MLB Player News

Stephenson (biceps) expects to begin throwing again Monday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Stephenson landed on the injured list June 2 (retroactive to May 31) due to a stretched nerved in his right biceps. The veteran reliever was initially shut down from throwing but appears close to beginning to ramp back up. If he progresses well, Stephenson could return to the Angels' bullpen around the All-Star break.

Smith went 2-for-2 with a three-run home run, two walks and two total runs scored in Friday's 7-4 win over the Cubs.

Smith's fourth-inning blast provided the Astros' margin of victory in this game. This was his sixth multi-hit effort over his last 16 games, a span in which he is batting .367 (22-for-60) with 11 RBI and seven extra-base hits. He's kept the slumps to a minimum as a rookie, posting a .277/.353/.420 slash line with six homers, 31 RBI, 31 runs scored and four stolen bases over 68 contests.

Diaz went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 7-4 win over the Cubs.

Diaz has had some struggles at the plate recently, going just 3-for-20 with one RBI and six strikeouts over his last five games. He's started just three of the last five games while batting seventh or eighth in those games after spending much of the first three weeks of June hitting between second and sixth in the order. Houston hasn't settled on one particular cleanup hitter for much of the season, and much of the lineup is in flux against right-handed pitchers. Diaz has had some struggles this year -- he's slashing .245/.276/.396 with 10 homers, 34 RBI and 30 runs scored over 71 contests.

Hader retired the only batter he faced to earn the save in Friday's 7-4 win over the Cubs.

Bennett Sousa stayed in the game in the ninth inning after pitching the eighth, but he struggled a bit in the frame. Hader was called in with two outs and a runner on second base, and he got Ian Happ to line out to end the threat. Hader is up to 22 saves on the year, including one in each of his last four appearances. He's shown a little shakiness with four runs allowed (three earned) over 12.2 innings in June, but his 21:1 K:BB for the month showcases his continued late-inning dominance. Overall, he's at a 1.72 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 56:7 K:BB through 36.2 innings on the year.

Walter (1-1) allowed a run on five hits and struck out five without walking a batter over six innings to earn the win over the Cubs on Friday.

Walter limited the damage to a solo home run by Nico Hoerner in the fifth inning. This was his third quality start in five outings this season, and it was a good bounce-back effort after he was tagged for seven runs over six innings by the Angels last Saturday. Walter is now at a 3.34 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 30:2 K:BB over 29.2 innings. Lance McCullers (foot) will return Saturday, and it's unclear if Walter will stay in the rotation, but he's pitched better than Ryan Gusto if the decision comes down purely to numbers. Walter would be lined up for a road start in Colorado next week if he keeps his place in the rotation.

Aranda went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 22-8 loss to the Orioles.

Aranda opened Friday's scoring with a 433-foot solo home run off Tomoyuki Sugano. That home run extended Aranda's hitting streak to 12 games, and over that span he has gone 19-for-48 (.396) with eight runs scored, four doubles, one home run and five RBI.

Lowe went 3-for-5 with a double, a three-run home run, an RBI single and an additional run scored in Friday's 22-8 loss to Baltimore.

Lowe capped off the Rays' six-run second inning with a three-run homer to right-center field off Tomoyuki Sugano. Lowe brought home another run in the fourth, and his four RBI tied a season high. He extended his hitting streak to 14 games, during which he's slashed a blistering .404/.433/.649 with 13 runs scored, four home runs and 11 RBI in 60 plate appearances.

Cameron (2-4) took the loss after throwing four innings, allowing five runs on three hits and three walks while striking out four in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Cameron allowed just three hits, but he struggled through his shortest start of the campaign. It was a rare blip in an otherwise great season for the 25-year-old, who allowed two runs or fewer in all but one of his starts entering Friday's game. Despite the rough start, his ERA is still a highly respectable 2.78 through 51.2 innings on the season. He is set to face the Mariners on the road in his next start.

Pepiot didn't factor into Friday's decision against the Orioles, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one batter across 1.2 innings.

Pepiot induced three groundball outs in the first frame and was gifted a six-run lead by the Rays heading into the second. However, Pepiot ended up yielding a two-run double and two-run single. He was lifted after giving up another single and finished his outing with just five outs recorded, tossing 48 pitches (30 strikes). It was the first time in his major-league career that he failed to make it out of the second inning. Pepiot will look to bounce back in his next start, which is lined up for next week at home against the Athletics.

Urias went 3-for-4 with a two-run single, a steal and three runs scored in Friday's 22-8 win over the Rays.

Urias replaced Jordan Westburg in the second inning after the latter aggravated a left index finger injury while sliding into second base. Urias took advantage of the opportunity, smacking a two-run single in the same frame to cut the deficit to two runs before coming across to score three times, his most since May 5, 2024. Urias could be in line for some starts at the keystone if Westburg is sidelined.