MLB Player News

That’s a little different than the initial report from Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle, which stated that Verlander would be shut down for the remainder of the season with a right elbow injury. Still, it could be difficult for the veteran right-hander to make it back given the condensed schedule. He’ll be reevaluated around the middle of August and seems certain to miss at least a month of action. Cristian Javier, Cy Sneed, and Bryan Abreu are among the options to fill the sudden rotation vacancy in Houston.

All of the hits were singles, and the last was a routine grounder botched by the defense. Still, Varsho is happy to have his average up to .278. It’s weird that he’s pretty much gone back to his old approach this year after a successful 2025 in which he traded contact for power. He’s fanning just 18 percent of the time right now, down from 28 percent last year, but his isolated slugging percentage is .160 right now, compared to .310 last year.

Sammy Peralta had started this game as the opener for the Rockies, but he only got two outs in the first inning and gave up a pair of runs before Gordon stepped in. Gordon gave up three more runs in the second on four hits and a walk, then surrendered a two-run blast to Brandon Nimmo in the fourth. He would pitch through the seventh, giving up two more runs before his day was done. The 28-year-old right-hander will take a 6.59 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and a 30/6 K/BB ratio across 27 1/3 innings into his next outing against the Diamondbacks in Arizona on Sunday.

What a game from Duran, who really needed a big performance like this. The 29-year-old is still slashing just .189/.262/.331 on the season, but he does have five home runs and 10 steals. His three-run blast in the ninth inning gave the Red Sox a big cushion and allowed them to rest closer Aroldis Chapman. We’re going to need to see a few more games like this to say that Duran has truly turned things around, but he does at least seem like a good bet to replicate his 16 home runs and 24 steals from last season.

Both of Contreras’ hits were singles, but he knocked in the first run of the game in the first and now has 30 RBI on the season. The Red Sox offense may not have been great so far this season, but Contreras has been a great addition.

Thomas is hitting just .212/.355/.271 on the season and has been relegated to playing mainly against left-handed pitchers. He was also caught stealing in this one. We’re not sure he’s going to find his way into any more playing time.

The statline may seem solid, but Suarez threw only 57 percent of his pitches for strikes while walking three and striking out three. After allowing back-to-back hits to start the fifth inning, Suarez was lifted from the game, even if one of those hitters was thrown out trying to take an extra base. It wasn’t a great outing, but Suarez was able to limit damage and will now take a 2.40 ERA into a tough start against the Braves next week.

Bryan King started the ninth inning after throwing nine pitches in the eighth. He retired the first two batters of the final frame before allowing a single to Orlando Arcia that forced him out of the game. Abreu came in and promptly hit Luke Keaschall and then threw a wild pitch to get runners on second and third. However, he responded by getting Byron Buxton to foul out to third base to end the game and secure his third save of the season. It hasn’t been easy, but Abreu is pitching better of late and is clearly back in the saves mix until Josh Hader returns in a few weeks.

It seems two pitches are sufficient when they’re as good as Burns’ heater and slider. Trea Turner’s solo homer in the third was the only damage against the 22-year-old. Burns reached triple digits with his fastball four times tonight and got 18 whiffs, 14 of which came on the 33 sliders he threw. Of note is that the last pitch Burns threw tonight produced a comebacker from Bryce Harper that got him pretty good on the leg but which he still turned into an out to end the sixth. His outing was over regardless, but no word yet if the bruise he’s sporting will pose any future problems. He’s 6-1 with a 1.83 ERA, and he’ll face the Mets next time out.

Santillan got Trea Turner to hit a foul popup and then struck out Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm in his first one-two-three inning since Apr. 18. He entered tonight with a 16.62 ERA and five homers allowed in 4 1/3 innings this month, making it pretty surprising that Terry Francona saved him for the ninth. Since it worked, consider Santillan to be in the driver’s seat for saves in Cincinnati, at least until he blows another one.

The runs came in the fourth after the Reds loaded the bases with no outs and then settled for a pair of sac flies. As it turned out, that was enough to drop Luzardo to 3-4 on the season. It’s the sixth time in 10 starts that Luzardo has allowed two runs or fewer. Unfortunately, he’s given up 24 earned runs in the other four. He’ll likely face the Padres on Monday.