MLB Player News

Mears (shoulder) threw a bullpen Tuesday and could go on a rehab assignment soon, MLB.com reports.

Mears was placed on the injured list May 29 due to a right shoulder impingement and appears to be progressing nicely in his rehab. With a rehab assignment on the horizon, the right-hander should be back in the big-league bullpen fairly soon, assuming no setbacks. Before being shelved, Mears posted a 5.12 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 15:11 K:BB across 19.1 innings.

The Angels optioned Kerry to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Kerry made his major-league debut Wednesday in Arizona, covering four innings and yielding two runs out of the bullpen. The Angels will likely add a fresh bullpen arm later Thursday to take Kerry's spot on the roster.

Sabrowski (elbow) allowed two unearned runs and one walk while striking out two over a hitless two-thirds of an inning for Double-A Akron on Wednesday.

Sabrowski kicked off a rehab assignment with the RubberDucks, his first game action since landing on the 15-day injured list May 26 with inflammation in his left elbow. Before the game, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt told Zach Sweet of MLB.com that the club will review how the left-hander comes through the appearance before determining next steps.

Varland secured the save Wednesday against the Red Sox, striking out the side.

Varland made quick work of the scuffling Boston bats Wednesday, throwing all but one of his 10 pitches for strikes. After taking over closing duties from Jeff Hoffman earlier this year, Varland is running away with the job as 2026 has progressed. Through 40 innings, the 28-year-old right-hander boasts a 0.90 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 55:11 K:BB while going 14-for-14 in save situations.

Woods Richardson (1-7) notched the win Wednesday against the Red Sox, allowing no runs on three hits and three walks in three innings. He struck out one.

Woods Richardson landed only 28 of his 55 offerings for strikes, but he still managed to keep Boston off the board en route to getting into the win column for the first time this year. After being jettisoned by the Twins earlier this season, the 25-year-old right-hander is up to seven scoreless frames covering two outings in bulk relief with the Blue Jays. Even so, Woods Richardson has a 6.75 ERA, 1.77 WHIP and 30:28 K:BB over 54.2 innings on the campaign and could be relegated to mop-up duties more frequently once Shane Bieber (elbow) is ready to make his season debut.

Newcomb was removed from Wednesday's game against the Yankees due to a left triceps contusion, source reports.

Newcomb was hit by a line drive in the fifth inning of Wednesday's contest, forcing him to come out of the game after recording just two outs. The White Sox have labeled him as day-to-day, though even if the injury is minor, he may be unavailable out of the bullpen for a day or two.

The Royals transferred Ragans (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

On the 15-day IL since May 8 due to an elbow impingement, Ragans' experienced a setback Friday that will sideline him until at least the second week of July. Before going down with the elbow issue, the left-hander posted a 4.84 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 45:23 K:BB across 35.1 innings.

The Mariners traded Dobnak to Kansas City on Wednesday, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Dobnak spent his 2026 season with Seattle's Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma before being dealt to the Royals. With Tacoma, the 31-year-old posted a 4.24 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 39:24 K:BB across 70 innings. Dobnak will join Kansas City's 40-man roster and report to Triple-A Omaha.

Avila (2-3) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk over 5.2 innings in a 6-2 victory over the Nationals. He struck out five.

The right-hander got chased in the first inning by the Astros in his last trip to the mound, but Avila shook off that disaster and came one out shy of recording his first career quality start, tossing 59 of 91 pitches for strikes before being lifted when he ran into trouble in the sixth. Since moving into the rotation at the beginning of June, Avila has posted a 6.06 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 13:11 K:BB in 16.1 innings over four starts. He'll look to build on Wednesday's performance in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in Tampa Bay.

Garcia (elbow) struck out the side Tuesday for Triple-A Buffalo and is scheduled for another rehab outing Thursday, reports Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca.

After recording a 13-pitch inning for Buffalo on Tuesday, Toronto is looking to carry out its original plan of getting Garcia into more minor-league action before he makes his season debut for the big-league club. The 35-year-old was originally placed on the 15-day injured list March 25 and then was transferred to the 60-day IL a month later. Garcia appeared in 22 games for Toronto during the 2025 regular season, posting a 3.86 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 25:12 K:BB through 21 innings.