MLB Player News

The right-hander struck out four opposing hitters on the night while issuing a pair of walks. The Jays scratched out a run against him in the opening inning as Bo Bichette reached on a single, swiped second, took third on a ground ball and scored on a sacrifice fly. They added another on a sacrifice fly in the second and a third on an RBI single by Alejandro Kirk in the fourth. Woo got 10 whiffs on 97 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 25 percent. He’ll look to get back in the win column as he carries a 3.12 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a 22/6 K/BB ratio (26 innings) into Thursday’s matchup against the Red Sox in Boston.

The All-Star Aranda has pushed his OPS back over .900 with nine hits, including a homer, the last four days. He’s third in the majors with a .327 average, trailing only Aaron Judge and Jacob Wilson.

Littell has matched his 2024 win total in 10 fewer starts and with a very similar ERA (3.56 right now, 3.63 last year). We don’t much like the 17.3% strikeout rate, which is a significant drop from last year’s mark of 21.5%, but he’s awfully steady, and it seems likely that he’ll remain in the Rays rotation after Shane McClanahan returns.

Olson exited with a one-run lead, only to watch the Rays scored four times in the sixth. Maybe the Tigers could have stuck with Olson for a little longer, but he was at 84 pitches in his second start back from the IL. He hasn’t been allowed to throw more than 94 pitches in a start this year, though that obviously didn’t prevent him from hurting his finger in May. Olson finishes the first half 4-3 with a 2.95 ERA. Hopefully, the lack of wear on his arm will help him stay strong into September.

Kim’s ability to hit the ball hard post-shoulder surgery was in question as he was working his way back, and he actually had just a 23% hard-hit rate in 21 minor league games. However, in three games since coming off the IL, he’s already hit balls 105.3, 106.4 and 107.0 mph, with tonight’s double leaving him just shy of his 2024 high EV of 107.9 mph. He seems to be his normal self, so he’s probably going to have some mixed-league value with his ability to steal bases.

Alexander went unclaimed on waivers after being removed from Los Angeles’ 40-man roster earlier this week. The 28-year-old infielder will remain at Triple-A Oklahoma City as emergency depth for the Dodgers.

X-rays came back negative for any fractures after Buxton was hit by a pitch on the left hand during his first at-bat of Wednesday’s game at Target Field. He managed to remain in the contest to run the bases, stealing second base and coming around to score a run, before exiting a couple frames later. The 31-year-old All-Star center fielder appears to have avoided serious injury and should be considered day-to-day for now. There should be some additional clarity on his status ahead of Thursday’s series finale, but this qualifies as a positive update.

Not good. Meyers was set to return to Houston’s lineup following a two-game absence due to a right calf issue, but that’s no longer happening. He needed assistance from an athletic trainer to leave the field just a few minutes before first pitch on Wednesday night. There should be an update on his status shortly.

Ryan has been officially added to take the roster spot of Astros emerging ace Hunter Brown, who will not pitch in the Midsummer Classic, since he’s been moved up to start Sunday’s first-half finale against the Rangers. The 29-year-old righty receives his first All-Star Game selection after posting an excellent 2.76 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 116/21 K/BB ratio across 104 1/3 innings (18 appearances, 17 starts).

Bickford heads to Triple-A Lehigh Valley as extra organizational relief depth for Philadelphia after being released last week by the Cubs after a couple months in their system. The 29-year-old former first-round pick has made 187 relief appearances in the big leagues dating back to the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. He got into eight games last year for the Yankees.

Weems made two relief appearances for the Astros earlier this month before being designated for assignment and electing free agency. The 32-year-old righty is officially back with Houston as extra organizational depth at Triple-A Sugar Land.