MLB Player News

Marsh missed Wednesday’s game with left elbow soreness, but the 27-year-old is good to go to begin the weekend series against Toronto.

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.

Ray punched out six opposing hitters on the afternoon while issuing a pair of walks. The damage done against hi came on an RBI double by Freddie Freeman in the fourth inning and a solo shot by Miguel Rojas in the fifth. Ray got nine swings and misses on 92 pitches on the afternoon, posting a CSW of 25 percent. The 33-year-old All-Star southpaw finishes a brilliant first half with a 9-3 record, 2.65 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and a 128/44 K/BB ratio across 119 innings through his first 20 starts.

Pierce is one of the more intriguing shortstop prospects in a class that is full of quality ones, as there’s a chance that there’s four plus tools when he’s done developing. He’s a right-handed hitter who sprays line drives to all parts of the park, and once on base, his plus speed should make him a significant stolen-base threat at the highest level as long as he gets on base enough to be one. Pierce is also a solid defender at shortstop with more than enough arm strength to play up the middle, so you can see why so many believe he has one of the higher floors in this class. Because his swing is built for contact and he doesn’t have a projectable frame, there’s questions about the ceiling since there isn’t a ton of power projection.