MLB Player News

Bieber (elbow) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt was upbeat following the session, noting Bieber "felt really good," after the activity. It's unclear if Bieber will jump back into a paused rehab assignment or if more preparation is needed. The right-hander is targeted for a mid-July return,

Wacha (4-7) was saddled with the loss Wednesday against the Rays, giving up three runs on nine hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out nine.

Wacha brought some of his best swing-and-miss stuff to the mound, registering 19 whiffs en route to fanning a season-high nine in his eighth quality start of the year. The veteran right-hander poured in 65 of his 93 pitches for strikes, but he also matched a season worst in hits allowed. Through 92 frames on the campaign, Wacha holds a 3.33 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 74:24 K:BB. His next appearance is slated for next week at pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park against the Mariners, who have a poor .634 OPS at home since the start of May.

Ryan (8-3) tallied the win Wednesday against the Mariners, giving up no runs on three hits and no walks in six innings. He struck out eight.

The Mariners didn't offer much resistance Wednesday, mustering just three singles against Ryan. It was the fourth time this year that the 29-year-old right-hander produced a scoreless outing, and he efficiently fired 63 of his 91 pitches for strikes en route to fanning at least eight for the first time since May 16. Ryan will take an excellent 2.86 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 104:20 K:BB across 91.1 frames into his next appearance, which is set to come on the road against the Marlins.

Kirby (1-4) was saddled with the loss Wednesday against the Twins, giving up one run on three hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out three.

The 27-year-old right-hander surrendered a season-low one run, and he even fired 3.2 hitless innings to begin the outing. Minnesota scratched a run across via a Willi Castro single in the sixth frame, but it was still nonetheless one of Kirby's finer efforts so far this year. He's still trying to find a rhythm following a delayed start to the season due to a shoulder injury, as evidenced by his 5.40 ERA through his first 36.2 innings. However, he does carry a 36:9 K:BB and 1.28 WHIP ahead of his next scheduled matchup versus a Royals team with a .664 OPS this year.

Gordon (3-1) earned the win over Philadelphia on Wednesday, allowing four hits and striking out four batters over five scoreless innings.

Gordon demonstrated excellent control in the outing, throwing 57 of 80 pitches for strikes and issuing zero walks. That's been the strongest point of his rookie campaign -- he now has a 38:5 K:BB over 40.2 innings. Gordon finished Wednesday's appearance without giving up a run for the first time this season, lowering his ERA to 3.98. The southpaw has been better than that of late, allowing two or fewer earned runs in each of his past four starts and registering a 3-0 record during that span. He's in line to face the Rockies at Coors Field in his next outing.

Fried (10-2) earned the win against the Reds on Wednesday, allowing one unearned run on four hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over seven innings.

Fried became the first pitcher to reach 10 wins this season, generating 19 whiffs on 106 pitches while recording his fifth consecutive quality start. He has now allowed three earned runs or fewer in 16 of his 17 outings and has completed at least seven frames eight times. The southpaw ranks second in the majors with a 1.92 ERA to go along with a 0.94 WHIP and 104:21 K:BB across 108 innings. He's slated to face the Blue Jays on the road next week.

Williams did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning win against the Blue Jays, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Williams allowed just one run over his first five innings but was unable to escape the sixth, ultimately being charged with three runs (two earned) in the frame. While the 25-year-old's 20:13 K:BB over five June outings is underwhelming, he has a 2.57 ERA across 28 innings while notching three quality starts during that stretch. He'll carry a 3.68 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 80:45 K:BB across 80.2 innings into a road matchup with the Cubs.

Rasmussen (7-5) tallied the win Wednesday against the Royals, giving up no runs on two hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out five.

Wednesday marked the seventh scoreless start of the year for Rasmussen, who scattered two singles. The 29-year-old right-hander was somewhat curiously pulled after throwing just 62 pitches, his fewest of the season, but it appears the Rays are remaining cautious about his workload after he missed over a year of action across 2023 and 2024 due to elbow surgery. Rasmussen has yet to toss greater than six innings in any of his 16 outings, but he still owns an outstanding 2.45 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 72:20 K:BB across 84.1 frames. His next start is projected to come at home versus the Athletics.

Scherzer did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Guardians, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts over five innings.

Scherzer allowed a run in the first inning and two more in the fourth during his second start of the season, and first since March 29. He threw 55 of 83 pitches for strikes and generated seven whiffs in a solid return to the mound while continuing to manage thumb soreness. The 40-year-old owns a 5.63 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 5:3 K:BB through eight innings this season and lines up for a home matchup with the Yankees next week.

Flaherty (5-9) took the loss Wednesday against the A's, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks over six innings. He struck out seven.

One pitch proved to be enough to stick Flaherty with the loss Wednesday -- he gave up a three-run homer to Nick Kurtz with two outs in the third inning that proved to be the difference in a 3-0 defeat. While it's the third straight loss for Flaherty, it's a step in the right direction for the right-hander after he'd given up 15 runs in just five innings over his previous two outings. Overall, Flaherty sports a 4.80 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP and 100:35 K:BB across 16 starts (84.1 innings) this season. He's currently lined up to face the Nationals on the road his next time out.