MLB Player News

This was the first time Hendriks had appeared in an MLB game since June of 2023. Over the last few years, Hendriks has battled back from stage four cancer and Tommy John surgery, so it’s nice to see him out on the field. Hendriks came into the game with the Red Sox down by just one run in the eighth inning and allowed a two-strike single to Luis Robert Jr. and then a two-run homer to Andrew Vaughn. He didn’t look as crisp as we’re used to seeing, and he averaged 95.3 mph on his fastball, which is down a bit from his heyday, but Hendriks should be a usable reliever for the Red Sox this season. He’s just unlikely to get many save opportunities if he remains close to this version of himself.

Irish dealt with a right scapula fracture in 2025, but when he was on the field, he slashed an impressive .364/.469/.710 with 19 homers over 55 games. The left-handed hitter garners plus grades from scouts in both the hit and power tools, and he’s a patient hitter who has shown improvement in his approach each season in the SEC. The question with Irish is whether he can stay behind the plate, but he was solid in the outfield after the fracture, and he’s a decent enough athlete to play in one of the corners. If Irish can stick at catcher he has a chance to be one of the better backstops in the coming years, but there’s enough offensive upside to roster him in dynasty leagues if his position is right or left field.

Cunningham, 19, has one of the best hit tools in the class regardless of college or prep designation. He utilizes the entire field, and his smooth line-drive stroke allows him to make hard contact to all parts. There’s some power potential in his left-handed bat, but expecting more than 15-homer seasons without a swing change seems to be asking for too much. He could make up for it with steals thanks to plus speed, and he should be able to play up the middle. Cunningham doesn’t project to be a future star, but it wouldn’t be a shock if he was an above-average fantasy regular someday.

Conrad is the first non-shortstop selected in the first round of the draft. The 21-year-old is recovering from shoulder surgery, but he has a chance to produce above-average power with a hit tool to match. He also has above-average speed, so assuming good health, he has a chance to be a solid all-around outfielder.

Houston revamped his swing prior to his junior season with Wake Forest, and it paid off. He homered 15 times for the Demon Deacons, and forged a slash of .354/.458/.597 over 61 games in the process. He doesn’t project to have more than average power, but that’s a big jump from what he showed in his first two seasons in the ACC. He’s a smart hitter who has shown the ability and willingness to draw free passes, and his plus speed should make him a threat on the bases as well. Houston is a very strong defender up the middle, and that could help him more quickly through the system, as well. It’s a very intriguing profile.

Witherspoon was solid in his sophomore season with the Sooners, but took a big step in 2025 as a junior with a 124/23 K/BB ratio over 95 innings and a 2.65 ERA over his 16 starts. The 6-foot-2 right-hander has an athletic delivery that allows him to repeat his actions at a solid rate, and he’s shown four different pitches that grade 60 or better on the 20-80 scouting scale. The command is still very much a work-in-progress, but keep in mind he doesn’t turn 21 until August. Witherspoon offers a little more risk than some of the other upper-echelon college arms, but also a little more upside to go with it. He could be a top-of-the-rotation arm that reaches the majors by 2027.

Freeman opened the scoring in the ballgame with an RBI double off of left-hander Robbie Ray in the fourth inning. He then delivered a go-ahead single off of Spencer Bivens in the 11th inning that gave the Dodgers a 3-2 advantage. He then scored on an RBI single by Andy Pages. With his two-hit attack, the 35-year-old slugger finishes the first half hitting .297/.365/.476 with 10 homers, 49 RBI and one stolen base.

Pages delivered a two-out RBI single in the 11th inning that extended the Dodgers’ lead to 5-2. He then swiped second base before being left stranded there. The 24-year-old outfielder had a solid first half in an everyday role for the Dodgers, slashing .285/.325/.479 with 17 homers, 59 RBI and eight stolen bases (in 12 attempts).

Scott came on with a 2-0 lead to protect and made things interesting by allowing a one-out single to Matt Chapman that brought the tying run to the plate. Matos then entered as a pinch-hitter and crushed an 0-1 slider for his game-tying two-run blast. Scott rebounded to get out of the rest of the inning unscathed, but the damage had been done. He finishes the first half with a 4.09 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 49/8 K/BB ratio over 44 innings while converting 19 saves in 25 chances.

The 26-year-old right-hander scattered just three hits and two walks on the afternoon. The only time that the Giants reached second base against him was on a two-out double off the bat of Jung-Hoo Lee in the seventh inning. He exited with a 2-0 lead and in line for his ninth victory of the season until Tanner Scott suffered a blown save in the ninth inning. Yamamoto got 13 swings and misses on 91 pitches on the day — six of those on his splitter — while posting a strong CSW of 33 percent. He finishes a terrific first half with an 8-7 record, 2.59 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a 116/36 K/BB ratio over 104 1/3 innings in 19 starts.

Matos came on as a pinch-hitter for Mike Yastrzemski with a man on first and one out in the ninth inning with the Giants facing a 2-0 deficit. He then clobbered an 0-1 slider from Scott for a 424-foot (105.5 mph EV) two-run shot that tied the score and gave the Giants new life. They would come up empty in both the 10th and 11th innings though before ultimately falling. Matos finished the day 1-for-2 and wraps up the first half hitting a meager .172/.214/.387 with five homers and 12 RBI with the Giants.