MLB Player News

Lester showed well down the stretch with the Cardinals last season, but he just turned 38 years old and feels ready to move on from the demands of what was an illustrious 16-year big league career. “It’s kind of run its course,” the lefty said to ESPN. “It’s getting harder for me physically ... I’d like to think I’m a halfway decent self-evaluator. I don’t want someone else telling me I can’t do this anymore. I want to be able to hand my jersey over and say, ‘Thank you, it’s been fun.’ That’s probably the biggest deciding factor.” Lester finishes as a five-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion with a lifetime 3.66 ERA, exactly 200 wins, and 2,488 strikeouts. He posted a career 2.51 ERA in the playoffs, the lowest mark of any pitcher to log 150-plus postseason innings.

Porter elected free agency rather than accepting his outright assignment from the Giants on Friday and it didn’t take him long to land on his feet elsewhere. He’ll function as extra catching depth for the Angels at Triple-A Salt Lake.

It’s unclear when or where Basallo sustained the injury, but he was lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth inning, indicating that something was up. While it doesn’t sound like anything serious, his availability for the remainder of the weekend will likely depend on how he’s feeling when he gets up on Saturday.

It’s the first step in what’s expected to be a lengthy recovery from surgery to remove bone chips from his pitching elbow. He’s not eligible to return from the injured list until after the All-Star break and the Dodgers are cautiously optimistic that he’ll be ready not long after that.

Laureano landed on the injured list earlier in the week with right hip inflammation and now it looks like he’s going to miss considerable time. The Padres announced that he’s expected to miss 4-5 months after undergoing surgery to repair his labrum. This is very likely to end his 2026 season.

Brito continues his recovery from internal brace surgery and will continue to round back into shape at the Triple-A level with the intention of joining the Padres’ bullpen at some point this summer.

With Jeremiah Estrada (knee) landing on the injured list, Morgan will have another opportunity to show what he can do out of the Padres’ bullpen. He holds a 6.08 ERA, 2.10 WIHP and a 15/11 K/BB ratio over 13 1/3 innings with the big league club this season.

Estrada missed time at the end of April due to an elbow issue and will now head back to the injured list due to inflammation in his knee. The Padres are hopeful that he’ll be able to return after just a couple of weeks. David Morgan was recalled from Triple-A El Paso to take his place in the Padres’ bullpen.

It’s the first trip to the big leagues for the 26-year-old southpaw. Natera registered a 3.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and a 44/18 K/BB ratio over 30 innings in 20 appearances at Triple-A Salt Lake. He’ll serve in a middle relief role for the Angels.

The 31-year-old hurler joined the roster once again on Wednesday and now gets the boot without appearing in a game. He holds a 5.94 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 12/8 K/BB ratio across 16 2/3 innings of work with the Angels this season. He’ll probably pass through waivers unclaimed again and continue to serve as extra bullpen depth at Triple-A Salt Lake.

That was the expectation all along after Muncy exited Thursday’s game following a violent collision with Ildemaro Vargas at first base. Fortunately, he avoided any serious injuries. The 35-year-old slugger is expected to return to the Dodgers’ lineup on Saturday. Santiago Espinal will start in his place at third base and bat ninth against Angels’ left-hander Reid Detmers on Friday evening.