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.

Walker allowed four earned runs on four hits while failing to record an out in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Walker entered in the eighth inning and gave up three singles and a double before being pulled. The right-hander has surrendered six runs over 1.2 innings in his last three appearances, totaling 42 pitches during that span. He now owns a 7.06 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 18:12 K:BB across 21.2 innings in 24 outings this season.

Assad is slated to start Sunday's game against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

After pitching 2.2 innings of long relief behind Matthew Boyd in his most recent appearance during Tuesday's 9-7 win over the Padres, Assad will slot back into the rotation weekend. While Assad has rolled to a 3-0 record, 2.70 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over his last three starts, the Cubs' willingness to use him in relief earlier this week could indicate that he's the pitcher most likely to move to the bullpen once the banged-up Chicago rotation gets some further reinforcement. Among the Cubs' injured starters, Jameson Taillon (hamstring) is the closest to returning and is set to make a rehab start Sunday, but it's unclear if he'll be ready to return from the 15-day injured list during the final week before the All-Star break.

Smith picked up a hold in Wednesday's 6-4 win over Arizona, allowing one hit while striking out one in one inning.

After giving up a run in each of his previous two outings, Smith threw nine of his 13 pitches for strikes Wednesday and helped slow the Diamondbacks after they opened the eighth inning with four straight hits off Ryan Walker. Smith picked up his second hold of the season, with both coming in his last two appearances. The right-hander now owns a 1.86 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB across 9.2 innings in 11 games this season.

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.

Dodd struck out one in a perfect sixth inning Wednesday to record his second hold of the season in a win over the Cardinals.

The 28-year-old southpaw set down the top of St. Louis' order on 14 pitches (nine strikes), punctuating his performance with a strikeout of Alec Burleson. Dodd is adjusting well to a full-time relief role, albeit a low-leverage one, and through 22 innings over 17 big-league appearances this season he's delivered a 2.45 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 25:8 K:BB.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss confirmed that Waldrep will start Thursday's game against the Cardinals, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Waldrep made his 2026 debut with Atlanta last Friday, pitching two innings of relief behind starter Reynaldo Lopez. Both pitchers will be in the rotation this week, as Bryce Elder will have his turn skipped. Though Elder is expected to return to the rotation next week, Waldrep could end up sticking around in a starting role, as Atlanta is contemplating moving Grant Holmes to the bullpen. Waldrep's performance Thursday will likely influence that decision, though the right-hander shouldn't be expected to work more than five or six innings, regardless of how well he's pitching. Since completing his recovery from a Feb. 23 elbow procedure and beginning a rehab stint at the beginning of June, Waldrep hasn't tossed more than 71 pitches or covered more than 4.2 innings in any outing.

Kilian struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Kilian allowed five runs over 1.2 innings across his last two appearances in June, but he bounced back with a perfect inning Wednesday to picked up his seventh save of the season and his third in his last four appearances. The right-hander has a 4.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 43:17 K:BB over 36 innings this year. Kilian continues to operate as the Giants' closer, though he brings some risk in fantasy due to a high walk rate (4.3 BB/9).

Hill (shoulder) resumed playing catch Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Hill has progressed quickly in the last few days in his recovery from shoulder tendinitis, with Wednesday marking his return to throwing after landing on the shelf June 24. The next step in his recovery will be a bullpen session, though it's unclear when he'll be cleared to do so.