MLB Player News

Cole (3-4) took the loss against the Rays on Wednesday, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk with six strikeouts over 6.1 innings.

Cole yielded a run in three separate frames and surrendered nine hard-hit balls but filled the strike zone with 69 strikes on 97 pitches in his fourth quality start of the campaign. The 35-year-old has been more good than bad since coming off the injured list to make his season debut in late May, allowing three or fewer earned runs in six of his nine starts. He'll head into the All-Star break with a 4.04 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 47:11 K:BB across 49 innings.

Conforto went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 9-7 win over the Orioles.

Conforto has seen an elevated role in right field with Matt Shaw (hand) on the injured list, and the veteran has done well with the opportunity. Over his last 12 games, he's batting .324 with four home runs and nine RBI. Conforto will still generally hit the bench against left-handed pitching, though he's been useful recently against righties.

X-rays on Herrin's left elbow came back negative following his removal from Wednesday's game against Minnesota, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Herrin was hit on the elbow by a comebacker in the sixth inning, but he appears to have escaped the incident with nothing more than a bruise. He may be unavailable out of the bullpen for a game or two to recover from any lingering soreness, though an extended absence doesn't seem likely.

Webb pitched a scoreless inning with no strikeouts or walks to earn the save in Wednesday's 9-7 win over the Orioles.

After Daniel Palencia (elbow) landed on the injured list back in mid-June, Webb has stepped up as the primary closer for the Cubs, and he now has three saves in four chances since Palencia went out. The righty ceded a save opportunity to Trent Thornton on Tuesday, though Webb was called on in a high-leverage spot earlier in the game. Overall, the 32-year-old has a 3.18 ERA and 47 strikeouts across 39.2 innings this season, making him a fairly effective relief option to date.

Baker earned the save in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Yankees, allowing one hit and no walks with three strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.

Baker was summoned to protect a three-run lead in the ninth inning and struck out the side after allowing a leadoff single. It was the second straight night with a save for the 31-year-old, who has now converted 14 consecutive save chances dating back to May 17. He owns a 1.73 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 41:11 K:BB across 36.1 innings this season and is up to 25 saves, one behind major-league leader Cade Smith.

Scott took a no-decision Wednesday against the Royals, allowing no runs on three hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out five.

Scott cooled down a Royals team that had exploded for 31 runs across their prior two games, scattering three singles over five shutout frames. The 27-year-old right-hander completed five innings for the first time since June 5 in San Diego, though he's still yet to get through six frames in any of his 12 outings on the year thus far. Scott is set to head into the All-Star break with a quality 3.17 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 65:26 K:BB across 54 innings.

Dobnak took a no-decision Wednesday against the Mets, allowing no runs on three hits and three walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out two.

Working in bulk relief, Dobnak kept the New York bats in check with a scoreless outing Wednesday. The 31-year-old right-hander has given up just two runs on nine hits and four walks in 9.2 major-league innings so far this year, and he was able to build up to 95 pitches Wednesday in his second appearance of 2026. Stephen Kolek (personal) figures to be activated from the bereavement list by the time the All-Star break is finished, so Dobnak is a likely candidate to revert back to Triple-A Omaha.

X-rays on Dingler's right hand came back negative following his removal from Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Dingler was pulled from the game after taking a foul tip off his thumb in the first inning. The Tigers will run a few more tests on him Thursday just to be sure, but it seems as though he escaped the incident without a serious injury. If he needs to miss any extra time, Jake Rogers would be the next man up to start behind the dish.

McClanahan (8-5) earned the win against the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out five over 6.1 scoreless innings.

McClanahan threw 59 of 85 pitches for strikes with 12 whiffs while posting his longest outing since June 2023. The 29-year-old will head into the All-Star break having tossed three straight quality starts, including back-to-back scoreless victories. He'll wrap up the first half with a 2.83 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 82:28 K:BB across 86 innings in what has been an encouraging comeback campaign thus far.

Phillips (2-3) earned the win Wednesday over the Mariners, allowing four hits and two walks across five scoreless innings. He struck out three.

It was a strong bounce-back effort from Phillips, who gave up five runs in just 3.1 innings during his last start against the A's. Prior to that outing, Phillips had turned in back-to-back quality starts, allowing just four runs across 13.1 frames in that span. Overall, the 28-year-old right-hander sports a 3.28 ERA with a 1.36 WHIP and 55:34 K:BB across 74 innings this season.