MLB Player News

Swanson (elbow) struck out three and allowed no hits and one walk Saturday in his first appearance for the Tigers' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate after being reinstated from the 7-day injured list.

The 20-year-old righty was cleared to make his professional debut after completing his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Swanson was a ninth-round selection in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft.

McCullers (shoulder) struck out four and allowed two hits and no walks over three scoreless innings in a rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Sugar Land.

Pitching in a game for the first time since May 13 after being sent to the injured list due to a right rotator cuff impingement, McCullers delivered an encouraging performance. He mixed in five different offerings in the 42-pitch appearance, averaging 90.9 mph with his sinker while displaying strong control. McCullers had issued 22 free passes in 39.1 innings with the Astros prior to landing on the shelf, so keeping his walks in check in his subsequent rehab outings will be imperative if he hopes to reclaim a spot in a crowded Houston rotation once he returns from the 15-day IL. In addition to their current five starters, the Astros are expected to bring Cristian Javier (shoulder) back from the 60-day IL later this week, and Ronel Blanco (elbow) is also in the midst of a rehab assignment and could be an option for the rotation around the same time McCullers is ready for activation.

Javier (shoulder) struck out four and scattered three hits and two walks over six scoreless innings Saturday in a rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land.

Making the fifth start of his rehab assignment and his fourth in a row with Sugar Land, Javier turned in a brilliant performance while building up to 85 pitches (52 strikes). Though he averaged 91.8 mph with his four-seam fastball -- down a full tick from his average in three starts with Houston before landing on the shelf -- Javier was still able to make bats miss, as he induced six whiffs on that pitch and along five whiffs on his changeup. Javier will likely return from the 60-day injured list to make a start this weekend against the Rays in Houston, sliding into the rotation spot vacated by Kai-Wei Teng, who was demoted to Triple-A last weekend.

Jump (3-2) allowed five runs on 11 hits and struck out five without walking a batter over 4.2 innings to take the loss Monday versus the Dodgers.

Jump had walked at least one batter in each of his first six starts. The Dodgers didn't waste time with the bats, as the 11 hits were a season high against Jump, who wasn't up to the challenge of one of the most fearsome lineups in baseball. Despite his poor performance Monday, the rookie southpaw still has a 2.93 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 40:10 K:BB over 40 innings. He'll look to get back on track at home versus the Marlins over the weekend.

Messick (7-5) took the loss Monday, allowing four runs on eight hits and no walks over 6.2 innings against the Rangers. He struck out five.

Messick got through six innings with two runs allowed but lost steam in the seventh frame, surrendering another two runs and ultimately taking the loss. The 25-year-old followed a dazzling first 12 starts of the season with a somewhat disappointing June, going 1-4 with a 4.26 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 32:8 K:BB across 31.2 innings (five starts). Messick will take a 2.85 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 106:29 K:BB across 101 innings (17 starts) into his next outing, tentatively scheduled for Saturday against the White Sox.

Johnson (1-3) allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits and a hit batsman while striking out three and walking none over five innings to take the loss Monday versus the Mariners.

Johnson wasn't able to build off his dominant win over the Orioles from his last start. The Mariners were able to get to him in the third and fourth innings, and the Angels' offense wasn't able to offer a response. Johnson is now at a 7.40 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 18:9 K:BB over 24.1 innings through seven games (four starts) this season. The right-hander is tentatively projected to make his next start at home versus the Red Sox.

Lambert (6-5) completed 5.2 innings in a loss to Minnesota on Monday, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four batters.

The Twins made the most of their hits against Lambert, clubbing three homers to account for all four of their runs against him. The three long balls were the most the veteran righty has given up in an outing this season, though he's now served up at least one home run in each of his past five starts. Lambert had been pitching well in June coming into Monday, post a 2-0 record with a 2.31 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over four starts spanning 23.1 innings. He still has a pretty good 3.51 ERA on the campaign, and he'll try to get back on track his next time out, which is lined up to be a road matchup against the Nationals.

Kirby (7-7) allowed two runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out seven over eight innings to earn the win over the Angels on Monday.

Kirby allowed both runs within the first three innings before settling in for a strong performance. He threw 70 of 100 pitches for strikes in his fourth straight quality start. In that span, he's allowed 10 runs (nine earned) over 26 innings with a 27:6 K:BB. For the season, Kirby has a 3.81 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 91:24 K:BB through 104 innings over 17 starts.

Matthews (4-5) earned the win over Houston on Monday, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over seven innings.

Matthews gave up just one extra-base hit Monday, a fifth-inning solo homer by Cam Smith. That was also the only run the righty-handed hurler allowed en route to his third straight quality start. Matthews matched his season high with seven punchouts and needed a modest 89 pitches (59 strikes) to cover seven frames, tying his longest outing of the campaign. He's had two seven-run clunkers this season but has given up three or fewer runs in each of his other seven starts, putting him at a decent 4.15 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 46:12 K:BB through 56.1 innings overall.

Suarez (4-3) earned the win Monday, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk over six innings in a 6-3 win over the Nationals. He struck out eight.

Suarez surrendered a leadoff homer to James Wood but settled in over the middle innings before allowing a two-run double to CJ Abrams in the sixth frame, though the southpaw still was credited with a quality start and the win. Monday capped off a stellar June, during which Suarez posted a 2.10 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 35:7 K:BB across 30 innings (five starts). The 30-year-old will take a 2.94 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 92:26 K:BB across 104 innings (18 starts) into his next outing, tentatively scheduled for Sunday against the Angels.