MLB Player News

Ureña needed just 88 pitches to complete seven innings in one of his most efficient outings to date. Last time out, he threw five scoreless innings against Houston, but he walked five and threw 102 pitches in that one. Tonight, he walked just two. Urena was outdueled by Ryne Nelson, so he dropped to 4-5 despite a 2.60 ERA. He’ll face the A’s in Sacramento on Saturday.

With Tanner Banks (forearm) hitting the injured list, Shugart will get another opportunity to pitch out of the big league bullpen. The 29-year-old right-hander has registered a 4.97 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and a 34/11 K/BB ratio over 29 innings in 26 appearances with the Phillies on the season.

No word yet on the severity of the strain or how long Banks will be sidelined for. The 34-year-old southpaw holds a troublesome 7.14 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and a 32/13 K/BB ratio over 29 innings in 28 appearances with the Phillies this season.

Kurtz was pulled from Wednesday’s game in the second inning after he threw up in the team’s dugout, which caused his removal. He’s back at first base and batting second for the A’s against Tigers’ left-hander Framber Valdez on Thursday evening in Detroit.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine night off for the 27-year-old slugger. Josh Lowe will slide over to cover right field while Wade Meckler starts in left and will bat seventh against Rangers’ veteran right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.

The Brewers continue to mix in plenty of off days for their 34-year-old slugger to make sure that he stays healthy for the duration of the season. Jake Bauers will serve as the designated hitter in his place on Thursday while Andrew Vaughn draws a start at first base and will bat sixth against Cardinals’ right-hander Andre Pallante.

The good news is that the All-Star backstop is not dealing with any fractures after being struck on the hand by a foul tip during Wednesday’s game. The Tigers did add an extra catcher to the roster on Thursday to help add depth behind the plate, but Dingler wasn’t placed on the injured list which is very encouraging. He’s considered day-to-day.

The A’s appear to be easing Soderstrom back into action in his return from the injured list, so he’ll take a seat against Tigers’ southpaw Framber Valdez on Thursday evening in Motown. Nick Kurtz will function as the club’s designated hitter on Thursday while Jonah Heim draws a start at first base and will bat cleanup for the A’s.

The 26-year-old hurler was torched for six runs with two outs in the ninth inning on Tuesday against the Phillies and he appears to have injured more than his ERA in the process. He’ll miss at least a week on both sides of the All-Star break as he recovers from the side issue. A corresponding move will be made prior to Friday’s contest.

The Red Sox still probably shouldn’t have given up Kyle Harrison for him, but Durbin has essentially the same WAR (2.1 entering the day) and OPS (.684) as Alex Bregman (2.2 and .681, respectively). Durbin has nine homers, six of which have come in his last 20 games. He’s also swiped five bags during those 20 games. It’s not assured that he’ll last as mixed-league option during the second half, but he’s certainly worth playing right now.

Sandoval got through four scoreless before giving up a single to Luisangel Acuña to start the fifth. Drew Romo tried to bunt him over afterwards, only to pop it up foul for an out. Acuña went on to advance to second on a wild pitch and steal third while Sandoval was walking Chase Meridoth. Sandoval was pulled at that point, and Acuña went on to score on a swinging bunt. Sandoval struck out five and walked just the one. He averaged a rather stunning 94.3 mph with his fastball. That’s an improvement on his career-best 93.7 mph from 2024, before he hurt his elbow, and a big step forward from the 92.8 mph he averaged in six outings in Triple-A. If he keeps that up, he could be at least a streaming option in mixed leagues. There’s a good chance we’ll see him again in the series against the Rays after the break.