MLB Player News

Pilkington could have stayed with the Nationals after going unclaimed on waivers last week, but he’s instead joining a superior team that has much less room for him. The 28-year-old Pilkington has a 3.97 ERA in 11 starts and 37 relief appearances as a major leaguer, though all of those starts came with the Guardians in 2022. He had a 4.45 ERA in 28 1/3 innings out to the pen for the Nationals last season.

Winn has missed the last four games with a thumb injury, so the team can backdate the IL stint. JJ Wetherholt will continue to serve as the regular shortstop, with Ramon Urias and Nolan Gorman potentially forming a platoon at second base until Winn returns.

It’s expected that Masyn Winn will land on the injured list in a corresponding move. The Cardinals have been working on Gorman’s approach and mechanics in the minors, tweaking his batting stance and swing a bit. The power has been there in August, where he has hit seven home runs with a .903 OPS, but he continues to swing and miss a ton with a 37.8 percent strikeout rate in August as well. Even if Gorman gets regular at-bats with the big league club, it’s hard to see him producing much fantasy value unless all you care about are home runs.

Bodine, who is the 51st-ranked prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, came over to the Rays as part of the Shane Baz deal this offseason. He has already played in three levels for Tampa Bay this year, most recently hitting .316/.397/.447 with five home runs, 33 RBI, and four steals in 37 games at Double-A. Bodine was one of the best pitch framers in the 2025 draft and could be a complement to Liam Hicks next season since Hicks is not a great defensive catcher.

Uribe was diagnosed with a flexor strain on August 14th, so he has not been sidelined for long at all. Romero had an emergency appendectomy in the middle of July, so he might need a bit longer to ramp back up. However, both of them figure to be key pieces of the Brewers’ bullpen by the end of the season.

Steele underwent elbow surgery in April of 2025 and then dealt with a flexor strain earlier this season, which is why he still has not pitched this season. The left-hander has begun facing hitters this week, which means it’s highly unlikely that he will return as a starter. Cubs manager Craig Counsell even said, “We’re not going to skip steps. He rightfully should be (focused on returning this season), but we have a lot of steps to go before we get there.” There likely won’t be much fantasy value with Steele this season, but his pitching in relief would be beneficial for the Cubs and be nice for fantasy managers to see before 2027 drafts.

Whisenhunt said this felt different than the elbow sprain that cost him the final two months of 2023, and he’s hoping it might just be a pinched nerve. "[I’ve] never really felt anything like this,” he said after the game. “I don’t really know kind of where to be at with it. So just kind of play it by ear and get the MRI tomorrow and then go from there.” The Giants could recall Matt Wilkinson if Whisenhunt goes on the IL.

Gonzales’s hit resulted in only run in the three extra innings. There were three bunts, though, none of which worked out. The first two, from the Padres, were both popped up and the initial one resulted in a double play. The last, from the Pirates after Gonzales’s go-ahead hit, saw the lead runner get retired. Gonzales also walked and stole a base in the contest. He’s fourth in the majors with his .308 average.

Ashcraft appeared to get through six scoreless, only to lose the shutout on a balk. He then left with a one-run lead that failed to hold up. It’s unclear how many more starts Ashcraft, who has now thrown 39 more innings than his previous career high, will make with the Pirates nearly out of contention at this point, but he’s still thriving, having allowed exactly one run in three straight starts. He’s in line to face the Cardinals on Sunday, but the Pirates have Thursday and Monday off if they want to give him some extra time.

Ramírez had given up five runs in three innings since returning from the paternity list, but he came up big tonight in protecting a one-run lead. He did get a little lucky with the last pitch, though; Dustin Harris swung at a sweeper down and in and then had it go off his foot and to the backstop. If it didn’t hit him, he likely would have reached on a strikeout/wild pitch.

Both runs came in the sixth. Esmerlyn Valdez led off the inning with a homer. Ray then walked Bryan Reynolds and struck out Oneil Cruz before being pulled in favor of Bradgley Rodriguez, who surrendered a go-ahead double to score the inherited runner. Ray struck out five and allowed just two hard-hit balls other than the homer. He’ll likely face the Rays on Sunday.