MLB Player News

Fujikawa is coming over to the states this offseason after a run of being arguably the best relief pitcher in Japan, where he posted a 1.26 ERA over his last eight seasons. Because he’s eligible for free agency, he will not have to go through the posting process. It was reported last month that the Dodgers were also interested in Fujikawa, though that may no longer be the case now that they’ve locked up Brandon League.

That’s a four-game sweep for Cleveland. Rocchio is hitting a rather stunning .290 with a 20/19 K/BB in 188 plate appearances. Last year, he had a 77/22 K/BB, giving him an .290 OBP that matched his career average. His OBP is .376 right now. In spite of his success, he’s continued to hit ninth for the most part. The Guardians aren’t messing with what’s working.

This one seemed poised for a different outcome early, but Cantillo was able to strand the bases loaded in a 32-pitch first inning and he allowed just three more baserunners the rest of the way. He ended the outing having allowed only two hard-hit balls and sporting a 32 percent CSW. Cantillo, who was working with Patrick Bailey for the first time today, moved to 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA, and the Guardians are 9-2 in his starts. It’d be nice if he were more efficient — he might have a couple more of those victories — but he’s proving useful anyway. He’ll face the Nationals on Tuesday.

Cade Smith and Eric Sabrowski had the day off after working the last two games, so Gaddis received his first chance to close this season and notched his fourth career save. He’s turned in five straight scoreless outings to bring his ERA down to 5.25.

Mize allowed four hits, walked none and struck out four in the 95-pitch outing. It’s his second quality start since coming off the IL, but he remains stuck on two wins in spite of a 2.47 ERA and a 43/11 K/BB through eight starts. He’ll face the Angels next week.

Bailey’s 407-foot blast increased the Guardians’ lead from two runs to three in the eighth. He’s 2-for-18 for his new team after hitting .146/.213/.183 in 30 games with the Giants. The 2-for-18 has actually raised his season OPS from .396 to .414.

Dingler’s double in the first wound up high off the wall in left at Comerica. According to Statcast, it was a homer in six ballparks. His actual homer was a homer in 16 ballparks, including all six the first one was a homer in. So, this would have been a two-homer day in six ballparks and a zero-homer day in 14. Settling for one seems like a good compromise.

The 26-year-old hurler was originally an 18th round selection by the Cardinals from the 2021 draft class. He spent five seasons pitching in the minor leagues for them, most recently posting a 5.19 ERA, 1.99 WHIP and a 47/32 K/BB ratio across 34 2/3 innings at Double-A Springfield during the 2025 season. He’ll add bullpen depth in the upper minors for the Astros.

It appears to be nothing more than a regular day of rest for the 25-year-old first baseman. Christopher Morel will start in his place and will bat sixth against Braves’ right-hander Spencer Strider on Thursday evening in Miami.

The homer, hit 342 feet down the left-field line, initially looked like a traditional homer after bouncing off the top of the wall, but it never actually left the field of play. Fortunately, Lowe didn’t stop running, and with José Fermín falling down after colliding with the wall, Lowe scored without a throw. It’s his 13th homer of the year. Lowe is currently sporting the same .256 average he did last year, but with the extra homers and walks, his OPS is up 122 points (.906 to .784).

An Iván Herrera homer was the only damage. Ashcraft averaged 97.4 mph with his fastball today and he really did it throughout; he averaged exactly 97.4 mph in the first and 97.4 mph in the seventh. The pitch had a 41 percent CSW, and it was never hard hit the five times it was put in play. It’s going to be fascinating to see how Pirates handle Ashcraft in the second half of the year, given that his career high in innings is 118, but he’s crushing it right now. He has a 2.81 ERA and a 65/16 K/BB in 62 1/3 innings through 10 starts.