MLB Player News

The 30-year-old hurler underwent season-ending surgery on his pitching elbow in April. Sanchez notes that the Yankees were one of a handful of teams that went to see Loaisiga throw this past week. His recovery has gone very smoothly and he’s expected to start throwing regular bullpen sessions in January and should be ready for the start of the regular season.

For the first time, both of the White Sox’s young catchers, Quero and Kyle Teel, homered in the same game. Quero’s was only his third in 245 plate appearances, but he’s batting a fine .280.351/.381 at the tender age of 22. The White Sox have to be pretty thrilled with both his and Teel’s development, though it’s going to make for tough calls at some point.

This was Adrian Houser’s turn, but the White Sox scratched him in anticipation of a trade. Alexander managed to open up with three scoreless innings, but he was charged with one run before and one run after exiting in the fourth. He could return to middle relief now, though the White Sox will likely have at least one rotation spot opening up tomorrow.

Vasil came into a 1-1 game in the fourth and allowed one of two inherited runners to score before getting the two outs he needed to finish the inning. He then kept the Phillies scoreless for another 3 1/3 innings to pick up his fifth win of the season. He should be in the mix for the rotation spot that opens up once Adrian Houser is traded. The White Sox might move Aaron Civale, too.

The runs came on homers from Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery. Though no further damage was done, Walker allowed five more hits and finished the night with zero strikeouts. He’ll start again next week against the Orioles, but it might not be too long before Aaron Nola is back to send Walker to the pen.

The homer, hit 379 feet to left-center, would have left only eight ballparks, but Montgomery might have had an even more impressive shot in his previous at-bat in the second, when he crushed a liner to right at 113.2 mph. It was caught, but it was his hardest-hit ball to date in the majors.

The fact that Ohtani stayed in the game as the designated hitter was encouraging sign and it appears he’s not dealing with a significant physical issue. The two-way superstar was lifted in the middle of a fourth-inning at-bat after throwing six consecutive balls, including a pair of wild pitches. He went down to the clubhouse briefly, exiting his longest outing of the season with a trainer, but returned to the dugout shortly afterwards. He finished with four strikeouts and was charged with two runs on five hits and three walks over three innings. There should be clarity on his next start in the coming days, but for now, the Dodgers and fantasy managers can breathe easier.

The trade is now official. Duran takes over as Philadelphia’s closer after converting 16 of 18 save opportunities to accompany a sparkling 2.01 ERA and 53/18 K/BB ratio across 49 1/3 innings (49 appearances) for the Twins this season. The flame-throwing 27-year-old, who remains under club control through 2027, fills a critical late-inning void left by former closer José Alvarado, who was handed an 80-game PED suspension in mid-May and is ineligible for the postseason. Duran’s arrival gives the Phillies a dominant ninth-inning presence as they prepare for a potential deep postseason run.

Abel heads to Triple-A St. Paul for the moment, but figures to get a look in Minnesota at some point down the home stretch. The 23-year-old pitching prospect had some extremely encouraging moments with the Phillies earlier this season, finishing with a pedestrian 5.04 ERA and 21/9 K/BB ratio across 25 innings (six starts).

Catchers are weird from a developmental standpoint. There are so many variables to consider with their long-term outlook, but Tait has made some waves in the lower minors this season, hitting .255/.319/.434 with 11 homers in 75 games between High-A Jersey Shore and Low-A Clearwater. The 18-year-old prodigy boasts immense raw power upside and has posted upper-echelon exit velocities relative to his age and level. He’s clearly one of the better catching prospects in baseball already and a significant addition for Minnesota.

The trade is now official. Helsley joins an overhauled Mets bullpen that suddenly features a formidable late-inning trio alongside flamethrower Edwin Díaz and side-winding setup man Tyler Rogers. The 31-year-old impending free agent has converted 21 saves this season while compiling a solid 3.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 41/14 K/BB ratio across 36 innings (36 appearances). He brings another high-octane arm to a relief corps built for winning games in October. It’s a significant hit to his immediate fantasy appeal since he’s unlikely to usurp Díaz for a significant share of the save opportunities in New York.