MLB Player News

Atlanta plans to call up Soroka from Triple-A Gwinnett to have him start Monday in Oakland, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reports.

Soroka will be making his first MLB start since 2020, as the right-hander missed much of the the last two seasons while recovering from multiple Achilles injuries. He came away healthy coming out of spring training and was optioned to Gwinnett, where he's posted mediocre numbers with a 4.33 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 35:11 K:BB over 35.1 innings. However, he appears to have turned a corner over his last two starts, allowing just one run over those two outings, which included a six-inning, eight-strikeout effort versus Durham on Tuesday. In his return to the big leagues, the 25-year-old will get a soft landing spot with a start against the woeful Athletics. He'll also tentatively line up for a two-start week, with his second turn expected to come next Sunday in Arizona.

Morton (5-5) took the loss Saturday as Atlanta fell 2-1 to the Phillies, allowing two runs on seven hits and four walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out nine.

The veteran right-hander generated 22 swinging strikes over 95 pitches, but it wasn't quite good enough as he lost a pitchers' duel with Zack Wheeler. Morton has worked past the sixth inning only twice in 10 starts this season and has issued multiple walks in all but one start as the 39-year-old begins to show his age, but he still sports a 3.59 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 63:24 K:BB through 57.2 frames. He'll look to get back in the win column in his next outing, which could come next weekend in Arizona.

Wheeler (4-4) picked up the win in Saturday's 2-1 victory over Atlanta, scattering three hits and a walk over eight scoreless innings. He struck out 12.

It was the most dominant performance of 2023 for the veteran right-hander; the innings and strikeouts were both season highs, and Wheeler generated 22 swinging strikes among his 106 pitches. It was his sixth quality start of the year, including three in his last four outings -- a stretch in which he's posted a 2.67 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 30:4 K:BB through 27 innings. Wheeler will look to stay locked in for his next start, which is likely to come on the road next weekend against the Nationals.

Valdez (5-4) picked up the win Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks over six innings in a 6-3 victory over the A's. He struck out five.

The southpaw won his third straight decision while producing his ninth quality start in 11 trips to the mound this season -- not a surprising performance after he led the majors with 26 quality starts in 2022. Valdez was impressive in May, posting a 2.18 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 40:7 K:BB over 33 innings, and he'll look to stay sharp in his next outing, likely to come at home next week against the Angels.

Kremer (5-2) took the loss Saturday, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks over 6.1 innings as the Orioles fell 5-3 to the Rangers. He struck out five.

The right-hander came through with his fourth quality start of the season but got outdueled by Andrew Heaney. Kremer hasn't been tagged for more than three runs in a start in the entire month of May, posting a 2.45 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB through 29.1 innings over that five-start stretch. He'll try to keep up that level of performance to kick off June, with his next start likely coming next weekend in San Francisco.

Heaney (4-3) picked up the win Saturday in a 5-4 victory over the Orioles, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out three.

The veteran southpaw delivered his fourth straight quality start and sixth in his last seven outings in impressive fashion, as he completed seven innings for the first time in 2023. Heaney has posted a 3.40 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 39:14 K:BB through 42.1 innings over that seven-start stretch, and he'll look to keep rolling in his next trip to the mound, likely to come at home next weekend against the Mariners.

Civale (oblique) is slated to make his third rehab start for Triple-A Columbus on Sunday, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Even though Civale was able to get stretched out to 69 pitches in his latest rehab start Tuesday, the Guardians want to have him make one more tune-up outing in the minors before bringing him back from the 15-day injured list, where he's resided since April 10. With Triston McKenzie (shoulder) potentially making his final rehab start Tuesday, the Guardians will soon have some tough decisions to make with the rotation. Hunter Gaddis -- who is starting Sunday versus St. Louis -- will almost certainly lose his spot once either Civale or McKenzie is activated, but unless the Guardians move to a six-man rotation, one of the two high-performing rookie starters -- Tanner Bibee or Logan Allen -- could lose his spot to make room for the two veterans. Assuming Civale navigates his upcoming minor-league outing smoothly, he could be cleared to join the big-league rotation as soon as Friday in Minnesota.

Castillo (4-2) earned the win Saturday, allowing one hit and two walks over six scoreless innings during a 5-0 win over Pittsburgh. He struck out 10.

Castillo completed six scoreless innings for a second straight game and struck out a season-high 10 batters Saturday. Before his dominating two-game stretch, the Mariners' ace allowed 17 earned runs over his previous five starts, so fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief, as it appears Castillo has regained his elite form. Despite the tough stretch, the right-hander still sports strong season-long numbers (2.69 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 76:15 K:BB over 63.2 innings) and remains one of the best pitchers in MLB.

Singer did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over five innings during a 4-2 loss to Washington. He struck out six.

Singer tossed five shutout frames but was pulled with no outs in the sixth after allowing back-to-back hits to lead off the inning. It was a solid bounce-back performance for the right-hander, who served up five runs over 3.2 innings his last time out, but he is still struggling with walks and has allowed multiple free passes in each of his past six starts. During that stretch, Singer sports 7.57 ERA, 1.87 WHIP and 25:17 K:BB over 27.1 innings. The Royals' ace issued 35 walks across 27 outings (153.1 innings) last year, but he already has 23 over 54.1 innings in 2023.

Gray did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over four innings during a 4-2 win over the Royals. He struck out four.

Gray needed 91 pitches (57 strikes) to make it through a season-low four innings Saturday. He continues to struggle with walks, allowing multiple free passes in six straight games, but despite a less-than-ideal 26:21 K:BB during that stretch (34 innings), he has served up only 10 earned runs. Since giving up five runs in his first appearance of the year, Gray has surrendered two or fewer runs in nine of his last 10 outings and sports a 2.77 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 51:31 K:BB on the season.