MLB Player News

Ragans (groin) allowed five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four over three innings in a no-decision in Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Royals.

Ragans squandered a four-run lead in the third inning, and that was enough to end his first start back after missing nearly three weeks with the groin injury. He wasn't very sharp, throwing just 47 of 78 pitches for strikes in his return. The southpaw has gone no more than five innings in any of his last six outings, and he's given up at least four runs in five of them. He's at a 5.18 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 76:16 K:BB through 48.2 innings over 10 starts this season. Ragans is tentatively projected to make his next start at home in a tough matchup against the Yankees.

Rea (4-2) picked up the win Thursday against the Nationals, allowing five hits and one walk with no strikeouts over 5.1 scoreless innings.

Drew Pomeranz handled the first inning before handing the ball off to Rea, who held Washington scoreless despite not recording a strikeout. It was a much-needed bounce-back outing for Rea, who allowed 12 runs and four homers across his previous two appearances. It was also Rea's first outing with fewer than two walks since April 18. He'll look to keep the ball rolling next time out, but he's tentatively scheduled to face a potent Phillies offense.

Irvin (5-2) took the loss Thursday against the Cubs, allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts over five innings.

Irvin added a tally in the loss column for the first time in six starts and failed to complete six innings for a second straight outing. Before that, Irvin had tossed six innings in seven of his previous eight appearances. Through 13 starts this season, Irvin owns a 4.02 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP and a 50:22 K:BB over 78.1 innings. He's on track to face the Mets on the road next time out.

Cecconi (1-2) took the loss Thursday against the Yankees, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks across five innings. He struck out three.

Cecconi got no run support in the loss, as the Yankees' pitching staff shut the Guardians out. Still, it was a decent outing for the 26-year-old, especially considering he allowed five runs and three homers in his most recent start. In four appearances this season, Cecconi has a 4.87 ERA and a 20:7 K:BB across 20.1 innings. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Reds for his next start.

Fried (8-1) picked up the win Thursday against Cleveland, allowing one hit and two walks with seven strikeouts over six shutout innings.

Fried began the 2025 season with a 1.29 ERA across his first 11 starts before being tagged for six earned runs in five innings by the Dodgers in his most recent appearance. The 31-year-old southpaw bounced back in a big way Thursday, holding Cleveland to just one hit and firing his fifth scoreless start of the season. Fried has struck out seven or more batters in six of his 12 starts this season and boasts a 1.78 ERA across 81 innings. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Royals next time out.

Liberatore exited Thursday's start in the second game of a doubleheader against the Royals due to fatigue, Jim Hayes reports.

Liberatore labored through four innings, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and a walk. His velocity was also down to 89.8 mph in his final at-bat, so fatigue is seemingly the best news possible. It's unclear if Liberatore will require further testing or whether he will make his next turn through the rotation.

Woodford signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Thursday.

The Yankees released Woodford on Sunday, but he found a new opportunity quickly. He'll be a candidate to provide depth out of the Cubs' bullpen but has yet to appear in a major-league game in 2025.

Liberatore exited the second game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Cardinals' head athletic trainer, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports

Liberatore struggled across four innings prior to his exit, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and one walk. The exact nature of the injury is unclear, but his velocity dipped to 89.5 mph against the final batter he faced, per John Denton of MLB.com.

Cease (1-5) took the loss Thursday against the Giants, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks across five innings. He struck out seven.

All three of the runs charged to Cease came in the third inning. After he allowed two walks and a single to load the bases, Willy Adames drove in a run with a sacrifice fly before Cease surrendered a two-run double to Dominic Smith with two outs. The 29-year-old Cease has now gone 11 straight starts without a win. His ERA sits at 4.72 with a 1.31 WHIP and 85:24 K:BB across 13 starts (68.2 innings) this season. He's currently scheduled to face the Dodgers at home in his next outing.

Wrobleski is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to start Friday against the Cardinals, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

The Dodgers continue to shuffle the back end of their rotation, giving Wrobleski his first chance to start in the majors since May 15. He's had mixed results in two starts, though he completed four shutout innings with a 4:0 K:BB in his last opportunity with Los Angeles on May 15 versus the Athletics. Wrobleski has worked as a traditional starter with Oklahoma City, so he should be able to handle a relatively large workload Friday if he's efficient and effective.