MLB Player News

Cole (3-3) picked up the win in Friday's 5-2 victory over the Twins, giving up two runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out seven without walking a batter.

The veteran right-hander had to cool his heels during a 53-minute rain delay in the middle of the third inning, but Cole returned to the mound and stayed in for two more frames to make sure he qualified for the win, finally getting lifted after 88 pitches (63 strikes). Cole did serve up another homer, a solo shot to Kody Clemens in the first inning, but Cole's seven strikeouts represent his highest total since he fanned 10 back on May 27, his second outing of the season. Through eight starts since his belated 2026 debut, Cole has a 4.01 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 41:10 K:BB over 42.2 innings. He's set to make his next start on the road next week in Tampa Bay.

Paredes (0-2) took the loss Friday, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks over four innings as the Twins fell 5-2 to the Yankees. He struck out two.

The right-hander's outing was split into two two-inning chunks thanks to a 53-minute rain delay, and Paredes was lifted after 81 pitches (49 strikes) having served up homers to Trent Grisham in the first inning and Ben Rice in the third to account for all the damage against him. Paredes has been taken deep five times in five starts and 22 innings since moving into the rotation while posting a 4.50 ERA and 1.36 WHIP, but he could be bumped to the bullpen or back to Triple-A St. Paul before getting another turn with Bailey Ober (elbow) currently finishing up a rehab assignment.

Varland allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 2-0 win over the Mariners.

Varland allowed four runs with a 22:4 K:BB over 15 innings in June, converting all nine of his save chances during the month. He continues to be locked in as the Blue Jays' closer, going 18-for-18 in save conversions this season. He's added a superb 0.96 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 65:13 K:BB through 47 innings.

Cease (5-4) allowed three hits and a walk while striking out nine over seven shutout innings to earn the win Friday over the Mariners.

After posting a 2.95 ERA and 36:14 K:BB over 21.1 innings in June, Cease put in a dominant effort to begin July. Just one of the hits he allowed went for extra bases. Cease is now at a 2.79 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 137:41 K:BB through 90.1 innings over 16 starts this season. The 30-year-old is projected to make his next start in a favorable road matchup versus the Giants.

Castillo (3-7) allowed two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out four over six innings to take the loss versus the Blue Jays on Friday.

Castillo was mostly fine, but he allowed both runs and four of the five hits on his line during the third inning. The Mariners mustered just six baserunners in the game, giving Castillo virtually no support. He has posted back-to-back quality starts but still has just one win in his last five outings. Castillo is at a 4.79 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 77:27 K:BB through 82.2 innings over 17 games (14 starts) this season. The veteran right-hander is tentatively projected for a road start in Miami next week.

Watson went 1-for-2 with an RBI single during the Guardians' 4-3 extra-inning win over the White Sox on Friday.

Watson pinch hit for David Fry in the eighth inning, though the former proceeded to strike out swinging. However, Watson came up big when it mattered most, with his single in the 10th inning bringing home Steven Kwan for the game-winning run. Watson was called up by the Guardians in mid-June and went 0-for-10 with eight strikeouts across his first four major-league games. However, since June 22, he has gone 13-for-36 (.361) with two steals, one home run and nine RBI. Watson should continue to see reps in the outfield for as long as Angel Martinez (foot) is on the 10-day injured list.

Williams did not factor into Friday's decision against the White Sox, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six across 4.2 innings.

Williams almost made it out of the fifth inning unscathed after allowing the first two batters of the frame on base, but he proceeded to give up a two-out, three-run home run to Miguel Vargas. A two-hour rain delay ensued, which prompted the Guardians to pull Williams when play resumed, with the right-hander ending his night with 52 strikes on 79 pitches (65.8 percent) with nine whiffs and five groundouts. He'll take a 3.89 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over 106.1 innings into his next start, which is tentatively slated for next week on the road against the Twins in what figures to be Williams' last start before the All-Star break.

Kay did not factor into the decision of Friday's extra-inning loss to the Guardians, allowing one run on one hit and two walks while striking out two across four innings.

Kay kept the Guardians in check for most of Friday's start outside of an RBI single to Travis Bazzana in the third inning. Kay tossed only 48 pitches (27 strikes), but his outing was cut short by a two-hour rain delay, resulting in Jordan Hicks and the White Sox's bullpen taking over in the fifth inning. Kay will take a 4.39 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over 84 innings into his next start, which is slated for next week at home against the Red Sox.

Vargas went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer in Friday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Guardians.

Vargas supplied all of the White Sox's runs with a three-run homer in the fifth inning, which came before the nearly two-hour rain delay. The 26-year-old third baseman is now up to 20 home runs on the year, which is the first time he's reached that mark in a season since making his major-league debut with the Dodgers in 2022. Vargas is slashing .248/.359/.495 with 11 steals (in 13 attempts), 55 RBI and 58 runs scored across 374 plate appearances this season.

Langeliers was removed from Friday's game against the Marlins with a left thumb injury, Theo DeRosa of MLB.com reports.

Langeliers went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts before being replaced by a pinch hitter in the fourth inning. The severity of his injury remains unknown, but the A's may provide an update on his status after the game.