MLB Player News

Valdez is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.

After going 1-for-9 with six strikeouts in the first two games of the series, Valdez will take a seat in Thursday's finale. Bryan Reynolds has shifted over to right field, and Jake Mangum will cover left field for the Pirates.

Whitcomb went 1-for-4 with a double in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Pirates.

Whitcomb hit a leadoff double in the fifth inning, marking his second two-bagger of the season. The 27-year-old has appeared in 10 straight games since being recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Aug. 24, batting .118 with three RBI, two runs scored and a home run in 36 plate appearances during that time. Across 60 plate appearances between Houston and San Francisco this season, he's slashing .123/.138/.316 with eight RBI, four runs scored and three long balls.

Seymour logged a blown save in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Pirates, allowing one run on two hits while striking out one in 1.2 innings.

Seymour entered the game in the seventh inning with two runners on base and one out. The right-hander managed to get through the eighth frame, though he gave up a double and a single as Pittsburgh tied the game at 3-3. Despite Wednesday's stumble, the 27-year-old has fared well over his last 10 outings, posting a 1.38 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB across 13 innings during that time.

Lord didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 9-0 loss to Atlanta, allowing two hits and a walk over 3.1 scoreless innings. He struck out six.

A nearly 90-minute rain delay ended what was shaping up to be an unlikely pitcher's duel, as Lord's dominant performance was matched by three perfect innings from Grant Holmes. Lord may have been nearing his limit anyway, however -- the right-hander tossed 39 of 55 pitches for strikes, and he hasn't thrown 60-plus pitches in any outing this season. He'll likely return to a long-relief role, but Lord's making a case to get stretched out for another crack at the rotation, having posted a 2.40 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 18:8 K:BB over 15 innings since the beginning of August.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Wednesday's 9-0 win over the Nationals.

The veteran catcher has caught fire at the plate now that he's fully healthy for the first time in a few years. Murphy has hit safely in five straight games, batting .500 (9-for-18) during that heater with two doubles, three homers, seven runs and seven RBI. His surge has allowed Drake Baldwin to get more rest while serving as Atlanta's primary DH, and Murphy should continue to see regular playing time as the team tries to keep its key players fresh for the playoffs.

Acuna went 3-for-5 with a three-run home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's 9-0 rout of the Nationals.

The seventh-inning long ball off Max Kranick was Acuna's 14th of the season, while the steal was his 20th, but it's the homer that put his name in the record books as the 200th of his career. The star outfielder reached that mark in just 904 games, and combined with his 225 stolen bases, he became the fastest player in MLB history to join the 200-200 club, surpassing Alfonso Soriano's record of 929 games. Per Ian Nicholas Quillen of MLB.com, the next four names on the list are just as impressive -- Eric Davis (1,053 games), Bobby Bonds (1,065), Sammy Sosa (1,094) and Barry Bonds (1,094). Acuna has had a tough, injury-plagued season overall, but he's catching fire for the stretch run, batting .455 (10-for-22) over his last six contests with a homer, two steals, four RBI and six runs.

Holmes didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 9-0 win over the Nationals, striking out one batter over three perfect innings.

A nearly 90-minute rain delay ended any chance Holmes might have had of making history, but the right-hander faced the minimum number of batters on just 26 pitches (16 strikes) before the umpires shut things down. Holmes has held the opposition scoreless in four of six outings since the beginning of August, delivering a 2.73 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 17:10 K:BB over 29.2 innings during that stretch with a 3-1 record. He'll look to keep rolling in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Rays.

Cousins (elbow) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, striking out one and issuing one walk in a scoreless frame.

It's the first appearance for Cousins since he underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2025. He averaged 94.3 mph with his four-seamer in the outing, which is down only slightly from his pre-surgery velocity. Cousins has had difficulty staying healthy in his career, but he boasts a 2.78 ERA and 32.6 percent strikeout rate over parts of four seasons, so he could provide a boost to the Dodgers' bullpen down the stretch after he makes a few more rehab appearances.

Myers went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Padres.

Getting the start in center field and batting sixth even with right-hander Casey Mize on the mound for San Diego, Myers delivered his second three-hit effort in his last six games. The 30-year-old is making a case for more playing time as the Reds try to stay in the NL wild-card race, and over his last 15 contests he's slashing .308/.368/.500 with three home runs, one steal, four RBI and eight runs.

Bleday went 3-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Padres.

The 28-year-old outfielder put together his best performance since banging out four hits in Arizona on Aug. 22, erasing a rough stretch in which he'd hit just .129 (4-for-31) with zero extra-base hits during the nine games between those offensive eruptions. Bleday's feast-or-famine nature limits his fantasy utility and underscores his .222/.333/.437 slash line on the year, but he's set a new career high in 2026 with 22 homers, and he's five RBI shy of the career-best 60 he recorded in 2024 with the A's.