MLB Player News

Shields was traded from the Yankees to the Rockies on Thursday along with Roc Riggio in exchange for Jake Bird, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Shields is a 26-year-old starter who has never pitched in the majors and hasn't pitched at Triple-A since last year, but any dynasty appeal he had is now dashed with the move to Colorado. The 6-foot-4 lefty has a 3.42 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 26:10 K:BB in 23.2 innings across five starts at Double-A this year.

Taillon (calf) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, per MLB.com.

Taillon faced hitters in a 40-pitch live batting practice session Tuesday, and his next step is a rehab assignment in Iowa. The veteran has already been able to build his stamina some by throwing off a mound during his recovery from a calf strain, so his rehab stint may be fairly brief. Taillon has been out since June 29, and Chicago manager Craig Counsell said a few days later that the pitcher would miss about a month, so the righty appears on track to return to the Cubs' rotation in the near future.

The Nationals acquired Randall and R.J. Sales from the Tigers on Thursday in exchange for Kyle Finnegan, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Randall has posted a 3.92 ERA and 70:15 K:BB over 80.1 frames covering 17 starts between the Single- and High-A levels in 2025. The 22-year-old right-hander was a third-round pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft.

Sheehan (2-2) took the loss against the Reds on Wednesday, allowing three unearned runs on one hit and three walks while striking out five batters over 3.2 innings.

Shohei Ohtani (lower body) started and completed three innings, and after Anthony Banda took over for one frame, Sheehan entered in the fifth. The right-hander breezed through three scoreless innings before a pair of walks got him into trouble in the eighth. Sheehan almost got out of the inning, but Andy Pages dropped a foul ball that could have been the third out, and Cincinnati went on to score three times. Despite taking the loss, Sheehan impressed, racking up 15 whiffs on his 72 pitches and notching five punchouts. The Dodgers are still figuring out their rotation with Blake Snell (shoulder) set to return Saturday, but that may not keep Sheehan from working as a starter moving forward, as the team is using a six-man rotation and Dustin May is headed to the bullpen, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

The Padres acquired Sears and Mason Miller from the Athletics on Thursday in exchange for Leo De Vries and three pitchers, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Sears has posted a 4.95 ERA and 97:29 K:BB over 111 innings covering 22 starts this season for the Athletics and comes with team control through the 2028 campaign. With Sears supplementing their rotation, the Padres could now be more motivated to trade Dylan Cease to enhance their roster elsewhere.

Brown is listed as the Cubs' probable starting pitcher for Saturday's game against the Orioles at Wrigley Field.

Brown will make his second straight turn through the Chicago rotation after he delivered an impressive start his last time out Sunday, when he earned a win while limiting the White Sox to one earned run on three hits and no walks over five innings. Though most of his underlying ratios suggest that he's pitched far better than the 6.22 ERA he's posted over 88.1 innings in the majors this season, Brown could find himself back in the bullpen or at Triple-A Iowa following Saturday's start, regardless of how he performs. The Cubs acquired Michael Soroka from the Nationals on Wednesday, and he's expected to replace Brown at the back end of the rotation.

Nelson (6-3) took the loss Wednesday, giving up four runs (one earned) on six hits over 5.1 innings as the Diamondbacks fell 7-2 to the Tigers. He struck out eight without walking a batter.

The right-hander was rolling until the fifth inning, when a Geraldo Perdomo throwing error set the stage for a three-run frame by Detroit and handed Nelson his first loss since June 7. He still set a new season high in strikeouts, and he's been tagged for more than two earned runs only once in his last nine trips to the mound, a stretch in which he's posted a 1.95 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 43:13 K:BB over 50.2 innings while going 4-1. With Arizona in sell mode, his run support could become shaky the rest of the way, but Nelson will look to get back in the win column in his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Padres.

Atlanta selected Carrasco's contract and will have him start Thursday against the Reds in Cincinnati.

Acquired from the Yankees earlier this week, Carrasco didn't end up reporting to Triple-A Gwinnett and will end up slotting into the opening in the Atlanta rotation that was created when Grant Holmes (elbow) landed on the injured list Sunday. Over eight appearances (six starts) in the big leagues with New York earlier this season, Carrasco posted a 5.91 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over 32 innings, but the veteran right-hander had been pitching effectively lately at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Over his five outings this month, Carrasco submitted a 2.23 ERA and 0.93 WHIP while issuing just three walks over 32.1 innings.

Martinez didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out seven.

Martinez was able to pitch at least six frames Wednesday for the first time in his last five starts, and the seven punchouts represented his highest total since his April 29 outing in San Francisco. The 34-year-old right-hander also tossed at least five frames while yielding two runs or fewer in his fourth straight appearance. Martinez owns a 4.64 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 93:31 K:BB over 127 innings this year, and he'll have his work cut out for him against the Cubs at Wrigley Field in his next scheduled start.

Mikolas (6-8) took the loss against Miami on Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts over six innings.

Mikolas was tagged for a two-run homer by Jesus Sanchez in the third inning, but those were the only runs he surrendered. That was enough to send him to his eighth loss, however, as the Cardinals offense couldn't provide any run support. Mikolas did manage to notch his first quality start over his past seven appearances and has yielded just two runs over his past two starts. He's lined up for a tough road matchup against the Dodgers in his next outing.