MLB Player News

Blanco (elbow) struck out four and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk across 4.1 innings Wednesday in a rehab start with Double-A Corpus Christi.

Blanco pushed his pitch count up to 60 (45 strikes) in his third rehab start as he works his way back from the Tommy John surgery with an internal brace that he underwent last June. The right-hander will likely need to get stretched out to around 70-to-80 pitches before becoming a viable option for the Houston rotation, likely at some point shortly after the All-Star break. Before going under the knife last summer, Blanco turned in a 4.10 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 48:20 K:BB in 48.1 innings over nine starts with Houston.

The Yankees activated Bednar from the paternity leave list Thursday.

Bednar missed all three games of the series against the Tigers as he welcomed a new baby to the family. The Yankees are idle Thursday, but they will have their closer available for this weekend's series versus the Twins.

Miles (4-1) picked up the win in Wednesday's 9-3 rout of the Mets, allowing one hit and one walk over three scoreless relief innings. He struck out five.

Taking over after opener Braydon Fisher had worked a scoreless first frame, Miles fired 34 of 46 pitches for strikes in a dominant performance while the Blue Jays built a 5-0 lead before he left the mound. Miles has been an outstanding find as a Rule 5 pick, and over 54 innings and 24 appearances (two starts) he's produced a 2.83 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 55:17 K:BB. Toronto is being very careful with his workload given his checkered injury history in the minors, but Miles has put himself firmly in the team's 2027 rotation plans.

Kelly earned the save in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Royals, allowing one hit and no walks with no strikeouts over 1.1 scoreless innings.

Kelly entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning and induced a ground out off the bat of Bobby Witt to strand runners on first and second. The right-hander came back out for the ninth and worked around a leadoff single to earn his fourth save of the year. Kelly has been solid overall this season, typically working in a set-up role ahead of Bryan Baker, posting a 2.42 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP and 30:7 K:BB across 39.1 innings.

The Yankees optioned Cruz to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday.

Cruz struck out three batters over two scoreless innings Tuesday, giving him six punchouts through 4.1 shutout frames to begin his MLB career. He'll lose his place in New York's bullpen in preparation for David Bednar's return from the paternity list, but Cruz's strong showings with the big club will likely buy him more opportunities in the Bronx later this summer.

The Astros rescinded Teng's option and placed him on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right knee sprain, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Teng had been sent down to Triple-A Sugar Land following Saturday's start versus the Tigers, but it's been determined he suffered an injury before that transaction and will instead hit the injured list. It's unclear how long the right-hander might be sidelined.

Sousa (elbow) will throw a simulated game at Daikin Park on Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Sousa has been limited to only five appearances for the Astros this season, first missing time due to an oblique strain and more recently battling left elbow inflammation. He's been shelved for nearly two months but appears close to throwing in a game. Sousa appears unlikely to join the Astros' active roster before the All-Star break.

The Royals placed Seabold on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right lat strain.

Seabold had to be pulled from an appearance Tuesday against the Rays because of the injury. The severity of the strain is unclear, but even a mild one could result in an absence beyond the 15-day minimum. Seabold has pitched for three different teams this season, collecting a 5.25 ERA and 20:11 K:BB across 24 frames.

The Royals optioned Cerantola to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Cerantola had a disastrous outing Tuesday versus the Rays, walking six of the nine batters he faced while surrendering a pair of runs. He'll head back to Omaha as the Royals replace him with a fresh bullpen arm.

The Royals recalled Dobnak from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Dobnak previously saw big-league action with the Twins over parts of five seasons from 2019 through 2025, but he'll be making his Royals debut once he gets into a game. The 31-year-old righty opened the season in the rotation at Triple-A Tacoma in the Mariners organization before being traded in mid-June to the Royals, who immediately added him to their 40-man roster. Over 80.2 innings at the Triple-A level this season, Dobnak has produced a 4.35 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 49:25 K:BB. The right-hander looks set to initially work out of the bullpen for Kansas City, though he could be a candidate to start Thursday versus the Rays if Stephen Kolek (personal) isn't activated from the bereavement list in advance of that game.