MLB Player News
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Joey Wentz SP | ATL
Braves' Joey Wentz: Earns third win
Wentz (3-3) earned the win against the Marlins on Sunday, allowing one run four hits and three walks with two strikeouts over 5.1 innings.
Wentz generated just five whiffs on 88 pitches and allowed 11 hard-hit balls but limited the Marlins to a single run in the second inning. Since joining the rotation July 19, the southpaw has posted a 3.16 ERA over 25.2 innings. He'll carry a 5.03 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 54:30 K:BB across 62.2 frames this season into a road matchup with the Guardians next weekend.
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Hurston Waldrep SP | ATL
Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Remaining in rotation
Atlanta manager Brian Snitker indicated after Saturday's doubleheader against the Marlins that Waldrep will remain in the big-league rotation, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. "He was a first-round pick because he had arm strength and an out pitch with the split, but now he's pitching [well]," Snitker said. "He's mixing the curveball, the split's still a really good pitch for him, the sinker instead of [four-seamer]. He's not having to pitch at 98 [miles per hour] to be effective. His command's a lot better."
Atlanta is looking ahead to 2026, and Waldrep will get a prolonged audition in the majors as a result. The 2023 first-round pick has a 1.54 ERA and 10:3 K:BB over 11.2 innings with the big club in August, extending a hot streak that had seen the right-hander post a 1.99 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 36:16 K:BB across his last 40.2 innings at Triple-A Gwinnett. Assuming Atlanta elects to maintain a five-man rotation during the upcoming week, Erick Fedde or Carlos Carrasco will likely be pushed to the bullpen or off the roster entirely to accommodate Waldrep.
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Sean Newcomb RP | ATH
Athletics' Sean Newcomb: Tosses scoreless frame Sunday
Newcomb pitched a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and a walk in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Orioles.
Newcomb extended his scoreless outings streak to seven straight appearances, and he's surrendered four hits and three walks while striking out 12 batters over nine innings during that stretch. The left-hander has been vaulted into a late-inning role with the A's, helping to fill the void left by Mason Miller, who was dealt to the Padres at the trade deadline. Newcomb now owns a 3.08 ERA and 1.43 WHIP with 78 punchouts over 36 appearances, including five starts, with the Red Sox and Athletics in 2025. He remains in the mix for high-leverage appearances with Michael Kelly and Elvis Alvarado, both of whom are right-handed, setting Newcomb up for matchup-based chances against left-handed batters.
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Elvis Alvarado RP | ATH
Athletics' Elvis Alvarado: Picks up win Sunday
Alvarado (1-0) pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, walking two batters and striking out two on his way to a win in Sunday's 3-2 victory over the Orioles.
Alvarado has been thrust into a prominent late-inning role following the departure of Mason Miller. He made the most of his opportunity Sunday, securing the first win of his young career. The right-hander has compiled a 3.04 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 29 strikeouts over 19 appearances this season, and he's competing with Michael Kelly and Sean Newcomb for high-leverage opportunities moving forward in 2025.
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Mason Fluharty RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Mason Fluharty: Snags first big-league save
Fluharty struck out one without allowing a baserunner over two-thirds of an inning to earn the save in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Dodgers.
Fluharty was stuck into one of the most fearsome situations after an unusually ineffective performance by Jeff Hoffman, who walked five batters Sunday. Fluharty inherited the bases loaded with one out, and he got Shohei Ohtani to strike out before inducing a grounder from Mookie Betts that was enough to end the game. Fluharty is now at a 5.15 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 45:18 K:BB through 43.2 innings while collecting a save and four holds. He's mostly served in a low-leverage role this year -- he was called upon for this save chance only because he was one of two relievers left in the bullpen after the Blue Jays had to empty the tank due to Eric Lauer's poor start.
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Jeff Hoffman RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Blows save, backs into win
Hoffman (7-4) walked five batters without allowing a hit or recording a strikeout over two-thirds of an inning, taking a blown save and picking up the win Sunday versus the Dodgers.
Hoffman allowed an inherited runner to score the tying run after being brought in with two outs in the eighth inning. Ernie Clement restored the lead for the Blue Jays with a solo home run in the ninth, and Hoffman stayed in the game but struggled again. He may have been rusty after not pitching since Aug. 3, ultimately throwing just 10 of 33 pitches for strikes, but Mason Fluharty was able to work out of the jam to make the lead stick. Hoffman is now 26-for-31 on converting saves this season while posting an uninspiring 4.50 ERA along with a 1.13 WHIP and 64:16 K:BB over 48 innings. He doesn't appear to be at risk of losing the closing job as long as Sunday's poor outing is an isolated incident.
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Keegan Akin RP | BAL
Orioles' Keegan Akin: Stuck with loss, blown save
Akin (3-2) took the loss and a blown save in Sunday's 3-2 defeat to the A's. He allowed two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out two in the ninth inning.
Akin had converted his previous two save chances, allowing just one earned run over four innings in the absence of Felix Bautista (shoulder). Overall, the southpaw Akin sports a 3.56 ERA with a 1.47 WHIP and 43:23 K:BB across 43 innings. Despite the hiccup Sunday, Akin should remain Baltimore's primary ninth-inning option for the time being.
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Erik Miller RP | SF
Giants' Erik Miller: Makes first rehab appearance
Miller (elbow) retired one of the five batters he faced and was charged with two runs (one earned) on three hits in his rehab appearance Friday with Triple-A Sacramento.
Making his first appearance at any level since July 2, Miller exhibited some rust but wasn't hit particularly hard; all three of the hits he allowed were singles. According to Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News, the left-hander is expected to make two more rehab appearances before slotting back into the San Francisco bullpen.
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Javier Assad SP | CHC
Cubs' Javier Assad: Goes 4.1 innings in rehab start
Assad (oblique) struck out four and allowed one earned run on four hits and two walks across 4.1 innings for Triple-A Iowa in the third start of his rehab assignment Wednesday.
Assad is still waiting to make his 2025 debut with the Cubs, as he was placed on the injured list coming out of spring training due to a left oblique strain, then suffered a setback in his recovery in late April following a pair of rehab starts. He was cleared to kick off a new rehab assignment shortly after the All-Star break, and he's now built up to 68 pitches through three outings. Assad is likely to make at least one more rehab start before the Cubs bring him back from the 60-day IL and decide whether to use him in the rotation or as a long reliever.
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Trent Thornton RP | SEA
Mariners' Trent Thornton: Facing 6-to-8-month recovery
Thornton underwent season-ending surgery Monday to repair a torn left Achilles tendon and is expected to face a recovery timeline of 6-to-8 months, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
Thornton suffered the Achilles injury during a July 30 relief appearance and finished the 2025 season with a 4.68 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 32:14 K:BB over 42.1 innings. Given the timeline laid out by Seattle, Thornton's availability for the start of spring training will likely be affected, and the injury could prompt the Mariners to non-tender him this winter as he heads into his final season of arbitration in 2026.