MLB Player News

The 31-year-old southpaw appeared in 39 ballgames between the Pirates and Blue Jays in 2025, registering a 4.63 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and a 32/16 K/BB ratio over 35 innings. With a strong showing in Cactus League play, he should have a nice shot at landing a spot in the White Sox’ Opening Day bullpen.

Mesa Jr. was activated off the injured list on Tuesday and right back in the starting lineup against a lefty. He went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and is right back in there against a right-handed pitcher. Jonny DeLuca started on Tuesday, and Cedric Mullins is starting in center field and batting seventh tonight, so it appears that those two may be in a platoon.

The plan is for both of them to throw about four innings and 60 pitches. If those outings go well, that could set one or both of them up to be options to return from the injured list next week in Kansas City.

Cobb was called up when rosters expanded on Tuesday but was not used in the bullpen. He’ll head back to his role in the Durham bullpen.

Jax threw 42 pitches in his last rehab start with was also on August 23rd. There had been a discussion that he might throw one more minor league start, but that never came to fruition, so we would expect him to be under 65 pitches in this outing on Wednesday. He struggled to command his changeup and sweeper in that rehab outing, so we’ll see how sharp he looks against the Mets. We would leave him on the bench in fantasy leagues.

Nelson is going to pitch in a rehab game in Visalia on Saturday, but he has been shut down since June 19th, so it’s unlikely he will be fully built up to a starter’s workload over the next few weeks. He has experience out of the bullpen and could be an asset for the Diamondbacks there as they fight for a playoff spot.

This will be Robert Jr.'s first start with the Orioles since being claimed off waivers. This game is against a right-handed pitcher, and Leody Taveras has been moved to the bench with Colton Cowser in center field and Dylan Beavers in right field. This is great news for Robert Jr.'s fantasy value, and also implies that Beavers and Cowser could stay in strong-side platoon roles. With the Orioles facing three lefties against the Red Sox this weekend, Robert Jr. could be in for a nice week.

Tracy said that it was roughly 15-18 pitches, and Houck averaged around 92 mph on his fastball while touching 94 mph. We could see Houck begin a rehab assignment within the week, which could make him an option for the bullpen later this month.

The Red Sox are adapting Slaten’s throwing program to take those symptoms into account. Perhaps that means having Slaten abandon a pitch that is causing him particular trouble, but it’s never a great sign for a pitcher to be trying to adapt what they’re doing to compensate for lingering soreness. We’re less confident that the Red Sox can get key innings from Slaten down the stretch.

Despite going 2-for-4 with a walk and a home run on Tuesday, Montes will sit against a left-handed pitcher. It’s not a surprise, but is good confirmation that he is going to be in a strong-side platoon role. Taylor Ward will play right field and Dominic Canzone will DH with Cal Raleigh also getting a day off.

Burgos was up over the weekend as the 27th man in a doubleheader and will now come up to provide the Red Sox with depth out of their bullpen. The 27-year-old has a 5.84 ERA in 12 1/3 innings for the Red Sox this weekend.