MLB Player News

Fried (forearm) covered 1.1 scoreless innings and struck out a batter while allowing one hit and two walks in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Gwinnett.

After estimating that he threw around 30 pitches Tuesday in a live batting practice session, Fried bumped his workload up a bit in his first rehab start, tossing 35 pitches (18 strikes). According to Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Fried averaged around 94 miles per hour with his four-seam fastball and topped out at 96 mph, with those readings sitting roughly in line with his velocity before he landed on the injured list May 9 with a left forearm strain. Fried will likely need two more rehab starts to build up his pitch count before potentially slotting back into the Atlanta rotation in the final week of July.

Woodruff (shoulder) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Sunday with no issues and is scheduled for another session Thursday, Sophia Minnaert of Bally Sports Wisconsin reports.

The right-hander recently had his throwing program delayed due to less-than-ideal progress in his recovery between sessions, but his return to the mound Sunday was a success. Woodruff will likely need a few more bullpen sessions before being cleared to face live batters and eventually progressing to a minor-league rehab assignment.

Lively (pectoral) was activated from the 15-day injured list for his start against the Brewers on Sunday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The 31-year-old landed on the injured list with a pectoral strain after his last start June 20, and he'll rejoin Cincinnati's rotation for the final game before the All-Star break. Lively didn't embark on a rehab assignment, so he could have a limited workload in his first start back. The right-hander has been a solid back-end starter so far this season with a 4.11 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 45:13 K:BB across 46 innings.

Irvin (2-5) picked up the win Saturday, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks over five innings in an 8-3 victory over the Rangers. He struck out one.

The right-hander was far from dominant, but Washington's offense handed Irvin an 8-0 lead before Texas finally got on the board in the fourth inning. It's the 26-year-old rookie's first win in two months, but he's been giving the Nats reliable innings lately, posting a 3.69 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over six starts since the beginning of June despite a mediocre 19:11 K:BB through 31.2 frames. Irvin may face some workload concerns in the second half -- he's thrown 81 innings already in 2023 between Triple-A and the majors but tossed only 103.1 innings in the minors last year -- but he appears to be firming up his grip on a rotation spot.

Wood (4-3) picked up the win in Saturday's 5-3 victory over the Rockies, allowing three hits and a walk over five scoreless relief innings. He struck out three.

Ryan Walker lasted two innings as the opener and left with the score tied 2-2, but Wood was able to shut down the Colorado offense completely once he took the mound. The veteran southpaw tossed 47 of 72 pitches for strikes as he remained locked in an alternating pattern of great outings and poor ones -- he's flipped between winning and losing in every appearance since May 26, posting a 0.43 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in the four wins but a brutal 15.43 ERA and 2.68 WHIP in the three defeats. Wood has worked behind an opener in his last three trips to the mound, and the Giants might keep him in that bulk relief role until he shows some consistency.

Seabold (1-6) took the loss Saturday, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk over 3.2 innings as the Rockies were downed 5-3 by the Giants. He struck out three.

The right-hander needed 73 pitches (47 strikes) to record just 11 outs as he failed to complete four innings for the second time in his last four outings. Seabold is proving to be overmatched as a rotation option. losing four straight starts and posting a 12.96 ERA and 1.92 WHIP over that stretch, but Colorado doesn't have any clear alternatives to replace him after the All-Star break.

Smyly (7-6) took the loss Saturday, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks over four innings against the Yankees. He struck out three.

Smyly was victimized by the long ball early, surrendering a solo homer to Giancarlo Stanton in the first inning and another solo shot to Josh Donaldson in the second. The right-hander allowed runs in each of his first three innings of work and failed to make it beyond the fourth inning for the third consecutive start. He's now lost five of his last seven starts and has given up at least two homers in three of his last five.

Strider improved to 11-2 with a win against Tampa Bay on Saturday. He pitched 6.1 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out 11 batters.

Strider wrapped up an All-Star first half in dominant fashion, racking up 25 swinging strikes and 11 punchouts over 6.1 scoreless frames. He grabbed his seventh win over his past eight starts, a span during which he's posted a 4.02 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 69:13 K:BB over 47 innings. Strider leads MLB with 166 punchouts on the campaign, and he's tied with Zac Gallen and Shane McClanahan (back) for first with 11 victories. The right-hander has notched double-digit strikeouts in six of his 18 starts.

Keller did not factor in the decision against Arizona on Saturday, tossing seven scoreless innings during which he allowed one hit and five walks while striking out four batters.

Keller was a bit wild in the contest, throwing just 57 of 99 pitches for a strike and walking a season-high five hitters. However, the free passes didn't hurt him since he didn't allow more than one in any frame and yielded just one hit (a sixth-inning single by Ketel Marte). Following a rough patch in late May and early June, Keller has notched four quality starts over his past six outings, a span during which he's posted a 2.68 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. The right-hander heads into the All-Star break in the midst of a career-best campaign in which he's recorded a 3.31 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 129:34 K:BB over 117 innings to go along with a 9-4 record.

Rea allowed five runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over 4.2 innings in a no-decision against Cincinnati on Saturday.

Rea got through two frames without giving up a run before serving up a solo homer to Will Benson in the third inning and a three-run shot to Joey Votto in the fourth. The right-hander was charged with another run in the fifth, though it came after he had already departed. Rea had been pitching well coming into Saturday, collecting two straight quality starts during which he allowed just three runs and eight hits over 13 innings. However, he enters the All-Star break with mediocre numbers overall, including a 4.71 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 67:26 K:BB over 80.1 frames.