MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Cousins (forearm) appears to be dealing with a UCL injury, but the right-hander will receive further medical opinions before the diagnosis is confirmed, Jackson Stone of MLB.com reports.

Cousins was dealing with a right forearm strain upon reporting to spring training and opened the season on the injured list, and his rehab process was extended further in May, when he suffered a pectoral injury. He made enough progress with his throwing program to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment earlier this month, but he made just two appearances before experiencing his second setback of the season. If Cousins is in fact dealing with ligament damage in his elbow, his return would likely be pushed back until after the All-Star break if he elects to treat the injury with rest and rehab. Season-ending Tommy John surgery would also be a potential outcome.

The Reds optioned La Sorsa to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.

La Sorsa was just recalled Tuesday and was knocked around for four runs over one inning in Wednesday's loss to the Guardians. The Reds have not announced a corresponding move, but it's likely that Brent Suter will return from the bereavement list prior to Friday's contest in Detroit.

Allard allowed an unearned run on three hits while striking out a batter in two innings out of the bullpen in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Reds.

Since making a four-inning spot start against the Dodgers on May 28, Allard has shifted back to the bullpen, where he's made his last three appearances for Cleveland. The veteran lefty owns an excellent 1.73 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over 26 innings this season, but he's been getting by on inducing weak contact and avoiding walks rather than making bats miss (10.5 K%).

Kinley (0-3) allowed four earned runs on four hits and one walk while recording just one out to take the loss Wednesday against the Giants.

Kinley entered the game in the eighth inning with a three-run lead, but he allowed five of the six batters he faced to reach base. The big blow came from Mike Yastrzemski, who delivered a two-run double to tie the game at 6-6. Kinley has now allowed multiple earned runs in three of his last four outings, though Zach Agnos has also struggled mightily in high-leverage situations of late. That could open the door for Seth Halvorsen to get the next few save chances.

Agnos allowed three earned runs on one hit and two walks over one inning Wednesday against the Giants.

Agnos relieved Tyler Kinley with one out in the eighth inning after the latter blew a three-run lead. Agnos surrendered a run on a sacrifice bunt but didn't allow any additional baserunners in the frame. However, he came back out for the ninth inning and allowed three of the first four batters he faced to reach base before being pulled. Agnos has been sharing save opportunities with Seth Halvorsen for the last several weeks but has now allowed 10 earned runs across his last 3.1 innings (four appearances), so the latter could be in line for the next few chances.

Williams notched the save in Wednesday's 6-3 victory over the Royals, recording the final two outs while fanning one.

The Royals made things interesting by scoring three runs in the ninth inning, which prompted manager Aaron Boone to summon Williams to put out the fire and earn his eighth save of the year. The 30-year-old right-hander is currently functioning as New York's closer while Luke Weaver (hamstring) sits on the injured list, and the former is slowly rounding into form following a dreadful start to the year. Over his last 12.2 innings, Williams owns a 2.13 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 18:2 K:BB with four saves.

The Red Sox designated Van Belle for assignment Wednesday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Just two days after being selected to the active roster, Van Belle will now be booted off the Red Sox's 40-man roster before getting a chance to make his MLB debut. His roster spot will be given to Jorge Alcala, who was acquired in a trade with the Twins on Wednesday. Van Belle could attract interest from other teams in need of pitching after starting the Triple-A season with a 2.47 ERA ,1.06 WHIP and 41:7 K:BB through 51 innings.

The Twins traded Alcala to the Red Sox on Wednesday in exchange for Andy Lugo, Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Alcala finished the 2024 season with a 3.24 ERA and 1.03 WHIP across 58.1 innings. He hasn't come close to replicating that same success to begin the '25 campaign, however, as he currently owns an 8.88 ERA and 1.81 WHIP through 24.1 frames. He'll now join a Red Sox bullpen that is in need of some depth after being bitten by the injury bug over the past couple of weeks, though the 29-year-old righty will likely be limited to low-leverage work until he finds his footing.

Chapman collected the save in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Rays after throwing a clean ninth inning. He struck out two.

Chapman picked up his 12th save of the season, and he's now posted eight consecutive outings without allowing an earned run. The 37-year-old southpaw has recorded at least one strikeout in 10 consecutive appearances, and he now boasts a 1.59 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 39:9 K:BB over 28.1 innings on the year. Chapman has successfully converted 12 of his 13 save chances in 2025 as Boston's closer.

Brieske allowed five runs on three hits and two walks while retiring just one batter in Wednesday's 10-1 loss to the Orioles.

Brieske didn't factor into the decision Wednesday but did allow the game to get out of reach due to his poor performance. The righty saw his ERA climb from 4.57 to 6.55, which is a far cry from the 3.59 ERA he posted during the 2024 regular season. Brieske's FIP has also climbed from 3.50 to 5.37, so the underlying statistics indicate that he's taken a step backward in 2025 as well. He's firmly behind Will Vest and Tommy Kahnle in Detroit's bullpen pecking order at this point, and Brieske may see more low-leverage work until he can get back on track.