MLB Player News

Simon was traded from the Orioles to the Phillies in the Jim Thome trade back in June 2012 and then selected by the Rockies on the minor league side of this winter’s Rule 5 Draft. Colorado has since released him. The 24-year-old right-hander posted a pedestrian 3.93 ERA, 1.295 WHIP, and 41/21 K/BB ratio in 75 2/3 innings last season between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Ohtani has not pitched since July 3, and probably won’t be able to return to the rotation for another week-plus or so, at earliest. Roberts did confirm that even with the acquisition of Tarik Skubal, the plan is for Ohtani to resume pitching. The next step for the 32-year-old after playing catch will be a bullpen session or two.

Varland was called on to pitch the ninth in a 1-1 game and immediately allowed a walk and two singles to score one run. After getting the next two batters out, Varland induced a ground ball to second base, where Luis Urias committed a throwing error. One run would score on that play, and two more would come around to score when the next batter, Jordan Walker, hit a two-out single. Varland still has a pristine 1.11 ERA in 57 innings this season.

López underwent imaging on his knee, and it showed no structural damage. The right-hander was placed on the IL before Sunday’s game retroactive to July 30, so he could be back as soon as August 15. Don’t be surprised if it’s another day or two — even a bit longer — but it’s encouraging that López has avoided a significant injury.

Walker singled twice, and his last one was his biggest, driving in two runs in the ninth inning to give the Cardinals a four-run cushion. The 24-year-old now has 81 RBI on the season to go along with a .283/.343/.492 slash line. He hasn’t homered since July 9th, but he continues to produce for the Cardinals.

Liberatore allowed one hit and struck out one while striking out seven. He threw 66 percent of his pitches for strikes and had a 13 percent swinging strike rate. In fact, this is now his fourth straight start with a swinging strike rate of at least 13 percent, so even though the results have been inconsistent, Liberatore is starting to miss more bats. He’ll try to keep this going at home against the Rockies next week.

Gerber loses his spot on the 40-man roster after the Mets claimed Shawn Ross off waivers. The 29-year-old will hit the waiver wire himself, and if he goes unclaimed he’ll likely report back to Triple-A Syracuse.

Ross was designated for assignment by the Pirates after they added Johnathan Rodríguez to the roster. He’ll provide some depth for the remainder of 2026.

This is certainly one of the best-case scenarios for those rostering Peralta, as he’ll get to try to turn things around in a very good situation for pitchers in Tampa Bay. A 17-game winner in Milwaukee last year, Peralta is just 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts this year. His elevated .313 BABIP seems rather fluky, given that he’s remained pretty good at limiting hard contract. However, it is a significant concern that his strikeout rate has dropped from 28 percent to 22 percent. The Rays will plug him into Shane McClanahan’s rotation spot for now and probably start him at some point against the Rockies in the series starting Monday. Eventually, Ian Seymour could be bumped back to the pen once McClanahan comes off the IL.

The return pales in comparison to what the Mets gave up to get Peralta six months ago, but there was little to be done about that. Smith has the potential to be the key player for the Mets. It’s the second time he’s been traded, as the Mariners sent him to the Rays in the Randy Arozarena deal two years ago. The 22-year-old is hitting just .209/.281/.392 with a 30 percent strikeout in 59 games while mostly playing in High-A this year, but he offers ample power potential and runs well. He’s obviously more tools than production at this point, but he has plenty of time to turn that around. He won’t need to be added to the 40-man roster until after next year.

Gill Hill, 21, joins the Mets organization after posting a 4.67 ERA and an 87/23 K/BB in 108 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A this year. A lack of strikeouts has always been a concern here, but plus command of average stuff might allow him make it as a fifth starter. He’s probably about a year away from becoming a candidate to help the Mets.