MLB Player News

Schultz (3-7) took the loss Tuesday against the Rangers, allowing five runs on 11 hits while striking out two over 3.2 innings.

Schultz fell behind early after serving up a two-run homer to Brandon Nimmo in the first inning and Jake Burger added an RBI double in the third. The rookie was unable to escape the fourth after surrendering five hits that produced another pair of runs, forcing his exit. Schultz has now allowed a home run in each of his last six starts and owns a 7.24 ERA and 1-5 record during that stretch. He'll carry a 6.04 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 49:29 K:BB into his next scheduled start at home against a difficult Yankees lineup.

Rocker (3-8) earned the win Tuesday against the White Sox, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out six over six scoreless innings.

After surrendering seven runs with three long balls in his final start before the All-Star break, Rocker bounced back in dominant fashion Tuesday. He threw 50 of his 75 pitches for strikes, generated 12 whiffs and retired 15 of 16 batters during one stretch. The outing marked his fourth scoreless start of at least six innings this season, as he's shown flashes of upside despite an inconsistent campaign (4.40 ERA, 1.37 WHIP in the first half). Rocker is lined up to make his next start at home against the Mariners.

Avila (5-3) earned the win Tuesday against the Giants, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out seven over 6.1 innings.

Avila was dominant early, allowing just one hit through his first four innings before the Giants strung together three consecutive hits in the fifth to produce a two-run frame. He set career highs with 6.1 innings and seven strikeouts while improving to 5-1 over his last six decisions. The right-hander has struggled at Kauffman Stadium this season, posting a 7.88 ERA at home compared to his 3.00 ERA on the road. Avila's next start is scheduled to be a road outing against the Tigers.

Castillo (3-9) allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three over seven innings to take the loss Tuesday versus the Reds.

Two of the four hits Castillo allowed were solo home runs, though it was Sal Stewart's sacrifice fly in the fifth inning that ultimately sealed the loss for Seattle. This was a third straight defeat for Castillo, who has allowed nine runs over 18 innings with an 11:4 K:BB in that span. For the season, he has a 4.85 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 84:30 K:BB through 94.2 innings across 19 appearances (16 starts). Castillo is tentatively lined up for a tough road start versus the Dodgers next week, though he is a candidate to be traded if the Mariners want to clear their logjam of starters.

Urena (6-7) allowed one run on six hits and a walk while striking out five over six innings to earn the win over the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Urena had fallen short of the six-inning mark in each of his last four starts, though he gave up a modest eight runs over 19 innings in that span. The rookie right-hander was able to limit the damage to a single run in the fifth inning Tuesday after running into a little trouble. He has a 2.78 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 83:47 K:BB through 87.1 innings over 18 games (16 starts) this season. Urena is lined up to make his next start at home versus the Astros. Considering he threw 145 innings across two levels of the minors in 2025, Urena doesn't appear to be on track for any significant workload limitations over the remainder of the campaign.

Imai (6-4) earned the win over Miami on Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out eight batters over six innings.

Imai held the Marlins scoreless through four frames and ended up with just one run on his ledger. The Japanese righty recorded 15 whiffs en route to eight punchouts and posted his fifth quality start of the campaign. Perhaps the only concerning part of Imai's outing is that his control was shaky -- he threw just 56 of 96 pitches for strikes and tossed a first-pitch strike to only 11 of 25 hitters. Still, it was a promising opening to the second half for Imai, who struggled to a 6.06 ERA and 1.50 WHIP across 13 starts prior to the All-Star break. He'll look to build on Tuesday's outing his next time out, which lines up to be a road tilt against the Angels.

Valdez (5-7) took the loss against the Cubs on Tuesday, giving up six runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one batter over two-thirds of an inning.

Valdez made his first start since July 9, but the extra time off didn't seem to do him any favors. The lefty hurler allowed the first seven batters he faced to reach base, and he was pulled with two outs in the first frame after forcing home a run by issuing a bases-loaded walk to Pete Crow-Armstrong. It was the second time in Valdez's career that he's been unable to get out of the first inning, and it was the third time this season that he's surrendered five or more runs in a start. Valdez's initial campaign with Detroit has been mostly a disappointment, as his 4.57 ERA is the seventh-worst mark among qualified MLB hurlers.

Gausman (4-9) took the loss against the Rays on Tuesday, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits and two walks with one strikeout over 3.1 innings.

Gausman allowed three runs in the first inning and just couldn't put hitters away, generating only five swinging strikes on 90 total pitches. It continued a rough stretch for the veteran, who last won a game May 22 while allowing four earned runs or more in six of his 10 starts since. He owns a 4.51 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 117:34 K:BB across 115.2 innings this season and lines up for a road matchup with the streaking Red Sox this weekend.

Rasmussen (8-5) earned the win against the Blue Jays on Tuesday, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk with five strikeouts over five innings.

Rasmussen was staked to an early lead and cruised through five innings before allowing three straight hits to open the sixth, departing without recording an out and being charged with two runs in the frame. It was still an encouraging outing for the 30-year-old, who had yielded 11 earned runs over his first two July starts. He'll take a 3.28 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 103:18 K:BB across 104.1 innings this season into a home matchup with the Guardians this weekend.

Kikuchi (shoulder) is expected to throw another live session this weekend, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Kikuchi threw 34 pitches to Wade Meckler and Denzer Guzman on Tuesday, and he said that he felt great afterward. The southpaw has been out since late April while recovering from left shoulder inflammation, and he is expected to start a minor-league rehab assignment after he completes his next live batting practice session.