MLB Player News

He got his work in, and that’s really all that matters. While his fastball velocity is simply holding steady, Boyd was all of the way up to 85.8 mph with his slider tonight. That’s up from 79.5 mph in 2024, 82.0 mph last year and 83.5 mph in his previous starts this spring. It’s obviously not an accident. Boyd’s slider was his best pitch in 2018 and ’19, when he was a middling starter for the Tigers. Since then, it’s been pretty average, while his fastball and changeup have done more of the heavy lifting and made him a better pitcher overall. Boyd’s next outing will come on Opening Day against the Nationals.

Brooks returns stateside after a brief stint with the Kiwoom Heroes in Korea, who jettisoned him a few weeks ago to sign Keston Hiura. The 30-year-old provides Houston with some additional depth at Triple-A Sugar Land after injuries forced the club to bring up some reinforcements earlier this week.

Rafael Flores Jr. took over behind the plate after Rodríguez went 0-for-3 before departing. The timing is a bit complicated for the Pirates with Henry Davis away on paternity leave for the next couple days. It’s possible the club will have to promote someone from Triple-A Indianapolis on an emergency basis if Rodríguez is unavailable for Thursday’s series finale.

Jansen threw 22 pitches in his first rehab outing since hitting the injured list with pelvic inflammation back on May 28. The 38-year-old veteran stopper’s velocity was on par with his previous levels and he figures to be ready to return to Detroit’s bullpen later this week.

Verlander struck out three and issued a pair of walks. He gave up only five hits, but four of them wound up leaving the yard. The encouraging news here is that he averaged 92.9 mph on his fastball, topping out at 95.5 mph, and threw 53 of 86 pitches for strikes in his likely final rehab outing. The 43-year-old veteran has been out since early April due to a hip issue. He’ll likely rejoin Detroit’s rotation at some point early next week.

Lugo somehow managed to walk off the field after being struck directly in the head by a 106.6 mph line drive from Rangers outfielder Brandon Nimmo, his former longtime teammate with the Mets. He left the contest after allowing one run over 3 1/3 innings. The 36-year-old veteran righty will undergo further evaluation and testing for a possible concussion. There should be an update on his status after the contest.

Abel’s stuff looked outstanding during the 47-pitch rehab outing, averaging 96.3 mph on his fastball and topped out at 97.9 mph. The 24-year-old figures to require at least one additional tune-up to build up his pitch count and stamina before rejoining Minnesota’s rotation. He’s been on the shelf with elbow inflammation since late April. He should be stashed in all fantasy leagues based on his early-season results, which include a strong 3.98 ERA and 23/10 K/BB ratio across 20 1/3 innings.

Waguespack has posted a strong 1.66 ERA and 33/15 K/BB ratio across 21 2/3 innings for Triple-A Nashville this season. The 32-year-old journeyman presumably has a chance to pitch out of the Tigers’ bullpen in the near future. He hasn’t appeared in the majors since making four appearances for the Rays back in 2024.

Pratto provides San Diego with some additional position player depth at Triple-A El Paso. The 27-year-old hasn’t appeared in the majors since the 2024 campaign. He hit .237/.287/.473 with five homers and one steal in 26 games at Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers system earlier this year.

It’s an unfortunate development for fantasy managers since Rooker will miss out on an opportunity to hit in the launching pad that is Las Vegas Ballpark for the second straight game. Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told reporters they’ll wait until Friday’s series opener against the Rockies before making a decision regarding a potential injured list stint. There should be a definitive update on his status later this week.

McCalvy adds that nothing is set in stone, but Woodruff is theoretically lined up to take the ball against the Guardians at some point next week. The 33-year-old former fantasy ace threw 68 pitches during his latest minor league rehab outing earlier this week. He’s been out with shoulder inflammation since early May.