MLB Player News

Cease (6-4) picked up the win Wednesday in a 10-0 rout of the Giants, scattering one hit and three walks over eight scoreless innings. He struck out 11.

The right-hander took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, but Heliot Ramos broke it up with a leadoff single, ending Cease's afternoon at 118 pitches (81 strikes). It was his sixth start of the season with double-digit strikeouts, and Cease heads into the All-Star break with a 2.56 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and an American League-leading 148 strikeouts in just 98.1 innings. He's on the short list to get the start for the AL in the All-Star Game.

Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said Wednesday that Bello could be called up from Triple-A Worcester and to pitch Saturday against the Yankees if Ranger Suarez (adductor) is unable to start, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.

Suarez was pulled early in his most recent start Sunday against the Angels due to adductor tightness. The Red Sox are hopeful that the left-hander can avoid a stint on the injured list and make a start during the upcoming weekend, but Boston may have to turn to Bello to fill in either as a conventional starter or in a bulk-relief role if Suarez is unable to pitch. Since being optioned to Worcester on June 5, Bello has submitted a 4.34 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 22:4 K:BB across 18.2 frames over four starts.

Ober (elbow) is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Thursday's game versus the Guardians, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Ober has made two rehab starts, allowing a total of seven runs with a 6:0 K:BB over 8.1 innings. The big right-hander went five frames and tossed 76 pitches in his final rehab outing with Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday, so he should be prepared for close to a regular workload against Cleveland. Ober has been on the shelf since late May while nursing a right flexor strain.

The Red Sox promoted Mullins from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday.

Mullins is expected to make his Worcester debut with a start Wednesday in Game 1 or 2 of the club's doubleheader with Rochester, per Brendan Campbell of BloggingTheRedSox.com. Though the 25-year-old submitted a 5.85 ERA and 1.44 WHIP across 47.2 innings with Portland, he's been one of the Eastern League's most prolific strikeout artists this season, ranking second on the circuit with a 34.8 K%.

Verlander (hamstring/hip) announced Wednesday via social media that he will retire following the 2026 season.

Verlander addressed his playing future in a statement after MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced earlier Wednesday that the 43-year-old had been named a "Legend Pick" for the 2026 All-Star Game. The veteran right-hander will be honored in Philadelphia next week after being selected to his 10th All-Star Game, but he won't be active for the exhibition while he remains on the 60-day injured list after sustaining a left hamstring injury during a June 17 bullpen session. Verlander -- who was placed on the shelf April 4 due to hip inflammation -- has since resumed playing catch, but he's without a clear timeline to return from the IL. He'll look to move past his injuries over the next few weeks and attempt to make at least a few more appearances for Detroit before the end of the season as he closes the book on a 21-year Hall-of-Fame career. Verlander is the majors' active leader in games started (556), wins (266) and strikeouts (3,554).

McCullers (shoulder) struck out four and allowed four runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks across four innings in a rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Sugar Land.

In the third start of his rehab assignment, McCullers covered four innings for a second outing in a row, though he was able to push his pitch count up to 77 (43 strikes) after tossing 60 pitches in his previous appearance for Sugar Land. Though he wasn't as sharp Tuesday as he had been his previous two times out, McCullers has still fared well overall during his minor-league assignment, posting a 2.45 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB in 11 innings. The next steps for McCullers remain unclear; though the veteran right-hander is stretched back out, Astros general manager Dana Brown didn't mention him as a candidate to fill the since-demoted Mike Burrows' spot in the rotation the next time it comes up Sunday against the Rangers, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. With that in mind, McCullers may be headed for another rehab appearance Sunday before returning from the 15-day injured list following the All-Star break and potentially handling a bullpen role.

Sandoval (biceps) is scheduled to start Thursday's game against the White Sox in Chicago, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.

The Red Sox brought Sandoval back from the 60-day injured list Monday, but he'll end up waiting for a few days before making his first big-league appearance since June 21, 2024, after enduring a lengthy recovery from internal brace surgery and multiple arm-related setbacks. Sandoval was sharp over the course of his six-start minor-league rehab assignment, generating a 1.96 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 18:6 K:BB across 18.1 innings between four outings with Triple-A Worcester and two with Double-A Portland. The southpaw built up to 68 pitches in his final rehab start over the weekend, so he could have a light workload restriction in place while he slots into the spot in the Boston rotation that previously belonged to Connelly Early (elbow), who was moved to the IL last week.

Baz (4-9) took the loss Tuesday, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks over six innings as the Orioles fell 5-2 to the Cubs. He struck out three.

The right-hander tossed 63 of 100 pitches for strikes in his second straight quality start and seventh of the season, but Baltimore's hitters were shut down by Matthew Boyd for six frames to leave Baz stuck with the loss. All seven of those quality starts have come since May 15, a stretch in which Baz has delivered a 3.30 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 52:23 K:BB over 62.2 innings but has just a 3-5 record to show for it. He's set to make one more start before the All-Star break, at home this Sunday against the Royals.

Schultz (2-6) took the loss Tuesday against the Red Sox, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three over five innings

After escaping a 33-pitch first inning by stranding the bases loaded, Schultz ran into trouble in the second, allowing homers against Andruw Monasterio and Ceddanne Rafaela to open the scoring. He later surrendered another run in the fourth. Control has remained an issue for the young left-hander, who has issued at least three walks in seven of his 10 starts this season. Schultz has allowed seven runs over 9.1 innings with a 10:7 K:BB since returning from the injured list. He is scheduled to make one more start before the All-Star break at home Sunday against the Athletics.

Tolle (5-6) earned the win Tuesday against the White Sox, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out six over six scoreless innings.

Tolle threw 60 of his 91 pitches for strikes and generated 15 whiffs. After Boston handed him a lead in the second inning, the left-hander retired 15 of the final 16 batters he faced. It was a strong bounce-back performance after he was tagged for six runs over three innings in his previous start against Washington. Tolle now owns a 3.14 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 80:24 K:BB across 80.1 innings and is tentatively scheduled to make one more start before the All-Star break against the Mets.