MLB Player News

Fried (11-2) earned the win against the Mets on Sunday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk with five strikeouts over five innings.

Fried cruised through four innings before allowing two runs during a 25-pitch fifth frame and was removed in the sixth after hitting Brandon Nimmo, who later came around to score. He logged five straight quality starts in a stellar June but has failed to do so in either of his July outings. Even so, the recently announced All-Star now leads the majors with 11 wins, sporting a 2.27 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 111:24 K:BB across 119 innings. He lines up for a tough home matchup with the Cubs next weekend.

Garcia (elbow) threw another live batting practice session Friday, MLB.com reports.

Garcia has now faced hitters on three occasions as he continues to ramp back up since being shut down late in the spring when he experienced inflammation in his surgically repaired right elbow. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2023, Garcia was able to make a pair of rehab starts in 2024, but he's more than two years removed from his last appearance with the Astros. Once he's cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment, Garcia will likely need most of the 30-day window to build up his pitch count and hone his command before the Astros deem him a viable option for the rotation.

France (shoulder) most recently tossed a 26-pitch bullpen session June 27, MLB.com reports.

France has been facing live hitters for nearly a month and had been scheduled to to do so on June 27, but poor weather prompted the Astros to alter those plans and have France throw a bullpen session instead. The Astros haven't indicated that France threw again in the week since that that 26-pitch side session, so the right-hander could be in the midst of a brief de-loading period as he works his way back from July 1, 2024 surgery to repair a torn right shoulder capsule. France is likely at least a couple weeks away from beginning a rehab assignment, and he's not expected to be ready to return from the 60-day injured list until late in the 2025 season.

Javier (elbow) threw two simulated innings Tuesday during his most recent live batting practice session, MLB.com reports.

Javier followed up the two-inning live BP by throwing a bullpen session Friday. The right-hander will presumably face hitters again at some point within the next few days, and if all goes well, the Astros could clear Javier to head out on a rehab assignment at some point shortly after the All-Star break. Javier is working his way back from June 2024 Tommy John surgery and is likely to require close to a full 30-day rehab window in the minors before the Astros bring him back from the 60-day injured list.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Friday that Arrighetti (thumb) is expected to complete one more bullpen session before he faces live hitters, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Arrighetti completed 15- and 20-pitch bullpen sessions June 24 and June 27, respectively, so he'll presumably build on that pitch count while mixing in all of his offerings during his next side session. The right-hander will likely need to throw multiple live batting practice sessions before then heading out on a rehab assignment, perhaps shortly after the All-Star break. Arrighetti appears to be tracking toward a late-July or early-August return from the 60-day injured list, but a more precise target date won't come into focus until he's out on the rehab assignment.

Kirby (3-4) earned the win in Sunday's game against the Pirates, allowing four hits and no walks across 6.1 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts.

The Seattle right-hander bagged his third consecutive quality start, as he generated an impressive 19 whiffs out of his 93 total pitches. Kirby completely controlled the Pittsburgh lineup, who never threatened to do damage, tallying just four singles. With this effort, Kirby lowered his ERA from 4.85 to 4.22 across 49 total frames while managing to push his K/9 up to 9.2. The 27-year-old is currently slated to make his next start at Detroit next weekend.

Skenes pitched five scoreless innings, allowing five hits and no walks in a no-decision Sunday at Seattle. He struck out 10.

Despite a short 78-pitch outing, the Pittsburgh ace managed to notch his first double-digit strikeout performance of the season. Skenes completely dominated the Mariners lineup to mark his fifth walk-free start of the season while allowing just one extra-base hit -- a Julio Rodriguez double in the third. Skenes now sports a stellar 1.94 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 125:30 K:BB across 116 frames. The 23-year-old was named to his second consecutive All-Star team Sunday and is currently scheduled to make his last appearance before the break at Minnesota next weekend.

Sheehan did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Astros. He allowed one run on five hits and one walk over five innings with four strikeouts.

The 25-year-old right-hander looked sharp in this 80-pitch outing, as he averaged 96.1 mph on his fastball after sitting at 95.2 mph in his only other appearance June 18 against San Diego. The only run Sheehan allowed came on a sacrifice fly by Jose Altuve in the third. After dominating Triple-A with a 43.0 percent K-BB across 17.2 frames, Sheehan looks set to stick in the Los Angeles rotation. He'll carry a 2.00 ERA and 10:1 K:BB across nine big-league innings into his next start, which is currently scheduled to be at San Francisco next weekend.

Gusto (6-3) allowed one run on four hits and one walk over six innings to pick up the win in Sunday's contest against the Dodgers. He struck out one.

The Houston right-hander was favored over Colton Gordon to start the series finale at Los Angeles. Gusto impressed in this 80-pitch appearance, generating a solid 13 whiffs despite striking out just one. The only blemish on his outing came in the second inning via a Dalton Rushing RBI double, as Gusto notched his second quality start of the season. Given this solid performance against the league's top scoring offense, the 26-year-old is likely to garner another turn in the rotation before the All-Star break. If Gusto continues to start, his next outing would line up to come against the Rangers at home next weekend.

Lorenzen (5-8) earned the win in Sunday's game at Arizona, allowing two hits and one walk over seven scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

The Kansas City right-hander produced an astounding 17 whiffs in this 82-pitch outing to tally his first win since June 8. With this performance, Lorenzen notched his seventh quality start of the season and matched his season best with seven Ks, a mark he reached four times prior to Sunday. The 33-year-old lowered his season ERA from 4.95 to 4.61 across 99.2 frames to go with a 1.30 WHIP and 85:29 K:BB. Lorenzen currently lines up to make his next start against the Mets at home next weekend.