MLB Player News
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Bryce Miller SP | SEA
Mariners' Bryce Miller: Rehab assignment to begin Friday
Miller (elbow) is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Friday, per MLB.com.
Friday is set to mark Miller's first game action in nearly two months, and the Mariners are targeting a pitch count in the neighborhood of 55 for the right-hander. Right elbow inflammation has kept Miller on the injured list since June 7, and he figures to make two or three rehab starts before re-entering Seattle's rotation. Once Miller is ready return, it's likely that Logan Evans will be optioned back to the minor leagues.
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George Kirby SP | SEA
Mariners' George Kirby: Sharp in Thursday's win
Kirby (6-5) allowed three hits and two walks while striking out six over six shutout innings to earn the win Thursday over the Rangers.
Kirby walked multiple batters for the third time in his last four outings, but he also came away with his second straight quality start. This was his second scoreless outing of the campaign. Kirby allowed 10 runs over 29.1 innings across his five starts in July, and he added a 33:9 K:BB in that span that suggests he's rounding back into form. The right-hander is at a 4.13 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 74:18 K:BB through 72 innings across 13 starts on the year. He is lined up for a home matchup versus the White Sox next week.
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Roki Sasaki P | LAD
Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Will face hitters this weekend
Sasaki (shoulder) is scheduled to face hitters at the Dodgers' complex in Arizona this weekend, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
The rookie right-hander began throwing bullpens in mid-July and has progressed enough to move onto the next step in his recovery from a right shoulder impingement. This will be Sasaki's first time facing live hitters since he landed on the injured list in mid-May. It's expected that Sasaki will need to make at least three minor-league rehab outings before he's ready to be activated from the IL, so the earliest he's likely to return to the Dodgers is late August.
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Kumar Rocker P | TEX
Rangers' Kumar Rocker: Stumbles in fifth inning
Rocker (4-5) allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three over 4.2 innings to take the loss versus the Mariners on Thursday.
Rocker fell short of the five-inning mark for the third time in his last four outings, with solo home runs by Cole Young and Cal Raleigh accounting for most of the damage Thursday. Over that four-start span, Rocker has allowed 12 runs across 19.1 innings, giving up five homers with a 15:9 K:BB. He's now at a poor 5.74 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 56:23 K:BB across 64.1 innings through 14 starts this season. With the Rangers acquiring Merrill Kelly from the Diamondbacks on Thursday, this may have been Rocker's last start in the majors for a while, as Jack Leiter and Patrick Corbin look like better bets to fill out the back of the Texas rotation.
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Luis Morales SP | ATH
Athletics' Luis Morales: Promotion expected
The Athletics are expected to select Morales' contract Friday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Morales has pitched at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels this season. He began the year as a starter but has more recently shifted to a multi-inning relief role, posting a 22:11 K:BB across 20.1 innings. Morales' fit with the big-league club is unclear, and no starter has been announced for Friday's game against the Diamondbacks.
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Ben Brown SP | CHC
Cubs' Ben Brown: Looks to be out of rotation
Brown is no longer listed as the Cubs' probable starter for Saturday's game against the Orioles,Ryan Herrera of AllCHGO.com reports.
Brown was originally scheduled to make a second straight turn through the rotation this weekend, but the Cubs are now listing Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea as their three starters for the series versus Baltimore. The shakeup in the pitching schedule comes after the Cubs acquired another starter Wednesday in Michael Soroka, whose arrival presumably bumps Brown out of the rotation. It's unclear if Brown will stick on the 26-man active roster as a reliever, or if he will be optioned to Triple-A Iowa to continue to stay stretched out as a starter.
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Andrew Abbott SP | CIN
Reds' Andrew Abbott: Walks five in no-decision
Abbott didn't factor into the decision in Thursday's 10-inning loss to Atlanta, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and five walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out one.
Abbott struggled with his command Thursday, a rarity for the left-hander this year, as he matched a season-high with five free passes. Still, Abbott has held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in eight of his last nine starts. His ERA sits at a sparkling 2.15 with a 1.11 WHIP and 96:33 K:BB across 19 starts (108.2 innings) this season. Abbott's currently lined up to face the Cubs on the road in his next outing.
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Carlos Carrasco SP | ATL
Braves' Carlos Carrasco: Quality start in Atlanta debut
Carrasco didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Reds, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out five.
Carrasco got off to a shaky start, allowing three runs in his first three innings, though he'd ultimately settle in and blank Cincinnati over his final three frames to log his first quality start of the season. Carrasco was traded to Atlanta after struggling to a 5.91 ERA and 1.53 WHIP across 32 innings with the Yankees. The veteran right-hander figures to get a long look in the rotation as Atlanta currently has five starters on the 60-day IL. Carrasco currently lines up for a home matchup with the Brewers in his next outing.
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Troy Melton P | DET
Tigers' Troy Melton: Moving to relief role
Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Thursday that Melton will shift to a relief role, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Melton was called up from Triple-A Toledo on July 23 and has made two starts for Detroit. After coughing up six earned runs in five innings in a loss to the Pirates in his MLB debut, Melton bounced back nicely his last time out against the Diamondbacks on Monday, when he struck out five over seven shutout innings. Though he had been lined up to take the hill for his third start this Sunday against the Phillies, he'll instead head to the bullpen while trade-deadline pickup Charlie Morton steps into the fifth spot in the rotation. The Tigers likely still view Melton as a starter in the long term, but he may be stuck in the bullpen for the remainder of 2025 unless Detroit loses another rotation member to an injury.
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Tanner Houck SP | BOS
Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Shifts to 60-day IL
Houck (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Thursday.
Houck is eligible to be activated from the injured list at any time and appeared to be nearing a return. However, he was shut down indefinitely July 21 after suffering a setback, so he's currently without an official recovery timeline. The move makes room for Dustin May on the Red Sox's 40-man roster.