MLB Player News

Perhaps he would have been sent down today anyway, but it became a given Peralta would be demoted for a fresh arm after he threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Chris Flexen on Sunday.

Arenado has been battling through lingering shoulder and finger issues recently, so the All-Star break comes at an opportune time. The 34-year-old defensive wizard figures to sit out St. Louis’ final two first-half games this weekend against Atlanta. It’ll be Nolan Gorman and Thomas Saggese taking over at the hot corner.

Misiorowski heads to Truist Park in Atlanta for the Midsummer Classic after just five starts in the majors. It’s the quickest-ever All-Star appearance breaking the mark set by Paul Skenes last year when he got the nod after 11 starts in the big leagues. The 23-year-old top pitching prospect — who is coming off a 12-strikeout gem earlier this week against the Dodgers — has performed like a future ace, recording a sparkling 2.81 ERA and 33/11 K/BB ratio across 25 2/3 innings during that span. He’s certainly talented enough to warrant a spot, but his inclusion highlights the fact that very few starters seem to actually want to show up and pitch in the game itself. He’ll take over Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd’s spot on the National League’s roster.

Kurtz has had some ups and downs in his rookie campaign, but there’s just no denying that there’s enormous power in his left-handed bat. He’s homered in back-to-back games and he’s gone deep four times in nine July chances. Kurtz may not ever be a major contributor in the average category and won’t steal bags, but that power isn’t going anywhere. If anything, it’s likely to improve as he grows more comfortable facing MLB pitching.

The good news is that Hoffman didn’t blow a save nor did he take a loss. The bad news is everything else. He gave up a solo homer, uncorked a wild pitch with a runner on third, and gave up an RBI single to see his ERA rise to a very unhealthy 5.3. Hoffman should remain the closer and had looked fine as of late prior to this outing, but there’s a little more volatility here than some other fantasy stoppers.

Severino was hurt by his defense, and it’s worth noting that the right-hander was able to strike out eight before he was pulled. The 31-year-old also gave up seven hits, and really struggled after the third inning. The 31-year-old is now an ugly 2-11 on the season, with an ERA of 5.16 that fits the crime. He’ll still likely be one of the first starters after the break for the A’s against the Guardians.

It took until the weekend before the All-Star break, but Scherzer finally has his first win as a member of the Blue Jays. He blanked the A’s for the first five innings, but he gave up a three-spot in the sixth to turn a very impressive outing into one that still counts as a quality start. Scherzer will take a 4.70 ERA and 24/7 K/BB over 23 innings into the second half.

No word yet on the severity of the issue or how much time the 28-year-old slugger may stand to miss (if any). Expect more clarity on his status prior to Saturday’s contest against the Cardinals.

The 27-year-old hurler downplayed the injury while chatting with reporters after the game, saying that it was nothing major and merely a feeling of fatigue. Marlins’ skipper Clayton McCullough noted that they’ll have more clarity on the injury in a couple of days, so it sounds like he may undergo some precautionary imaging just to be on the safe side. For now at least, it sounds like Cabrera dodged a bullet.

Lee tripled in two runs in the fourth, and he picked up an infield single that scored a run two innings later. The 26-year-old was a disaster in June with a slash of .143/.277/.274, but he’s now hitting .366 in the month of July. A smaller sample, obviously, but it’s encouraging to see some success after those struggles.

Ohtani also drew a walk. The homer gives the reigning MVP 32 roundtrippers on the season and 60 RBI over 363 at-bats. Ohtani now has a two-homer lead over Kyle Schwarber — who also homered Friday — in the National League, and he’s on pace for just-under 55 homers after hitting 54 in 2024.