MLB Player News

Abbott did not factor into the decision Sunday against the Cubs, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks over four innings. He struck out three.

It was a short outing for Abbott, who failed to make it through five innings for the first time in his last 14 starts. It's also the first time that the left-hander's given up more than three earned runs in a start over that span -- he'd posted a 2.86 ERA across 72.1 innings in his previous 13 outings. Abbott will head into the All-Star break with a 4.11 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 84:48 K:BB over 20 starts (105 innings) this season.

Boyd (5-1) earned the win Sunday against the Reds, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk across 6.1 innings. He struck out three.

All four of the runs charged to Boyd came in the third inning, capped by a Eugenio Suarez two-run homer with two outs. However, the Cubs would rally for four runs of their own in the seventh, giving Boyd his third straight win. Since returning from the IL in late June, the left-hander has pitched to a 2.08 ERA in four starts (22 innings). Overall, his ERA sits at 4.50 with a 1.28 WHIP and 47:13 K:BB across nine outings (46 innings).

Ortiz was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Yankees, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.

Ortiz was called up to the big-league roster and made his major-league debut Sunday, going 1-for-2 with a double before he was replaced by pinch-hitter Curtis Mead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ortiz will now head back to Rochester and will await his next chance with the Nationals.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Sunday that Williams is managing a minor wrist injury, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The Brewers bolstered their infield depth by acquiring Braden Shewmake from the Astros on Sunday, but that trade may not have been necessary if Williams wasn't banged up. The 23-year-old hasn't seen the field for Triple-A Nashville since Tuesday but currently remains on the active roster, which supports the notion that the injury isn't viewed as a serious concern.

Wheeler (10-1) earned the win Sunday over the Tigers, allowing two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out 10.

It was another dominant performance from Wheeler, who's now logged double-digit strikeouts in three straight outings -- he's totaled 34 strikeouts over 17.1 innings in that span. The star right-hander will head into the All-Star break with a 2.13 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 108:22 K:BB across 15 starts (93 innings).

The Pirates optioned Kelly to Triple-A Indianapolis after Sunday's 14-5 win against the Brewers, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander was called up from Indianapolis on Friday and allowed three runs over two innings during Sunday's blowout victory. Kelly surrendered two runs over 2.1 frames in his MLB debut earlier this season, so his big-league career is off to a bit of a bumpy start with multiple runs allowed in both of his appearances.

Manager Blake Butera said Young was unavailable for Sunday's game against the Yankees since his left hand remains sore, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Young missed some time in early July due to the injury, and he apparently never fully recovered from the issue despite making a couple of recent starts. Butera indicated the outfielder will likely need another 4-to-5 days to get back to full strength, so he could be ready to go Friday against the A's when the Nationals begin the second half of the season.

Lindor went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an RBI double in Sunday's 3-2, extra-inning loss to the Red Sox.

Lindor was responsible for all of New York's offense Sunday -- he opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning before extending the lead to 2-0 in the sixth with a solo shot off Brayan Bello. It's a nice way to head into the All-Star break for Lindor, who'd gone just 2-for-20 in his past six games coming into the day. Overall, he's slashing .216/.298/.373 with five homers, 12 RBI, 22 runs scored and two steals across 171 plate appearances this year.

Williams was charged with a blown save in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Red Sox, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks in the ninth inning.

Entering the ninth inning with a 2-0 lead, Williams would load the bases with two outs before walking Andruw Monasterio and giving up a game-tying hit to Jarren Duran. It's a tough way to finish the first half for Williams, who's blown back-to-back save chances and allowed four earned runs over his last 3.1 frames. He'll head into the All-Star break with a 4.83 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 44:19 K:BB while converting 13 saves across 31.2 innings.

Thornton struck out five and allowed two hits and two walks over seven scoreless innings in a no-decision during Sunday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Red Sox.

The Mets called Thornton up from Triple-A Syracuse to step in as their fifth starter, after the team had previously opted for a bullpen day when the fifth spot in the rotation last came up Tuesday. In what was just his third big-league start, Thornton delivered an eye-opening performance, needing just 82 pitches to record his 21 outs while limiting the damage to just two free passes and a pair of base hits. After Thornton's excellent outing, interim manager Andy Green told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com that the rookie will retain a spot in the big-league rotation to open the second half. The Mets have already locked in Christian Scott, Sean Manaea, Nolan McLean and Freddy Peralta as their starters for the first four games out of the All-Star break, so Thornton will presumably make his next start July 21 in Milwaukee.