MLB Player News

Ober did not factor into the decision in a win over the Rangers on Thursday, allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks over seven innings while striking out three.

All of the damage against Ober came in the opening frame when he allowed four of the first batters to reach base, leading to two runs coming across for Texas. The right-hander then held the Rangers scoreless over the next five frames, logging his 10th consecutive quality start. Ober has surrendered just one home run over his last four outings, though he's also issued multiple walks in four straight. Thursday's no-decision also snapped a four-game winning streak for the 29-year-old.

The Red Sox will activate Casas (ribs) from the 60-day injured list ahead of Friday's game in Baltimore, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Casas is finally ready to rejoin the Boston lineup after being shelved since late April with a cartilage tear in his left ribcage. The first baseman slashed .300/.404/.550 with one home run and seven doubles over 11 rehab games with Triple-A Worcester. Casas will be the everyday first baseman down the stretch, although it's possible he'll be given some extra off days initially following such a long layoff.

Mullins went 1-for-2 with a solo homer and a stolen base in Thursday's win over Boston while also being hit by a pitch.

Mullins was plunked by Nick Pivetta in his first trip to the plate but got his revenge the next time through the order, smacking a leadoff home run in the fifth inning on a hanging slider to give Baltimore a 3-1 lead. It marked the 13th long ball on the season for the outfielder and his second this month, but he's still batting just .194 (6-for-31) with three RBI and five runs scored in August. Mullins also swiped his 20th bag in Thursday's contest and has hit safely in each of his last three starts.

Pivetta (5-8) took the loss against the Orioles on Thursday, allowing three runs on three hits and one walk while striking out six over five innings.

Pivetta kept the Orioles off the scoreboard for the first three innings before surrendering a two-run homer to Gunnar Henderson in the fourth and then a leadoff shot to Cedric Mullins to open the fifth. It marked the fourth consecutive start in which the right-hander has coughed up two long balls and he's also given up at least three runs in three of his last four outings. Pivetta has lost four of his last five decisions (spanning eight starts). However, he's also racked up six or more strikeouts in six of his last seven starts.

Eflin (9-7) picked up the win over the Red Sox on Thursday, allowing one run on five hits over six innings while striking out eight.

Eflin allowed hits in four of his six innings of work but managed to keep Boston's offense at bay, aside from a leadoff homer by Wilyer Abreu to open the fourth. The right-hander induced 12 whiffs on the night and racked up a season-high eight strikeouts while not issuing a free pass for the second time in his last four starts. Eflin is now 4-0 since being acquired by the Orioles, logging quality starts in all four outings. Through three starts this month he carries a 1.40 ERA to go along with a robust 18:2 K:BB.

Mercedes was placed on the 7-day injured list at Single-A Fort Myers with an undisclosed injury, TwinsDaily.com reports.

Mercedes was recently promoted to Single-A after hitting .331/.421/568 with six home runs and 18 stolen bases in 51 games for Minnesota's Florida Complex League affiliate. He had improved after a lackluster 2023 season during which he had just a .629 OPS for the FCL team.

Verlander (neck) threw 57 pitches and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out five over four innings during his rehab start with Double-A Corpus Christi on Thursday.

Verlander has now pitched seven innings across his two rehab appearances, allowing two earned runs in the process. His pitch count increased slightly from 52 pitches during his first rehab outing on Aug. 10 to 57 in Thursday's game, so he's not yet built up to a full starter's workload. The 41-year-old right-hander will be re-evaluated Friday, and if all checks out, he could make his return during Houston's upcoming series versus Boston, which begins Monday.

The Athletics outrighted Reyes to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

After getting called up from Triple-A on July 30, Reyes gave up three runs (two earned) over four innings across three appearances out of the Oakland bullpen before he was designated for assignment last week. The 31-year-old will stick around in the organization after clearing waivers.

Miller (6-7) tossed 1.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win in Thursday's 2-1 victory over the Mariners. He struck out one.

Miller got Jorge Polanco to fly out to end the top of the seventh inning, then pitched a clean eighth inning to ultimately pick up the win out of the bullpen. The veteran righty has had a few meltdowns this season, which has led to an ugly 5.36 ERA overall, but the Tigers still seem to trust him in high-leverage spots. That role gives Miller some value in deeper fantasy formats, though his volatility has made him hard an unreliable option.

Baez went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Mariners.

Baez put Detroit on the board in the eighth inning with his sixth home run of the year. While the six long balls would be his fewest in a season since 2015, the shortstop has gone deep twice in his last three games and five times over his last 16 contests. It's mostly been a lost season for Baez, but this recent power surge could at least prop up his fantasy value during the stretch run if he's able to keep it going.