MLB Player News
-
Paul Skenes P | PIT
Pirates' Paul Skenes: Blanks Cincy to end year
Skenes came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 4-3 extra-innings win over the Reds, allowing four hits over six scoreless innings. He struck out seven without walking a batter.
The young ace made his closing statement on a strong NL Cy Young Award case, racking up 18 swinging strikes among his 85 pitches (57 total strikes), and Skenes left the mound in line for his 11th win of the season before Dennis Santana blew the save in the ninth. Skenes leads the Senior Circuit in ERA (1.97) and WHIP (0.95) and is tied for the lead with Logan Webb and Jesus Luzardo in strikeouts at 216, although Webb lines up for one more outing this weekend.
-
Sonny Gray SP | BOS
Cardinals' Sonny Gray: Will consider waiving NTC
Gray said Wednesday that he will "definitely" consider waiving his no-trade clause this offseason in order to facilitate a deal to a contender, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Gray declined to waive his no-trade clause when asked last offseason, but he's had a change of heart as the Cardinals continue their rebuilding phase. The right-hander is owed $35 million in 2026 and has a $5 million buyout on a $30 million club option for 2027, so it's a substantial chunk of salary for a contender to take on. However, there is sure to be plenty of interest after Gray had another strong season, posting a 4.28 ERA (3.39 FIP) and 201:38 K:BB over 180.2 innings.
-
Matthew Liberatore SP | STL
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Will not make another start
Liberatore is no longer scheduled to start during this weekend's series against the Cubs, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Liberatore has logged 151.2 innings in 2025, 65.2 more than he threw in 2024, so the Cardinals will shut the lefty down now that they're officially eliminated from playoff contention. The 25-year-old slowed considerably after an excellent first two months of the season, but he had a strong September and will finish with a 4.21 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 122:40 K:BB over 29 starts in his first full season as a big-league starter. Liberatore is locked into a rotation spot in 2026 in what is looking like another rebuilding year in St. Louis.
-
Matthew Boyd SP | CHC
Cubs' Matthew Boyd: Grabs 14th win
Boyd (14-8) earned the win Wednesday against the Mets, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out three over 5.1 innings.
Coming off a rough outing in which he lasted just three frames versus Pittsburgh, the left-hander bounced back strong by retiring 13 of the first 15 batters he faced. His lone blemish came in the fifth, when Francisco Alvarez connected for a two-run homer. Boyd had entered the contest struggling with a 6.54 ERA across his previous six starts, but he closed the regular season on a high note. In his first year with the Cubs, the 34-year-old was a steady rotation piece, finishing with a 3.21 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 154:42 K:BB through 179.2 innings.
-
Tanner Gordon P | COL
Rockies' Tanner Gordon: Poor showing in eighth loss
Gordon (6-8) took the loss Wednesday against the Mariners, allowing seven runs (five earned) on eight hits and no walks in 3.1 innings. He struck out three.
Gordon was unable to build on his prior two outings, which were both quality starts, as it was his shortest outing since Aug. 4 against the Blue Jays. The right-hander did manage to issue zero walks for the first time Aug. 10, but that's about the extent of the positive takeaways from Wednesday. Gordon has likely made his last appearance in 2025, ending the season with a miserable 6.33 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 62:17 K:BB across 75.1 innings, though five of his last seven outings were quality starts.
-
Sonny Gray SP | BOS
Cardinals' Sonny Gray: Reaches 200 Ks in no-decision
Gray allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over six innings in a no-decision against San Francisco on Wednesday.
Gray fared pretty well Wednesday, notching his second straight quality start and 14th overall this season. He threw 99 pitches (63 strikes) and racked up an impressive 18 whiffs. This was presumably the final time Gray will take the mound this season with the Cardinals on the verge of being eliminated from postseason contention. If that ends up being the case, Gray will finish with a 4.28 ERA. 1.23 WHIP and 201:38 K:BB over 180.2 innings spanning 32 starts while posting a 14-8 record. This is the second straight season, and the third time in his lengthy career, that he's reached 200 punchouts in a campaign.
-
Ryne Nelson SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Ryne Nelson: Racks up season-high nine punchouts
Nelson allowed three runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out nine batters over six innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Wednesday.
Nelson got off to a rough start when Shohei Ohtani led off the game with a triple and Mookie Betts brought him home on a sacrifice fly. However, the right-hander did pretty well thereafter, giving up just two more runs (on a homer by Andy Pages in the fourth inning). Nelson thus notched his sixth quality start over his past seven outings and also set a new season-high mark with nine strikeouts. Nelson has been a bit of a revelation this year -- if this was his final regular-season appearance, he'll finish with a 3.39 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 132:41 K:BB over 154 innings spanning 33 outings (23 starts).
-
Blake Snell SP | LAD
Dodgers' Blake Snell: Excellent again Wednesday
Snell allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out five batters over six innings in a no-decision against Arizona on Wednesday.
Snell wasn't able to notch double-digit strikeouts as he had in his previous two outings, but he did extend his quality-start streak to three contests. The left-hander threw 63 of his 95 pitches for strikes and induced nine whiffs. This was presumably Snell's final appearance of the regular season, so he'll likely finish with a 2.35 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 72:26 K:BB over 61.1 innings spanning 11 starts. Snell has been particularly strong down the stretch, allowing just one run across 19 frames while posting a 28:5 K:BB over his past three starts. He'll undoubtedly be in Los Angeles' postseason rotation, and he's relatively fresh after missing fourth months of big-league action from early April to early August due to a shoulder injury.
-
Roki Sasaki P | LAD
Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Officially activated
The Dodgers reinstated Sasaki (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
After posting a 6.10 ERA across 20.2 innings during his rehab assignment at Triple-A Oklahoma City, Sasaki will rejoin the Dodgers' pitching staff for the first time since injuring his shoulder in May. He's slated to work out of the bullpen to finish the 2025 campaign, taking the place of Kirby Yates (hamstring), who was placed on the injured list in a corresponding move.
-
Chad Patrick P | MIL
Brewers' Chad Patrick: Strikes out six in three innings
Patrick did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Padres, allowing two hits and two walks across three scoreless innings. He struck out six.
Patrick was deployed as a pseudo-opener Wednesday, only throwing 57 pitches, though he was certainly effective in the role. In his last four appearances, including two starts, Patrick has allowed just two runs across 9.1 innings while punching out 13. Overall, the rookie right-hander sports a 3.56 ERA with a 1.28 WHIP and 125:39 K:BB across 118.2 innings this season.