MLB Player News

Keller is listed as the Pirates' probable starter for Saturday's game in Cincinnati, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

At least for this week, the Pirates will be sticking with a six-man rotation, allowing Keller and Bryse Wilson to make their second starts with the club after both were recently activated. After a nearly two-month stint at Triple-A Indianapolis, Keller faltered in his return to the Pittsburgh rotation last weekend versus the Phillies. He gave the Pirates five innings but was touched up for four runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out two.

Cueto (7-6) took the loss Tuesday versus Arizona. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and four walks with seven strikeouts in five innings.

The right-hander allowed 10 or more baserunners for just the third time in his 18 starts this year. Arizona got all three of its runs in the second inning, and San Francisco's offense was unusually quiet while failing to cover the damage. Cueto hasn't gone more than six innings in any of his last six outings. He has a 3.83 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 89:23 K:BB through 98.2 innings. The veteran will attempt to get back on track in Milwaukee this weekend.

Lauer has tested positive for COVID-19, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Lauer is the seventh player for the Brewers to land on the COVID-19 IL during the team's recent outbreak. The southpaw was tentatively scheduled to make his next start Monday against the Cubs, but the team hasn't announced who will take his place in the rotation. The 26-year-old will be away from the team until he tests negative and clears the league's health and safety protocols.

Thompson has missed the entire season due to recurring shoulder tightness but could return sometime in August, Kyle Glaser of Baseball America reports.

Thompson entered the season as one of Chicago's top pitching prospects, but he is already 25, so this injury came at a terrible time with regards to his development. He has never pitched above Low-A, but he could be given an aggressive assignment if he is able to move past this shoulder issue.

Hamels and the Dodgers came to terms Wednesday on a one-year, $1 million deal, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network was first to report the Dodgers were nearing a deal with the four-time All-Star, who has made only one MLB start since the 2019 season due to recurring shoulder issues. The 37-year-old avoided offseason surgery, and though he wasn't able to get back to full health in time for spring training, Hamels has been throwing bullpen sessions in showcase events for the past month and looks to be back to 100 percent at this point. Because of his prolonged shutdown, Hamels will have to go through a de facto spring training at the Dodgers' complex in Arizona, so he won't be immediately activated. Assuming he's able to get ramped up over the next month, Hamels could join the Dodgers in late August or early September and fill a depth role in a Los Angeles rotation that's currently missing multiple starters. During his last healthy season in 2019 with the Cubs, Hamels posted a 3.81 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 143:56 K:BB in 141.2 innings.

Walker (7-6) took the loss Tuesday, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks over 5.2 innings as the Mets were downed 5-4 by the Marlins. He struck out four.

Heading into the All-Star break, Walker held a sparkling 2.50 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Since then he's been in a tailspin, getting tagged for at least four runs in four straight starts and serving up multiple homers in three straight, including shots by Alex Jackson and Isan Diaz (combined four homers in the majors this year) on Tuesday. Walker's ERA now stands at 3.86, but the Mets' lack of rotation depth due to injuries will force the club to keep trotting him out to the mound every five days or so, hoping he can turn things around.

Mahle didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 7-5 loss to the Twins, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out five.

A blown save by Heath Hembree cost Mahle his ninth win, but this was far from his sharpest performance. The right-hander appeared to be fading a little in the summer heat -- after striking out at least six batters in nine straight starts, Mahle only has a 12:7 K:BB through 16 innings over his last three outings. On the season, he sports a 3.86 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.

Fried (8-7) earned the win over St. Louis on Tuesday, pitching six scoreless innings and allowing four hits and one walk while striking out seven.

The southpaw didn't surrender any extra-base hits and allowed only one runner to reach second base. He kept his opponent off the scoreboard for just the second time this season and snapped a personal two-game losing streak. Fried has tossed at least five innings in each of his past 10 appearances dating back to June 6. His ERA still sits at an uninspiring 4.05, but he has mostly pitched well since starting the campaign by giving up 14 earned runs over his first 11 innings. Fried is expected to make his next start on the road against Washington this weekend.

Houser allowed one earned run on no hits and five walks while striking out four across 6.1 innings Tuesday against the Pirates. He did not factor into the decision.

Houser held the Pirates without a hit, but he struggled with his command and was pulled after 104 pitches. He generated 10 groundball outs, which helped him escape danger. Though Houser has not allowed an earned run across his last 13.1 frames, he has only eight strikeouts with six walks in that span. He'll need to improve on those marks -- particularly in tougher matchups -- to remain effective at run prevention. For the season, Houser has a 3.55 ERA with 80 strikeouts and 48 walks across 104 innings.

Freeland (2-6) had X-rays come back negative on his left foot after leaving Tuesday's start against the Cubs after five innings. The lefty allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts and zero walks to earn the victory.

Freeland was struck by a line drive during the fifth inning and was pulled at 66 pitches after completing the frame. The 28-year-old was apparently a bit hobbled following the contest due to the bruise, but the team hopes he'll be ready for his next turn through the rotation, which tentatively lines up for Sunday versus Miami.