MLB Player News

The Nationals optioned Cornelio to Triple-A Rochester after Friday's game against the White Sox.

Cornelio made his MLB debut Friday against the Pale Hose, giving up three runs (two earned) on two hits and four walks while striking out one batter over two innings. He'll now be sent back to the minors but could return to Washington later in the year to make a spot start or provide length out of the bullpen.

Kirby (4-2) allowed two runs on five hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out two over six innings to earn the win over the Cardinals on Friday.

Kirby came away with his fourth quality start in six outings this season, as well as his third straight win. A two-run single by Masyn Winn in the fourth inning was the extent of the damage. Kirby's two strikeouts represented a season low, but this was the second time he's avoided giving up a home run. He's pitched to a strong 2.97 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB across 39.1 innings. The right-hander is projected to make his next start at Minnesota as he looks to keep the good times rolling.

Bradley (3-1) took the loss Friday against the Rays, allowing six runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three in 6.1 innings.

The volume of hits wasn't the issue for Bradley, who allowed just seven hits in his first start against the team that traded him away at last year's trade deadline. The problem was that four of them were home runs -- the first four long balls that the right-hander has allowed all year. In the end, it resulted in six earned runs allowed, more than doubling his total for the season. The 25-year-old still carries a very respectable 2.91 ERA in 34 innings on the season. His next scheduled start is set for Wednesday against the Mariners.

Rodon (elbow) tossed 4.1 scoreless innings in a rehab outing with High-A Hudson Valley on Friday, allowing one hit and issuing one walk while striking out four batters.

Rodon logged game action for the first time since he underwent surgery last October to remove a bone spur from his left elbow. The southpaw threw 65 pitches (43 strikes), and the only hit he allowed was a single. Rodon appears to be past the hamstring issue that delayed the start of his rehab stint, so his path to joining the Yankees' rotation seems to now be simply a matter of building up. The expectation is that he'll make two more rehab starts before being activated off the IL.

The Cubs selected Velasquez's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Friday.

Velasquez signed a minors deal with Chicago in the offseason and has since posted a 3.71 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 17 innings at Iowa. The 33-year-old will now return to the majors for the first time since 2023 to round out the Cubs' bullpen following Caleb Thielbar's (hamstring) move to the injured list.

The Cubs transferred Hodge (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Hodge will miss the remainder of the 2026 season after undergoing UCL reconstruction surgery Tuesday, so the Cubs will stash him away on the 60-day IL and give his 40-man roster spot to Nicky Lopez.

Berrios (elbow) is scheduled to make his next rehab start for Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Berrios has made two rehab starts with Single-A Dunedin -- most recently Wednesday against Fort Myers, when he allowed three hits and struck out five batters without issuing a walk over four scoreless innings. He'll now shift his rehab assignment over to Triple-A, and he'll likely need at least two more starts without suffering a setback before being cleared to make his major-league season debut with the Blue Jays.

Freeland (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

It appears Freeland won't need to embark on a rehab assignment, so Saturday's session could be his last before returning from the 15-day injured list, potentially as soon as the Rockies' upcoming road series against the Reds that commences Tuesday. Prior to landing on the IL due to left shoulder inflammation, Freeland posted a 2.30 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 13:4 K:BB across 15.2 innings.

Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters that Imai's (arm) bullpen session Friday "looked good," and that the right-hander's next step is to embark on a rehab assignment, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Per McTaggart, Imai tossed 45 pitches during Friday's bullpen session. Imai has been steadily building up his workload since landing on the 15-day injured list April 13 due to right arm fatigue. It appears the 27-year-old is ready to take the next step in his recovery program by going on a rehab assignment, and he'll likely need at least a couple of outings without a setback before returning to the majors.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Friday that Ritchie will remain in the majors for now because "we wanted him to be an option in the picture moving forward," Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Ritchie was dynamite in his major-league debut Thursday versus the Nationals, yielding two runs over seven innings while notching seven strikeouts. Spencer Strider (oblique) is tentatively lined up to rejoin Atlanta next week, which could leave Ritchie without a spot in the rotation. It's unclear whether the club is considering a six-man rotation for a turn, or if Ritchie could be used out of the bullpen. More clarity on the rookie's usage should be revealed in the coming days.