MLB Player News

Ashcraft blew his save opportunity during the Reds' 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Cubs on Wednesday. He allowed two runs on two hits while striking out one in the ninth inning.

The Reds' four-run rally in the top of the ninth inning gave the team a two-run lead. With Tony Santillan being used Tuesday, manager Terry Francona turned to Ashcraft to close things out in the bottom of the frame. Ashcraft opened the inning strongly by striking out Michael Busch, but after yielding a single to Carson Kelly, Ashcraft's 89-mph slider was smacked to left-center field by Pete Crow-Armstrong for a two-run homer to tie the game at 6-6. With Emilio Pagan expected to miss the next 4-to-8 weeks due to a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, Ashcraft and Santillan figure to be the top closer options for the Reds. However, more outings like Wednesday's could result in Ashcraft being used as the setup arm for Santillan for as long as Pagan is sidelined.

Jones (elbow) allowed one earned run on five hits and one walk while striking out two across three innings in a rehab outing with Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Jones threw 35 of his 54 pitches for strikes while sitting at 98.8 miles per hour with his fastball. The right-hander, who is working his way back from UCL surgery, is set to make at least a few more starts in the minors before being activated from the 60-day injured list, but the final steps of his recovery look to be on track.

Perez (2-2) took the loss Wednesday against the Mariners, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.

It was announced Wednesday morning that Perez would get the start instead of Grant Holmes, and the southpaw was solid, holding Seattle to one run through his first five innings before Julio Rodriguez added a solo shot in the sixth. However, Atlanta's offense couldn't muster anything against Bryan Woo in an eventual 3-1 defeat, leaving Perez with his second loss. Overall, Perez has been solid as a swingman for Atlanta this year. His ERA sits at 2.38 with a 1.00 WHIP and 24:11 K:BB across 34 innings.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Senga (back) played catch Wednesday, and the right-hander is progressing in his recovery, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

"[Senga's] feeling a lot better, so now we've got to build him back up," Mendoza relayed Wednesday. Senga is working through lumbar spine inflammation that caused him to land on the 15-day injured list in late April. He'll struggled to a 9.00 ERA and 1.95 WHIP across 20 innings prior to landing on the IL, and he may need a lengthy rehab assignment before being cleared to return to the big leagues.

The Mets pulled Minter (lat) from his rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday due to left hip discomfort, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.

Minter was cleared to embark on a rehab assignment in early April, less than a year after undergoing surgery on his left lat. He has tossed 8.2 innings across nine minor-league games while posting a 1.04 ERA and 0.69 WHIP. Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that Minter will be reevaluated in a few days, but the Mets aren't overly concerned about the 32-year-old southpaw, who could be with the big club by mid-May depending on the severity of his latest injury.

Pages went 3-for-5 with three home runs and six RBI in Wednesday's 12-2 win over the Astros.

The Dodgers lost starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow after just one inning to back spasms, but Pages and the offense made sure the bullpen's job wasn't too difficult. The center fielder launched a three-run homer off Lance McCullers in the third inning, a two-run blast against Jason Alexander in the fifth and completed the hat trick with a solo shot off position player Cesar Salazar in the ninth. The eruption snapped a 20-game power drought for Pages, but on the season he's still slashing .336/.376/.569 with eight home runs, six steals, 22 runs and 33 RBI through 37 contests.

Pallante (3-3) took the loss Wednesday, coughing up five runs on eight hits and two walks over six innings as the Cardinals fell 6-2 to the Brewers. He struck out three.

Four of the runs off Pallante crossed the plate in the first inning, including a three-run homer by Andrew Vaughn. The right-hander settled down after that and hung around for 104 pitches (74 strikes), but the St. Louis offense didn't get on the board until the eighth. Pallante has given the Cards at least five innings in all seven of his starts to begin the season, but his results have been somewhat erratic. He'll take a 4.34 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 29:16 K:BB through 37.1 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week against the A's.

Vaughn went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Cardinals.

In just his second game back from a hamate bone injury he suffered Opening Day, Vaughn launched an Andre Pallante fastball over the left-field wall for his first long ball of the season. The first baseman had an outstanding finish to the 2025 campaign after being acquired from the White Sox, slashing .308/.375/.493 with nine homers over 64 regular-season games for the Brewers, but he hasn't yet gotten a chance to show he can repeat that level of performance in 2026.

Sproat didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Cardinals, allowing one hit and three walks over four scoreless innings. He struck out five.

The young right-hander needed 76 pitches (42 strikes) to record 12 outs, getting lifted short of his first career MLB win despite having been staked to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. After giving up 11 runs over his first two starts of the year, Sproat has settled in a bit across his past five outings with a 3.38 ERA. Overall this season, he has a 5.87 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 30:18 K:BB through 30.2 innings, with his next outing scheduled to come at home early next week against the Padres.

Houser (0-4) took the loss Wednesday against San Diego, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out three.

While Houser remains winless on the season, Wednesday's outing was easily his best so far this year, as he turned in his first quality start and held the Padres to a lone earned run on a Gavin Sheets fourth-inning homer. In six starts prior to Wednesday, Houser hadn't allowed fewer than three runs while making it through six innings just once. His ERA now sits at 6.19 with a 1.54 WHIP and 19:11 K:BB across 36.1 innings. Houser is currently in line to face the Dodgers on the road his next time out.