MLB Player News

Cease (4-3) picked up the win in Tuesday's 6-1 victory over the Red Sox, allowing four hits and four walks over five scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

The right-hander tossed 66 of 108 pitches for strikes and kept Boston off the board despite putting runners in scoring position in every inning he worked. It was Cease's first win since May 8, but he's hardly been pitching poorly -- in five trips to the mound since then he sports a 2.93 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 44:13 K:BB over 27.2 innings. Cease's 110 strikeouts on the season put him third in the majors behind Jacob Misiorowski's 131 and Cristopher Sanchez's 116, but his 13.6 K/9 is tops in MLB among qualified pitchers. Cease will look to stack another strong effort in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road this weekend against the Cubs.

O'Brien earned the save Tuesday against the Padres after tossing a scoreless ninth inning while allowing a walk.

O'Brien has converted his last five save opportunities and has gone 18-for-22 so far in 2026. One of the most reliable ninth-inning relievers in the National League this season, O'Brien owns a 3.73 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 31 appearances (31.1 innings) in 2026.

Bohm went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Tuesday's 8-2 win over the Marlins.

The third baseman took Tyler Phillips deep for a two-run shot in the second inning, one of three Phillies long balls off the right-hander. Bohm held a meager .606 OPS at the end of May, but through 14 games in June he's found a groove, slashing .275/.296/.490 with two doubles, three homers, one steal, five runs and 14 RBI for the month.

Luzardo (6-4) picked up the win in Tuesday's 8-2 victory over the Marlins, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out nine.

The southpaw blanked the team that traded him to the Phillies ahead of the 2025 campaign for six innings before Esteury Ruiz touched him up for a two-run homer in the seventh. Luzardo has won three straight decisions, posting a 3.00 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 31:12 K:BB through 30 innings over five starts since his last defeat, and Tuesday's quality start was his seventh of the season. Luzardo will look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is set to come on the road early next week against the Nationals, the team that originally drafted him in 2016.

Phillips (1-2) took the loss Tuesday, surrendering eight runs on six hits -- including three home runs -- and three walks over four innings as the Marlins fell 8-2 to the Phillies. He struck out four.

The Phillies put up three runs off the right-hander in the first inning without leaving the yard, but even that small grace note on the outing was quickly spoiled as Brandon Marsh, Alec Bohm and Kyle Schwarber all launched homers before Phillips got the hook after 79 pitches (48 strikes). The eight earned runs allowed were more than Phillips had given up in his prior 11 appearances and 31.1 innings combined, spiking his ERA on the season from 1.86 to 3.10, while the three long balls were more than he'd served up all year. He'll try to shake off this disaster in his next start, which lines up to come at home this weekend against the Giants.

Megill earned the save in Tuesday's win over the Guardians after pitching a perfect ninth inning, striking out two.

Megill needed just 12 pitches (eight strikes) to earn his ninth save of the season in 11 chances. He's bounced back nicely after blowing a save against the Rockies at Coors Field on June 5, when he allowed two runs on three hits and a walk over an inning of work. Since then, he's posted three straight scoreless outings around a brief absence due to side tightness. Once again the top endgame option in Milwaukee, Megill has allowed just two runs in his last 11 appearances -- a stretch in which he owns a 1.64 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 13.9 K/9.

Gasper (groin) went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter and played the final inning as the catcher in Tuesday's 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays.

With two outs and two runners on in the eighth inning, Gasper pinch hit for starting catcher Connor Wong but struck out against Toronto closer Louis Varland. That Gasper could operate behind the plate -- even for only one inning -- indicates he could rejoin Boston's starting lineup Wednesday after opening the last two games on the bench.

Gonzalez (shoulder) went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run for Double-A Portland on Tuesday.

Gonzalez, who opened a rehab assignment with the Sea Dogs, started at second base and played seven innings. It's unclear how many at-bats he'll need while on rehab, but Gonzalez has been taking batting practice off the Trajekt machine, which has helped rehabbing players shorten their rehab times, per Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. He's next scheduled to serve as the designated hitter on Wednesday followed by a day off Thursday. If he responds well, Gonzalez will likely play three consecutive days over the weekend.

Smith started at second base and went 1-for-4 in Tuesday's 12-2 loss to the Twins.

Smith started for the first time since being activated from the injured list Monday. A glute injury landed him on the IL in early May and was followed by a wrist issue and a case of viral meningitis. At the time of his injury, Smith was batting .217 with six RBI through 31 games and his hold on the starting job at second base was tenuous. Ezequiel Duran was making a push for more playing time and nothing has changed since. Lately, Duran has covered shortstop while Corey Seager (concussion) works his way back, but Smith is still in jeopardy of sliding back to a utility/part-time role.

Walcott (elbow) will begin to ramp up his activity soon and is still on track for a late-July or early-August return to a minor-league affiliate, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Walcott, who has played catch at moderate distances and swung off a tee while rehabbing in Arizona, was brought to Arlington over the weekend for a change of environment. His rehab from an internal brace procedure on his right elbow has gone according to plan. "I feel pretty good, I feel physical," Walcott said. "I'm looking forward to being back soon. The rehab has been going really smoothly, so I'm happy with that." Walcott's career left off at Double-A Frisco, for whom he played 124 games in 2025, and he could rejoin the organization at Triple-A Round Rock when ready to return.