MLB Player News

Eflin allowed three hits over six scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Yankees on Saturday. He struck out six without issuing a walk.

Eflin was locked into a pitchers' duel with opposing starter Nestor Cortes, with neither factoring into the decision. As a result, Eflin still sits with just one win this season, though he's been doing his part with a 3.68 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 26:2 K:BB in 29.1 innings. A 16-game winner a season ago, Eflin will have a great opportunity to get back into the win column next week in a matchup against the White Sox in Chicago.

Cortes allowed six hits over seven scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Rays on Saturday. He struck out nine without issuing a walk.

Cortes matched zeros with Zach Eflin and induced 17 whiffs on 102 total pitches, but the contest wasn't decided until the 10th, when the Rays scored the only runs of the game. While the lefty got off to a bit of a rocky start, he's held his opponents scoreless in two of his last three outings and has his ERA down to 3.41 through five starts this season. Cortes is tentatively in line for a favorable home matchup against the A's next week.

Miller (shoulder) said Saturday that he's going to start playing catch either Monday or Tuesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Miller was placed on the 15-day IL on April 13 due to inflammation in his right shoulder. He's been limited to plyometric work since then, but it appears he could start throwing again as soon as Monday. Miller has gone 1-1 over three starts this season, posting a 5.40 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 11.2 innings while recording 18 strikeouts.

Valdez (elbow) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Saturday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Saturday's session marks the first time Valdez has thrown off a mound since elbow inflammation sent him to the injured list April 9. The Astros will wait to see how he recovers before determining his next steps, though manager Joe Espada said it's still possible the 30-year-old southpaw is able to return without embarking on a rehab assignment.

The Marlins placed Puk (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list Saturday.

Puk has taken the loss in all four of his starts this season. He struggled again in his last outing Friday against the Cubs when he allowed seven runs on seven hits and three walks over three innings. Puk will now work on recovering from left shoulder fatigue, and the southpaw could return to the bullpen following his rehab stint if Braxton Garrett (shoulder) is back in the starting rotation.

The Marlins have appointed Munoz as the 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader against the Cubs.

Munoz will make his MLB debut and draw the start for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. Munoz has struggled with Triple-A Jacksonville, giving up 13 earned runs on 10 hits and 12 walks over 10.2 innings while striking out seven.

Meyer will pitch once a week for Triple-A Jacksonville and will be limited to three-inning outings as the Marlins target a potential return to the big-league rotation in the second half, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old right-hander appears more than ready to handle big-league hitters after posting a 2.12 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB through three starts and 17 innings for the Marlins to begin the season, but Meyer didn't pitch at all in 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery and tossed only 67 innings in 2022 across all levels. As a result, his 2024 workload was always going to be carefully monitored by the organization. Manager Skip Schumaker indicated this week that the club has no set date in mind yet for Meyer's return from Triple-A, but it could depend on the health and the performance of the team's other rotation options as much as Meyer's own numbers for Jacksonville.

Garrett (shoulder) played catch from 90 feet Friday, Isaac Azout of SBNation.com reports.

If he has no issues with his arm following the throwing session, Garrett will likely get a bullpen session in before Miami considers a date for his 2024 debut. The 26-year-old left-hander, who missed most of spring training with a sore shoulder, is now dealing with a dead arm phase after tossing 86 pitches for Triple-A Jacksonville last Friday in what appeared to be his final rehab start. There's still a chance he could join the Marlins' rotation before the end of the month.

Francis (2-2) picked up the win Friday against the Padres, allowing one hit and one walk over two scoreless relief innings. He struck out two.

After a brutal start to the season in the rotation, Francis has looked much more comfortable back in a long-relief role and has been credited with wins in back-to-back appearances while piggybacking with Yariel Rodriguez. Francis still carries an awful 9.95 ERA and 1.82 WHIP through 12.2 innings, but his 17:7 K:BB highlights his potential if he can get his control and command issues sorted out.

Strider suggested Friday that he could be back on a mound early next season after doctors found that his ligament was in "surprisingly good" shape during surgery, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander indicated that the internal bracing procedure he underwent last week ended up being necessary because of a loose bone fragment in his elbow that had developed over the last couple years. "That's what destabilized the ligament," Strider said. Atlanta will likely be cautious with its ace's recovery, but the fact that he avoided Tommy John surgery and the relatively positive news about the state of his ligament are strong signs that he could still have significant fantasy value in 2025.