MLB Player News
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Merrill Kelly SP | ARI
Rangers' Merrill Kelly: Set for team debut Saturday
Kelly is scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
Acquired from the Diamondbacks on Thursday, Kelly will join the Texas rotation as a replacement for right-hander Kumar Rocker, who was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday. Set to become a free agent this winter, the 36-year-old Kelly will be looking to finish the 2025 campaign on a high note while he aims to secure one last big payday in the offseason. He had been Arizona's top starter this season prior to being dealt, turning in a 3.22 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 121:38 K:BB over 128.2 innings.
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Shane Baz SP | BAL
Rays' Shane Baz: Tough sledding in eighth loss
Baz (8-8) took the loss Friday against the Dodgers, allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out eight.
Baz at least managed to register 16 whiffs and fan eight to salvage what was an otherwise poor outing overall. The eight hits allowed were one shy of a season worst, and the 26-year-old right-hander walked multiple batters in his fifth straight start. Baz's impressive run to open the campaign is becoming a distant memory at this point -- he posted a 2.45 ERA through April 25 -- and he'll carry a mediocre 4.79 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 124:46 K:BB through 124 frames into a scheduled road matchup against the Angels in Anaheim.
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Carlos Rodon SP | NYY
Yankees' Carlos Rodon: Uneven showing in no-decision
Rodon took a no-decision in Friday's 13-12 loss to the Marlins, allowing four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out nine.
Rodon threw four hitless innings to open his outing, but he ended up getting blasted for four runs in the fifth frame to leave a considerable knock on his ledger. While the All-Star southpaw failed to fire at least five frames for the first time in 2025 while also issuing five free passes, he did come just one strikeout short of tying his season high. Rodon still owns a strong 3.34 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 156:52 K:BB across 134.2 frames, but things aren't likely to get much easier his next time out, when he's expected to face the AL West-leading Astros in The Bronx.
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Shane Smith RP | CHW
White Sox's Shane Smith: Allows two runs in return
Smith settled for a no-decision after throwing 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out four, during Friday's 6-3 win over the Angels.
In his return from the injured list, Smith made it only 4.1 innings, throwing 79 pitches. His last time throwing was a 55-pitch bullpen, so the lack of length can likely be explained away by that on this occasion, but it's still been a pattern of the 25-year-old throughout the season, especially lately. He's currently in the midst of a six-start streak of not making it through five innings. The right-hander has a 3-7 record with a 4.25 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 91 innings, and he is slated to face the Mariners on the road his next time out.
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Tyler Anderson SP | LAA
Angels' Tyler Anderson: Allows four runs in defeat
Alexander (2-7) took the loss after throwing six innings, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five, during Friday's 6-3 loss to the White Sox.
Alexander had a solid outing, allowing just five hits and four runs, but the left-hander once again had an issue keeping the ball in the ballpark. Three of the five hits the 35-year-old allowed were home runs, and he's now allowed at least one home run in five straight starts and 23 total home runs on the season, the second-most in all of MLB behind Zack Littell's 25 homers. Alexander is scheduled to face the Rays at home his next time out.
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Joe Ryan SP | MIN
Twins' Joe Ryan: Earns quality start in no-decision
Ryan did not factor into the decision in Friday's game against the Guardians, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four across six innings.
Ryan yielded a run in each of the first two innings, but he finished his outing strong by retiring 14 of the last 15 batters he faced. He now has 12 quality starts this season (six of which have come over his last nine outings), and his 2.83 ERA and 0.93 WHIP (across 127.1 innings) rank eighth and fifth, respectively, among qualified starters. Ryan is slated to make his next start against the Tigers on the road next week.
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Gavin Williams SP | CLE
Guardians' Gavin Williams: Fans eight in quality start
Williams allowed four hits and two walks while striking out eight across six scoreless innings in the Guardians' 3-2 extra inning win against the Twins on Saturday but did not factor into the decision.
Williams started out hot by striking out four of the first six batters he faced. He managed to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth and kept the Twins off the board in his six innings worked but was unable to come away with the win. Williams has logged a quality start in four of his last five outings and has a 3.33 ERA and 1.35 WHIP across 116.1 innings this season, but the 62 walks he's issued are most in the majors. He's lined up to face the Mets on the road next week.
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Kevin Gausman SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman: Gashed for five runs in loss
Gausman (7-8) took the loss against the Royals on Friday, allowing five runs on six hits while striking out five across six innings. He did not issue a walk.
All of the damage to Gausman was done in the second and third frames on home runs by Mike Yastrzemski and Bobby Witt, respectively. Gausman finished his start strongly by retiring 12 of the last 13 batters he faced, but he wasn't able to fade the loss as the Blue Jays' bats fell silent against Michael Wacha. Gausman sports a 3.99 ERA across 128.2 innings this season, and his 1.10 WHIP and 127 strikeouts rank ninth and 12th, respectively, among qualified American League starters. He's lined up to make his next start against the Rockies on the road next week.
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Michael Wacha SP | KC
Royals' Michael Wacha: Tosses eight strong innings
Wacha (5-9) earned the win against the Blue Jays on Friday, allowing one run on three hits while striking out five across eight innings. He did not issue a walk.
It was another strong outing for Wacha, who has yielded one earned run in each of his last four starts. He was efficient with his pitches and finished his outing having tossed 100 pitches (71 strikes) while generating 10 whiffs and six groundouts. Wacha's recent string of performances now has him at a 3.38 ERA and 95:35 K:BB across 125.1 innings this season, with his 1.16 WHIP ranking 13th among qualified starters in the American League. He's lined up to make his next start against the Red Sox at Fenway Park next week.
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Jack Leiter P | TEX
Rangers' Jack Leiter: Takes no-decision in short outing
Leiter allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out seven over 4.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Friday.
Leiter had a 12-pitch at-bat against Cole Young that ended in a walk in the fifth inning, getting the Texas right-hander's pitch count up faster than expected. He was charged with one run in that frame when Hoby Milner allowed an inherited runner to score. Leiter had reached the five-inning mark in each of his previous three starts, winning all of them with six runs allowed over 17.1 innings in that span, so this was a step back. He's also walked at least three batters in four straight starts. Leiter now has a 4.10 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 90:48 K:BB through 96.2 innings across 19 starts this season. Kumar Rocker was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday, so it looks like Leiter will hold onto his rotation spot after the Rangers acquired Merrill Kelly from the Diamondbacks on Thursday. Leiter is projected to make his next start at home versus the Yankees.