MLB Player News

It appears to be nothing more than a routine night off for the 22-year-old slugger. Ballesteros has been an integral cog in the Cubs’ lineup this season, slashing .280/.343/.527 with six homers and 19 RBI across 105 plate appearances. Michael Conforto will function as the team’s designated hitter and will bat second against right-hander Kumar Rocker.

The 22-year-old has a 3.88 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 65/20 K/BB ratio in 60 1/3 Triple-A innings this season. He has a good fastball and slider combination and could conceivably push for a spot in Atlanta’s rotation if he pitches well. However, he will just be a bulk reliever for now, and AJ Smith-Shawver (elbow) is about two weeks away from returning to the Braves’ rotation, which will give Murphy another hurdle to overcome. We’d keep him on waiver wires in fantasy leagues for now.

You know the drill by now. This is the fifth time the Braves have designated Carrasco for assignment this season. He will likely clear waivers and be signed to a minor league deal.

Ritchie was sent to the minors on Sunday, but with Martin Perez (forearm) landing on the injured list, the team is able to bring him right back. He will continue to serve in a bulk relief role for now.

Since the X-rays came back negative for Pérez, this feels like the Braves simply using the All-Star break to get their veteran some extra time to heal. We expect him to be back in the rotation after the break.

Seelinger has a 3.89 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 49/19 K/BB ratio in 39 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season. The 31-year-old can miss bats, but he’s also posted a walk rate over 11 percent in back-to-back seasons at Triple-A. He’s just organizational depth for a depleted Mets pitching staff.

He struck out one and walked one while throwing 62 percent of his pitches for strikes. The bigger news was that Bloss saw 94.9 mph on his sinker and 96.3 mph on his four-seam fastball, which were both up by about three mph. He struggled to command the sinker, but that kind of velocity bump, which he held throughout the game, would be big news for the 25-year-old right-hander. He could be an option in the Blue Jays’ rotation after the break.

Veen is now hitting .322/.400/.588 with 14 home runs, 55 RBI, and 14 steals in 75 games at Triple-A. He’s being a bit more aggressive than he has been in recent seasons, so even though his swinging strike rate remains a similar 11.5 percent, he’s making more contact and more contact in the zone than before. He deserves another shot at MLB at-bats, but with Jake McCarthy, Brenton Doyle, Mickey Moniak, and Cole Carrigg also in the outfield mix in Colorado, the team likely needs to make a move at the trade deadline.

Wallner is now hitting .282/.376/.607 with 15 home runs, 42 RBI, and a 49/17 K/BB ratio in 42 games since being demoted to Triple-A. Yes, the strikeouts remain a bit of an issue and probably always will, but the 28-year-old has consistent power that teams covet. It might make sense for the Twins to use this hot stretch to give him MLB at-bats and see if they can trade him at the deadline to a team that wants a left-handed power bat off the bench.

That homer extended Sirota’s on-base streak to 68 games. The 23-year-old is hitting .324/.484/.547 with seven home runs, 25 RBI, and three steals in 38 games at Double-A after being promoted following 35 games at High-A. He has emerged as a top-15 prospect in all of baseball and looks like a major steal for the Dodgers, who drafted him in 2021 only to see him choose to go to college. The Reds wound up drafting Sirota, but the Dodgers traded Gavin Lux for him in January 2025. Looks like a pretty good move at this point.

Montes and 2B/OF prospect Michael Arroyo are being promoted to Triple-A Tacoma, according to MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer. Montes is the Mariners’ third-ranked prospect and MLB Pipeline’s 26th overall prospect, while Arroyo is the team’s fourth-ranked prospect and MLB Pipeline’s 43rd overall prospect. Montes hit .236/.365/.554 with 25 home runs and five steals in 78 games at Double-A. That came with a 30.5 percent strikeout rate, 18 percent swinging strike rate, and 62.5 percent contact rate, so those numbers will need to improve in Triple-A before he has a legitimate shot to crack the MLB roster.