MLB Player News

Varland (4-4) picked up the win Wednesday, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning as the Blue Jays downed the Astros 5-4 in 10 innings.

Called in to keep the game tied at 3-3, Varland fired 12 of 17 pitches for strikes and fanned Jeremy Pena to end the frame before Ernie Clement launched a game-winning, two-run homer in the top of the 10th. It was Varland's first win since June 9, but only because he's been so effective as the closer -- over 20 appearances and 22 innings since then he's converted all 13 of his save chances with a 2.05 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 28:6 K:BB.

Taillon didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Astros, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks over four innings. He struck out four.

All the damage off Taillon came in the third inning, highlighted by a Jose Altuve solo shot. It wasn't an impressive Toronto debut for the veteran righty, who got lifted after 80 pitches (49 strikes), but he was taken off the hook for the loss when his new teammates got to Hunter Brown for three runs of their own in the sixth. Taillon will continue to round out the rotation until Trey Yesavage (knee) or Spencer Arrighetti (foot) are cleared to return, and he'll take a 5.96 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 72:29 K:BB through 80 innings on the season into his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Red Sox.

Harrison was removed from Wednesday's game against Pittsburgh due to cramping in both of his calves, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Wednesday marked Harrison's return from a four-week absence due to elbow/forearm problems, but his early exit was due to an unrelated issue. After firing five scoreless innings Wednesday and collecting each of his final eight outs via strikeout -- giving him 10 for the game -- he took the mound ahead of the sixth inning and was removed by a trainer after throwing a warm-up pitch. The Brewers will likely keep an eye on Harrison's calves during the days leading up to his next start -- tentatively scheduled for Tuesday against San Diego -- but he appears to have avoided a significant injury.

The Angels promoted Bremner from High-A Tri-City to Double-A Rocket City on Tuesday.

Bremner will make his Double-A debut Saturday while Rocket City expands its rotation to six men as the season winds down. The 22-year-old righty submitted a 4.28 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 64:19 K:BB over 48.1 innings in 14 starts at Tri-City to earn the bump up to Double-A.

Mize will start Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

After acquiring Mize from the Tigers on Monday in a four-player deal, the Padres will waste little time breaking the right-hander into the rotation. Mize had been enjoying a career-best season with Detroit, posting a 2.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 85:19 K:BB while limiting opposing hitters to a .213 average over 86.2 innings.

Contreras was removed from Wednesday's game against the White Sox due to an illness, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Contreras had gone 1-for-1 with a walk and an RBI before the illness forced him out of the game in the fifth inning. Nick Sogard will fill in as Boston's first baseman and could continue to do so if Contreras needs to miss additional time.

Painter was removed from Wednesday's game against the Nationals due to left hamstring tightness, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. He allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out four before departing.

Painter had tossed 63 pitches over four innings before the hamstring injury forced him out of the game prematurely. He's scheduled to undergo further evaluation Thursday, per March, but the Phillies are optimistic that the right-hander avoided a serious injury.

Hoerner went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Dodgers.

After batting .301 in July, Hoerner has carried his strong play over into August. He has three multi-hit performances in five games this month, which has pushed his overall batting average up from .255 to .262. A career .279 hitter, Hoerner is trending in the right direction after struggling at the plate in May and June, and he should be able to rack up plenty of stolen bases if he continues to get on base at a similar clip.

Zeferjahn allowed a solo home run but also retired two batters via strikeout to earn a hold in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Dodgers.

Zeferjahn allowed a solo home run to Shohei Ohtani, which happens to even the best pitchers. The hard-throwing righty rebounded from that small blemish to tally two more strikeouts, bringing his season-long total to 77 across 53.1 innings. Zeferjahn has now recorded a hold in each of his first two appearances since joining the Cubs at the trade deadline, working ahead of Jacob Webb on both occasions. That seems to indicate that Webb has the inside track on the closer role, at least until Daniel Palencia (elbow) returns, but Zeferjahn has the stuff to be effective in the ninth inning if the Cubs decide to go in that direction at some point.

The Pirates selected Simon's contract from Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Pittsburgh released designated hitter Marcell Ozuna to clear room on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster for Simon, who will be up in the big leagues for the first time in 2026. The 26-year-old posted an .883 OPS with eight home runs and 32 steals at Triple-A this season and should offer the Pirates some versatility off the bench. Simon is a switch hitter who is capable of playing multiple infield and outfield spots.