply will undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair some damage in his left knee, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Mantiply was originally expected to start up a throwing program soon, but after receiving a second opinion on his knee, he decided the best path forward would be to undergo a cleanup procedure. An updated timeline for his return will likely be available after the surgery, but manager John Schneider said the operation won't force the southpaw to miss the rest of the season.
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Paxton Schultz RP | WAS
Nationals' Paxton Schultz: Opening Friday's contest
Schultz will serve as the Nationals' opening pitcher in Friday's game against the Padres, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.
Schultz has performed well overall this season, but his ERA remains inflated at 5.30 through 18.2 frames after giving up six runs to the Mets in a May 18 appearance that lasted just one-third of an inning. He's now set for his first opening assignment of the campaign and is likely to remain in the game for an inning or two before Andrew Alvarez takes over in bulk relief.
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Tanner Gordon RP | COL
Rockies' Tanner Gordon: Making another start
Gordon is slated to start Sunday against the Giants at Coors Field.
Gordon will receive another turn through the Colorado rotation after he was able to hold his own in his first start of the season Monday in a road matchup with the Dodgers. He limited one of the majors' top offenses to one run on six hits and one walk while striking out three over five innings, taking a no-decision in the Rockies' eventual 5-3 loss. The 28-year-old righty owns a 6.78 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 142 career innings in the big leagues, so despite getting a favorable matchup versus a weak Giants lineup in his second start, he'll be tough to trust at hitter-friendly Coors Field.