MLB Player News
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Cole Ragans RP | KC
Royals' Cole Ragans: Tosses live batting practice
Ragans (shoulder) threw a 30-pitch live batting practice session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
Ragans' recovery from a torn left rotator cuff has been slow and deliberate, with Wednesday marking his first time facing live hitters since he was placed on the injured list June 11. While no firm timeline has been set for Ragans' return, the next step for the 27-year-old would likely be heading out on a rehab assignment to build up his pitch count with the hope of rejoining the big club in the second half of September.
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Ben Hess SP | NYY
Yankees' Ben Hess: Missing bats for Patriots
Hess has a 3.16 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 32:10 K:BB in 25.2 innings across five starts for Double-A Somerset.
The Yankees selected Hess with the 26th pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft and he has logged 20 starts and 92.1 innings thus far in his first pro season. Hess, who was promoted from High-A Hudson Valley to Double-A on Aug. 5, has a strong 33.2 percent strikeout rate on the year, but his 11.3 percent walk rate is a tad high. Hess has a couple plus pitches in his mid-90s fastball and mid-70s curveball while his slider and changeup lag behind. He should spend the bulk of 2026 at Triple-A, but a summer promotion to the big leagues is in play if Hess picks up where he left off this season.
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Will Warren P | NYY
Yankees' Will Warren: Logs no-decision Wednesday
Warren allowed two runs on five hits and no walks while striking out four batters over five-plus innings in a no-decision against Houston on Wednesday.
Warren had a 4-1 lead heading into the sixth, but he was pulled after giving up a leadoff homer to Jeremy Pena in that frame. New York's bullpen went on to allow the Astros to eventually take the lead, preventing Warren from earning his second straight win. Still, this was a promising result for the right-hander, who has given up two or fewer runs in seven of his past eight starts. He has a 2.79 ERA during that span, lowering his overall mark to 4.28 on the season.
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Jason Alexander SP | HOU
Astros' Jason Alexander: Fans six over five frames
Alexander allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six batters over five innings in a no-decision against the Yankees on Wednesday.
Alexander wasn't dominant Wednesday, and all three runs he allowed scored on a pair of Yankees homers. Nonetheless, he kept Houston within arm's length, which proved critical when the Astros mounted a comeback over the sixth through eighth frames. Alexander has now given up three or fewer runs in seven straight outings, posting a 2.79 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with a 38:10 K:BB across 38.2 innings during that span. That's earned him a spot in the rotation for now, while Lance McCullers has been moved to the bullpen.
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Jeffrey Springs SP | ATH
Athletics' Jeffrey Springs: Takes 10th loss in quality start
Springs (10-10) took the loss against St. Louis on Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four batters over six innings.
Springs pitched well Wednesday, giving up just a single run in each of the third and seventh innings, However, the Athletics' offense wasn't able to put its only run on the board until the eighth frame. Despite the defeat, Springs managed his first quality start since Aug. 6 and notched a healthy 10 whiffs. He's slated for a home matchup against Boston his next time out.
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Ryan Bergert P | KC
Royals' Ryan Bergert: Continues to impress in KC
Bergert didn't factor into the decision against the Angels on Wednesday, allowing one run on one hit and three walks while striking out six over five innings.
The right-hander was in control for most of the outing, allowing just three baserunners through five frames before exiting after issuing a walk to Zach Neto to lead off the sixth. That runner later came around to score on a Jo Adell homer, leaving Bergert with his lone earned run. Since joining the Royals, Bergert has been remarkably steady, not allowing more than two runs in any of his starts while completing at least five innings in each. Over that stretch, the 25-year-old has posted a 2.43 ERA with a 31:11 K:BB through 33.1 innings, and his next turn against Cleveland presents another favorable matchup given the Guardians' offensive struggles.
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Yoendrys Gomez RP | TB
White Sox's Yoendrys Gomez: Strikes out five in no-decision
Gomez didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against Minnesota, allowing one run on seven hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out five.
Gomez has done some quality work since joining Chicago's rotation, as Wednesday's showing was his third start where he's surrendered one run or no runs. The 25-year-old right-hander tossed a season-high 94 pitches in what was his fifth start of the year, so he's certainly built up to handle a traditional starter's workload to wrap up the campaign. Gomez has a 3.42 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 27:12 K:BB over 23.2 innings as a starter for the White Sox, and he's next scheduled to take the mound at home against the Rays.
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Zebby Matthews P | MIN
Twins' Zebby Matthews: Punches out five in strong outing
Matthews didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the White Sox, allowing one run on three hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out five.
Matthews has now logged a quality start in consecutive outings for the first time all year. The three hits allowed fell one shy of matching his season low, and the 25-year-old right-hander tallied an impressive 14 swinging strikes on the evening. Matthews still has work to do in order to improve his 4.73 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, though he does have 75 punchouts over 64.2 innings. His strong 26.6 percent strikeout rate could help give him an edge for his next scheduled matchup against the Angels, who have the most strikeouts (1,365) in MLB as a team.
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George Kirby SP | SEA
Mariners' George Kirby: Overwhelmed by Rays in early exit
Kirby (8-7) was handed the loss against the Rays on Wednesday, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits with one strikeout across two innings.
Kirby endured the roughest outing of his career, failing to work into the third frame for the first time in his 108 MLB starts. The appearance went down as the shortest of his four-year tenure and matched the second-highest run total he's ever allowed in a game. Kirby was peppered for 10 hits by the 17 batters he faced, consisting of eight singles and two doubles. It was an uncharacteristic barrage of hard contact for the typically steady starter, who will try to put this outing behind him as he heads into his next scheduled turn against St. Louis. Kirby has a 4.47 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 104:26 K:BB across 104.2 innings this season.
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Adrian Houser SP | SF
Rays' Adrian Houser: Fans season-high eight in win
Houser (8-4) earned the win over the Mariners on Wednesday, allowing four runs on four hits and one walk while striking out eight over seven innings.
Houser cruised through the first five frames and allowed just one baserunner, but things fell apart in the sixth inning, when he surrendered all four of his runs. Despite the stumble, Houser still logged a season-high eight strikeouts and was good enough to take home the win. Since being acquired by the Rays, however, he's allowed four or more runs in four of six starts, posting a 4.91 ERA and 27:10 K:BB across 33 innings during that stretch. The 32-year-old will look to replicate the strong early innings from Wednesday's outing in his next scheduled start against his former team, the White Sox.