MLB Player News
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Bryce Miller SP | SEA
Mariners' Bryce Miller: Rehab assignment to begin Friday
Miller (elbow) is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Friday, per MLB.com.
Friday is set to mark Miller's first game action in nearly two months, and the Mariners are targeting a pitch count in the neighborhood of 55 for the right-hander. Right elbow inflammation has kept Miller on the injured list since June 7, and he figures to make two or three rehab starts before re-entering Seattle's rotation. Once Miller is ready return, it's likely that Logan Evans will be optioned back to the minor leagues.
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George Kirby SP | SEA
Mariners' George Kirby: Sharp in Thursday's win
Kirby (6-5) allowed three hits and two walks while striking out six over six shutout innings to earn the win Thursday over the Rangers.
Kirby walked multiple batters for the third time in his last four outings, but he also came away with his second straight quality start. This was his second scoreless outing of the campaign. Kirby allowed 10 runs over 29.1 innings across his five starts in July, and he added a 33:9 K:BB in that span that suggests he's rounding back into form. The right-hander is at a 4.13 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 74:18 K:BB through 72 innings across 13 starts on the year. He is lined up for a home matchup versus the White Sox next week.
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Kumar Rocker P | TEX
Rangers' Kumar Rocker: Stumbles in fifth inning
Rocker (4-5) allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three over 4.2 innings to take the loss versus the Mariners on Thursday.
Rocker fell short of the five-inning mark for the third time in his last four outings, with solo home runs by Cole Young and Cal Raleigh accounting for most of the damage Thursday. Over that four-start span, Rocker has allowed 12 runs across 19.1 innings, giving up five homers with a 15:9 K:BB. He's now at a poor 5.74 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 56:23 K:BB across 64.1 innings through 14 starts this season. With the Rangers acquiring Merrill Kelly from the Diamondbacks on Thursday, this may have been Rocker's last start in the majors for a while, as Jack Leiter and Patrick Corbin look like better bets to fill out the back of the Texas rotation.
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Luis Morales SP | ATH
Athletics' Luis Morales: Promotion expected
The Athletics are expected to select Morales' contract Friday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Morales has pitched at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels this season. He began the year as a starter but has more recently shifted to a multi-inning relief role, posting a 22:11 K:BB across 20.1 innings. Morales' fit with the big-league club is unclear, and no starter has been announced for Friday's game against the Diamondbacks.
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Troy Melton P | DET
Tigers' Troy Melton: Moving to relief role
Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Thursday that Melton will shift to a relief role, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Melton was called up from Triple-A Toledo on July 23 and has made two starts for Detroit. After coughing up six earned runs in five innings in a loss to the Pirates in his MLB debut, Melton bounced back nicely his last time out against the Diamondbacks on Monday, when he struck out five over seven shutout innings. Though he had been lined up to take the hill for his third start this Sunday against the Phillies, he'll instead head to the bullpen while trade-deadline pickup Charlie Morton steps into the fifth spot in the rotation. The Tigers likely still view Melton as a starter in the long term, but he may be stuck in the bullpen for the remainder of 2025 unless Detroit loses another rotation member to an injury.
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Tanner Houck SP | BOS
Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Shifts to 60-day IL
Houck (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Thursday.
Houck is eligible to be activated from the injured list at any time and appeared to be nearing a return. However, he was shut down indefinitely July 21 after suffering a setback, so he's currently without an official recovery timeline. The move makes room for Dustin May on the Red Sox's 40-man roster.
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Matt Mikulski SP | MIN
Twins' Matt Mikulski: Dealt to Twins
The Twins acquired Mikulski from the Astros on Thursday in exchange for shortstop Carlos Correa (illness) and cash, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Mikulski has a 5.68 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and 17:10 K:BB in 12.2 innings as a reliever this year at High-A Asheville. He's already 26 years old and on his third organization, as he was briefly drafted by the Giants in 2021 before being released in March and then joining Houston on a minor-league deal in May. He amounts to a throw-in for Minnesota as the Twins dump the remainder of Correa's salary.
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Ben Peoples SP | CHW
White Sox's Ben Peoples: Dealt to White Sox
The White Sox acquired Peoples, infielder Curtis Mead and right-hander Duncan Davitt from the Rays on Thursday in exchange for right-hander Adrian Houser, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Peoples, 24, converted from the rotation to the bullpen this season in the Rays system. He had a 2.65 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 39:20 K:BB in 37.1 innings over 35 appearances at Triple-A Durham.
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Ryan Pepiot RP | TB
Rays' Ryan Pepiot: Hit hard in New York
Pepiot (6-9) took the loss Thursday against the Yankees, allowing seven runs on six hits and three walks over four innings. He struck out four.
Pepiot struggled from the jump Thursday, giving up three runs in the first inning, capped by a 432-foot, two-run Giancarlo Stanton homer, before giving up a three-run blast to Ben Rice in the second. It's the first time in six starts that Pepiot's failed to make it through six innings, though he's posted a subpar 5.80 ERA over his last seven outings. Overall, the right-hander sports a 3.80 ERA through 23 starts (130.1 innings) with a 1.18 WHIP and 128:45 K:BB this year.
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Charlie Morton SP | ATL
Tigers' Charlie Morton: Shipped to Detroit
The Tigers acquired Morton from the Orioles on Thursday in exchange for left-hander Micah Ashman, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The Orioles will unload Morton after he put up a 5.42 ERA and 1.56 WHIP over 101.1 innings across 23 appearances (17 starts). Despite the overall struggles as a starter, the 41-year-old could stick in the rotation for Detroit since he has a 3.88 ERA in his past 11 outings.