MLB Player News

Soroka did not factor into the decision Friday, allowing one earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out three over five innings in the loss to the Padres.

Soroka turned in a solid outing Friday, with the only damage coming on a second-inning sacrifice fly from Jake Cronenworth. However, a lack of offensive support from Washington's lineup once again left the right-hander without a chance at a win. Still, it was a step in the right direction for the 27-year-old, who has now allowed two or fewer runs in three of his last four starts. Soroka will carry a 5.10 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 77:21 K:BB into his next start, which is scheduled for Wednesday against the Reds.

Strider (4-7) picked up the win after throwing six shutout innings Friday, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out eight during a 7-3 win over the Yankees.

As far as starts to the second half go, it'd be hard to imagine a better one for Strider. He put up all zeros in a start for the second time this season, with the other start coming June 14 against the Rockies. That start against Colorado marked the beginning of a seven-start streak of allowing three runs or fewer that is still ongoing. Over that time, the 26-year-old is 4-2 with a 2.55 ERA and 58 strikeouts across 42.2 frames.

Cease did not factor into the decision in Friday's win against the Nationals, dealing 5.1 scoreless innings while allowing four hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts.

Cease bounced back in dominant fashion Friday, silencing the Nationals into the sixth inning while racking up double-digit strikeouts for the third time this season. The right-hander had been in a rough patch leading up to this start, posting a 6.51 ERA over 27.2 innings over his previous five appearances. While consistency has eluded the 29-year-old ace at times this year, his ability to miss bats remains intact, as he's now tallied 139 strikeouts across 108.2 innings. Cease will look to build on this performance when he takes the mound against the Marlins next week.

Rea (8-3) earned the win Friday against the Red Sox, allowing one run on four hits and four walks over five innings while recording five strikeouts.

For the fourth consecutive start, Rea earned the win and limited the damage to two or fewer runs. The only run charged to the right-hander Friday came on a third-inning RBI double by rookie Roman Anthony, but otherwise, the veteran kept Boston in check. Over this four-game win streak, the 35-year-old has quietly pieced together a 1.90 ERA with 16 strikeouts across 23.2 innings, showcasing an ability to navigate lineups with efficiency even without overpowering stuff. Rea will look to make it five straight when he takes the mound Wednesday, July 23 against Kansas City.

Reds manager Terry Francona said Friday that Greene (groin) is on track to make a rehab start in the Arizona Complex League early next week, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

The plan is for Greene to make one start in Arizona before continuing his rehab at Triple-A Louisville. The 25-year-old suffered a setback in his recovery from a strained right groin early in July. It's unclear how many rehab appearances he'll need, but he shouldn't be expected back until sometime in August.

Nola (ankle/rib) will throw 35 pitches against live hitters Saturday and throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Nola will face hitters for the first time since being placed on the injured list May 16. If all goes well in the live session and subsequent bullpen, he could embark upon a minor-league rehab assignment. Nola is expected to require multiple rehab starts before being cleared, making a mid-August return likely.

Oviedo's (lat) minor-league rehab assignment was transferred from Low-A Bradenton to Double-A Altoona on Friday.

Oviedo got up to 2.2 innings in his most recent minor-league start -- his fourth of what's expected to be a lengthy rehab assignment. He hasn't pitched for the Pirates since 2023, as he missed the entire 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery before sustaining a strained lat during spring training.

Blackburn (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with the Mets' Florida Complex League affiliate Friday.

A previous report indicated Blackburn's rehab stint would begin at Single-A St. Lucie on Friday, but he'll get his start in the FCL instead. He's expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list in late July, and will likely fill a long relief role with the Mets' rotation nearly at full strength.

The Pirates are not expected to skip any of Skenes' starts in the second half but will likely have him throw a few more "low-volume outings" as a means to manage his workload, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The club is also expected to give Skenes extra rest in between starts a few times in the second half, when possible. Skenes threw 160.1 innings in 2024, and Hiles believes the Pirates' goal is to get the righty into the 190s in 2025, with 200 innings being the cap. It's relatively mild as far as workload limitations go, but it does dampen Skenes' outlook slightly. The right-hander began to see his workload curtailed a bit late in the first half, as he threw fewer than 80 pitches in three of his last four starts and fewer than 90 pitches in the other outing. Prior to that, Skenes had averaged 98.7 pitches per start in his first 16 outings of the season.

Lin was placed on the 7-day injured list at High-A Peoria on Thursday with an undisclosed injury.

It's not clear when Lin was hurt or what injury he's battling, but he had struggled in his last five starts with Peoria, posting a 7.27 ERA and 23:18 K:BB over 17.1 frames. The 6-foot-7 Lin is one of the Cardinals' better pitching prospects, but he's yet to advance past A-ball at 23 years old and is now injured.