MLB Player News

Mikolas will be used as the Nationals' primary pitcher for Friday's game in Atlanta, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Mikolas has fared better this season when used in bulk relief, posting a 4.86 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in that role versus an 8.28 ERA and 1.64 WHIP as a traditional starter. The veteran righty will be preceded by lefty opener Richard Lovelady.

Springer went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's win over the Yankees.

The veteran hitter took Camilo Doval deep in the seventh inning, giving the Blue Jays a valuable insurance run in an eventual 2-0 victory. Springer has a modest four-game hit streak going in which he's launched two of his four homers on the season, but since returning from a fractured toe in late April he's slashing just .212/.268/.318 over 17 games with four RBI and seven runs.

Lovelady will serve as the Nationals' opener in Friday's game versus Atlanta, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Lovelady has been used in a variety of roles by the Nats this season -- this will be his third opener assignment, but he has also collected three saves. The lefty will likely pitch just one inning before handing things off to Miles Mikolas, who is set to handle the bulk of the workload Friday.

Miles is viewed as purely a short-term option for the rotation by the Blue Jays, and manager John Schneider said after Thursday's game that the organization has "off ramps" in mind to return the right-hander to the bullpen, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Toronto appears to have found a gem in the Rule 5 pick, as Miles has a 2.17 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 29:8 K:BB over his first 29 MLB innings. That's already more than double his prior career innings total as a professional, however, as the 25-year-old has struggled to stay healthy since being a fourth-round pick of the Giants in 2022. Miles is plugging a hole in the rotation for now, but the organization doesn't want to over-extend him, and the projected June returns of Max Scherzer (forearm/thumb/ankle) and Shane Bieber (elbow) would provide those "off ramps" to get the rookie back to a sheltered long-relief role.

The Twins recalled Gonzalez from Triple-A St. Paul on Friday.

Gonzalez was added to the 40-man roster over the offseason and is receiving his first big-league promotion. His stint in the majors could be brief, however, as there's a good chance he'll be sent back down in a few days when Tristan Gray returns from paternity leave. Gonzalez has slashed only .216/.294/.392 with eight home runs in 44 games this season with St. Paul.

Kim went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Thursday's win over the Marlins.

The shortstop missed the first six weeks of the season while completing his recovery from finger surgery, and Kim looks like a player still scrambling to catch up. Over his first eight games, he's batting just .115 (3-for-26) with zero extra-base hits, but Thursday's steal was his first of 2026 and he's drawn a walk in three straight starts. Kim's also committed three errors on the season.

The Twins placed Gray on the paternity leave list Friday.

Gray could miss the full weekend series in Boston before rejoining the club early next week for a series against the White Sox. Ryan Kreidler, Orlando Arcia and Kody Clemens are options to pick up playing time while Gray is welcoming a new baby to the family.

Yastrzenski went 3-for-3 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Thursday's win over the Marlins.

The veteran outfielder took Sandy Alcantara deep in the second inning for a solo shot. Yastrzemski didn't hit his first homer of the season until May 12, but he's now left the yard three times in his last nine games, batting .409 (9-for-22) over that stretch with three doubles, seven runs and eight RBI. He remains a consistent presence in the lineup against right-handed pitching, but which outfield corner he occupies in the short term could depend on whether Ronald Acuna (thumb) needs to miss additional time after exiting Thursday's game early.

Red Sox president Sam Kennedy said Friday during a radio appearance on WEEI 93.7 FM Boston that Anthony is dealing with a sprained ligament on the base of his right ring finger, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

The Red Sox initially listed Anthony's injury as a right wrist sprain when they placed him on the 10-day injured list earlier this month. Regardless of the specifics, Anthony remains shut down from baseball activities after he felt lingering soreness when he tried swinging a bat Monday. A timeline for his return won't come into focus until he's able to ramp up without discomfort.

Priester (shoulder) was charged with five earned runs on five hits and three walks over three innings in a rehab start with Triple-A Nashville on Thursday.

Priester resumed a rehab assignment last weekend at High-A Wisconsin, yielding seven runs in 1.1 frames. The results were a bit better Thursday, but it's all relative, as Priester continues to look like a pitcher who's not close to being ready to face major-league hitters. Priester averaged 92.2 miles per hour with his sinker -- down 1.7 mph from last season -- and he induced only four whiffs and two strikeouts. The righty should make another rehab start next week and will hope to take a step forward then.