MLB Player News

Houser didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Astros, allowing two hits and a walk across six scoreless innings. He struck out five.

It was an impressive afternoon for Houser, as the right-hander logged his first quality start since May 17. Houser has given up just one run over his last two outings (11 innings), allowing eight hits while striking out nine in that span. Houser, who now sports a 4.28 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP across 103 innings this year, figures to remain in San Francisco's rotation following the departures of Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle at the trade deadline.

Kelly (8-10) took the loss Wednesday against the Rockies, allowing six runs on six hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out two.

Four of the runs charged to Kelly came in the fourth inning, capped by a Brett Sullivan three-run homer. He'd subsequently give up a two-run blast to Zac Veen in the fourth. While the long ball hurt Kelly earlier this season, he'd been doing a better job of keeping the ball in the park coming into Wednesday's outing -- he allowed just one homer over 16.1 innings in his previous three starts. Kelly's ERA now sits at 5.11 through 22 starts (125 innings) this season, alongside a 1.48 WHIP and 82:53 K:BB. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, currently slated to come on the road against the Red Sox.

Feltner (5-6) earned the win Wednesday over the Diamondbacks, allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out two.

Feltner managed to work out of trouble for most of the outing, holding Arizona to a run in the first inning before giving up a second on a Gabriel Moreno two-out double in the fifth. It's a step in the right direction for the 29-year-old Feltner, who'd struggled to a 9.39 ERA over 23 innings in his previous five starts. Overall, the right-hander sports a 5.59 ERA with a 1.48 WHIP and 61:36 K:BB across 18 starts (87 innings) this season. Feltner is currently lined up to face the Dodgers at home his next time out.

Leiter (ankle) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Thursday will mark Leiter's first taste of game action since he underwent surgery on his right ankle in June. He's expected to make multiple starts in the minors before returning from the injured list, and the plan is for him to throw about 40-to-45 pitches during his first outing.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Wednesday that Meyer (neck) received a cortisone shot to relieve discomfort in the rib area, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Miami placed Meyer on the 15-day injured list July 20 due to a neck strain, but his rib has apparently also been bothering him and has delayed his ramp-up process. If the shot yields the desired effect and alleviates the pain, Meyer is expected to begin throwing shortly thereafter and gear up for a return from the IL. Assuming the Marlins plan on having Meyer prepare for a starting role prior to being activated, he'll still likely need at least a few weeks to build back up, so a return before the end of August could be ambitious.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Wednesday that Smith-Shawver is "on the cusp" of being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, Barrett Sallee of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Smith-Shawver has been on the shelf for most of the season while recovering from June 2025 Tommy John surgery, but he was activated in late July and then sent to Gwinnett after making a lone 4.1-inning spot start for the big club. The right-hander has turned in a pair of strong starts since heading to Gwinnett, including a gem of an outing Tuesday in which he struck out seven over 5.1 scoreless frames while permitting just one baserunner. Per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Weiss made it clear Wednesday that he prefers to keep a five-man rotation intact, so once Smith-Shawver gets called up, Atlanta will likely look to move two of Reynaldo Lopez (knee), Tyler Mahle, Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes and Martin Perez to the bullpen.

The Blue Jays recalled Bloss from Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday and placed him on the 60-day injured list while he recovers from a right teres major strain, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The transaction clears a spot on the Blue Jays' 40-man roster for the addition of waiver claim Paul Sewald. Bloss had been shelved at Triple-A for the past month due to the injury, and while he should be ready to go for the start of the 2027 season, he's not expected to pitch again in 2026, per MLB.com.

Astros manager Joe Espada said that Blanco will be available out of the bullpen for Wednesday's game against the Giants, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Blanco has struggled to the tune of a 6.98 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 17:11 K:BB over 19.1 innings while starting in his first four appearances since coming off the 60-day injured list July 20. The Astros will have reliever Bryan King open Wednesday's game and presumably cover an inning or two, but it's unclear if Espada intends to use Blanco or Tatsuya Imai in bulk relief, or if both pitchers will be called upon to eat innings. If Blanco ends up going unused Wednesday, he could step back into the rotation at some point during this weekend's series versus the Mariners.

Quintana (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Quintana most recently tossed a 23-pitch bullpen session Sunday that consisted of all fastballs and changeups. The veteran southpaw -- who has been on the shelf since May 25 due to an elbow sprain -- could soon be cleared to face hitters and appears to be tracking toward a return to the Rockies' active roster in late August or early September.

Imai is expected to work in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Bryan King during Wednesday's game in San Francisco, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros haven't provided official word that Imai will pitch Wednesday, but he hasn't been used since Aug. 3 and didn't join the team's other relievers in the bullpen for Tuesday's 4-1 loss, which seemingly signaled that he was being saved for the series finale. Since being dropped from the rotation in late July, Imai has made two relief appearances and was sharp in his most recent outing, striking out five over three perfect innings. King will likely cover the first inning or two before giving way to Imai, who should be capable of providing a decent amount of length since he had only recently been removed from a starting role.