MLB Player News

Fried (forearm) covered 1.1 scoreless innings and struck out a batter while allowing one hit and two walks in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Gwinnett.

After estimating that he threw around 30 pitches Tuesday in a live batting practice session, Fried bumped his workload up a bit in his first rehab start, tossing 35 pitches (18 strikes). According to Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Fried averaged around 94 miles per hour with his four-seam fastball and topped out at 96 mph, with those readings sitting roughly in line with his velocity before he landed on the injured list May 9 with a left forearm strain. Fried will likely need two more rehab starts to build up his pitch count before potentially slotting back into the Atlanta rotation in the final week of July.

Woodruff (shoulder) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Sunday with no issues and is scheduled for another session Thursday, Sophia Minnaert of Bally Sports Wisconsin reports.

The right-hander recently had his throwing program delayed due to less-than-ideal progress in his recovery between sessions, but his return to the mound Sunday was a success. Woodruff will likely need a few more bullpen sessions before being cleared to face live batters and eventually progressing to a minor-league rehab assignment.

Cortes (shoulder) was "totally pain free" during his 20-pitch simulated game Sunday and is scheduled for another session Thursday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

It was the left-hander's first time facing live batters since he landed on the shelf with a shoulder strain in early June, and he should continue building up his workload Thursday. Cortes won't be eligible to be activated until early August since he was recently transferred to the 60-day IL, but he wasn't a likely bet to return much before that regardless since he'll require a multi-outing rehab assignment in the minors.

The Orioles promoted McDermott from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

Coming out of the upcoming All-Star break, McDermott will be debuting with the Orioles' top affiliate after an impressive 14-start run at Double-A to begin the 2023 campaign. Over 68.1 innings with Bowie, McDermott submitted a 3.56 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 88:44 K:BB.

Lively (pectoral) was activated from the 15-day injured list for his start against the Brewers on Sunday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The 31-year-old landed on the injured list with a pectoral strain after his last start June 20, and he'll rejoin Cincinnati's rotation for the final game before the All-Star break. Lively didn't embark on a rehab assignment, so he could have a limited workload in his first start back. The right-hander has been a solid back-end starter so far this season with a 4.11 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 45:13 K:BB across 46 innings.

Irvin (2-5) picked up the win Saturday, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks over five innings in an 8-3 victory over the Rangers. He struck out one.

The right-hander was far from dominant, but Washington's offense handed Irvin an 8-0 lead before Texas finally got on the board in the fourth inning. It's the 26-year-old rookie's first win in two months, but he's been giving the Nats reliable innings lately, posting a 3.69 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over six starts since the beginning of June despite a mediocre 19:11 K:BB through 31.2 frames. Irvin may face some workload concerns in the second half -- he's thrown 81 innings already in 2023 between Triple-A and the majors but tossed only 103.1 innings in the minors last year -- but he appears to be firming up his grip on a rotation spot.

Gray (4-3) took the loss Saturday, allowing six runs on six hits and three walks over six innings against the Orioles. He struck out five.

Gray got shelled for a season-high six runs in the second inning after allowing three consecutive singles to open the frame, followed by back-to-back walks. He actually went on to retire 10 consecutive batters from the third inning on, but the damage had already been done, and the right-hander took his third loss of the season. Gray has not won a start since April 30 against the Royals and has now issued three walks in each of his last two outings.

Heaney (5-6) took the loss Saturday as the Rangers fell 8-3 to the Nationals, coughing up eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits -- including three home runs -- and a walk over three innings. He struck out four.

The veteran southpaw had been away from the team for a few days this week while on paternity leave, and his focus may have been elsewhere in his return to the mound -- the Nats jumped on Heaney for four runs in the first inning alone, with Jeimer Candelario and Joey Meneses both taking him deep before he could escape the frame. Heaney's inability to keep the ball in the park is nothing new, though. He's served up eight homers in 31 innings since the beginning of June, leading to a 6.39 ERA over that stretch, and he has a 1.78 HR/9 on the year.

Wells (7-4) earned the win Saturday, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over six innings against the Twins. He struck out four.

Wells held the Twins to one run over the first five innings, which came across following a wild pitch from the right-hander. He would later allow a second run on a Donovan Solano double in the sixth before striking out the next two batters to end the inning and eventually earned his seventh win of the season. Wells has now allowed exactly two earned runs in seven consecutive starts and has gone six innings in three straight.

Wood (4-3) picked up the win in Saturday's 5-3 victory over the Rockies, allowing three hits and a walk over five scoreless relief innings. He struck out three.

Ryan Walker lasted two innings as the opener and left with the score tied 2-2, but Wood was able to shut down the Colorado offense completely once he took the mound. The veteran southpaw tossed 47 of 72 pitches for strikes as he remained locked in an alternating pattern of great outings and poor ones -- he's flipped between winning and losing in every appearance since May 26, posting a 0.43 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in the four wins but a brutal 15.43 ERA and 2.68 WHIP in the three defeats. Wood has worked behind an opener in his last three trips to the mound, and the Giants might keep him in that bulk relief role until he shows some consistency.