MLB Player News
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Shane Bieber SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Shane Bieber: Close to facing hitters
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Bieber (elbow) threw a "two-up" bullpen session Wednesday, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Bieber has been able to throw off a mound on several occasions over the last few weeks, but his workout Wednesday was more rigorous than his prior bullpen sessions. The right-hander essentially threw the equivalent of two innings, with a break in between the frames to simulate a game situation. According to Schneider, Bieber is in line to throw another two-up session next week before moving on to facing hitters for the first time this season. Though Bieber staged a successful return from Tommy John surgery in the second half of last season, he doesn't appear on track to make his 2026 debut until June while he's been brought along slowly since the start of spring training after experiencing forearm fatigue following Toronto's run to the World Series last fall.
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Brendan Beck RP | NYY
Yankees' Brendan Beck: Contract selected
The Yankees selected Beck's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.
Beck has made seven starts with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, collecting a 5.11 ERA and 37:8 K:BB over 37 innings. The 27-year-old has been used as a starting pitcher almost exclusively throughout the minors, but he will be broken in as a long reliever at the major-league level.
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Bailey Ober SP | MIN
Twins' Bailey Ober: Tagged with loss Wednesday
Ober (3-2) was tagged wth the loss Wednesday against the Nationals after allowing five runs on six hits and two walks across five innings. He struck out three.
Ober tossed 52 of his 82 pitches for strikes, and overall, this was a step in the wrong direction for the right-hander -- he was coming off three straight outings in which he'd given up two or fewer earned runs while pitching at least six innings each time. Ober, who has a 4.19 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across eight starts and 43 innings this season, is scheduled to make his next start against the Marlins at home next week.
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Brandon Young SP | BAL
Orioles' Brandon Young: Tosses quality start, earns win
Young (3-1) earned the win Wednesday against the Marlins after allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five across six innings.
Young did just enough to record his first quality start of the season, but most important, he delivered a bounce-back performance after allowing 10 runs (four earned) in four frames against the Astros the last time out. This was also the first time Young pitched at least six innings in an outing, but the overall results have been far from attractive -- he has allowed at least three earned runs in each of his past three starts. Young will carry a 4.35 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 14:8 K:BB into his next start, which is tentatively scheduled for next week against the Yankees.
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Jeffrey Springs SP | ATH
Athletics' Jeffrey Springs: Contains Phillies in no-decision
Springs didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Phillies, allowing two runs on eight hits and no walks in 5.1 innings. He struck out four.
The 33-year-old southpaw filled the zone Wednesday -- perhaps to a fault -- as he threw 55 of his 75 pitches for strikes but gave up his second-most knocks of the year. Even so, Springs managed to limit the damage and has now tossed at least five frames in every start so far this season, except for the outing prior to Wednesday, when he was lifted early due to hip soreness. He'll bring a 3.89 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 39:12 K:BB across 44 innings into his next outing, which is set to come against the Cardinals.
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Nathan Eovaldi SP | TEX
Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Twirls eight sterling innings
Eovaldi (4-4) earned the win Wednesday against the Yankees, allowing one run on three hits and no walks in eight innings. He struck out eight.
Facing the first-place Yankees in a second straight start, Eovaldi delivered perhaps his finest showing of the season thus far. The 36-year-old right-hander registered 19 whiffs en route to setting season highs in strikeouts and innings while tying a season low in hits allowed. Eovaldi will try to further improve on his 4.15 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 47:10 K:BB over 47.2 innings in his next outing, which is slated to come versus Arizona.
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Sonny Gray SP | BOS
Red Sox's Sonny Gray: Five shutout innings in return
Gray (3-1) earned the win Wednesday against the Tigers, allowing no runs on four hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out two.
After missing about two weeks with a right hamstring strain, Gray worked with a pitch count Wednesday but showed no signs of rust in his return to the mound. The veteran right-hander tossed 70 pitches in his second scoreless start of 2026, but he still hasn't been able to exceed five strikeouts in any of his six outings. Gray has a 3.54 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB over 28 innings, and he'll look to increase his workload in his next scheduled start versus Philadelphia.
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Paul Blackburn RP | NYY
Yankees' Paul Blackburn: Tapped for start Thursday
Blackburn will start Thursday's game against the Rangers, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Ryan Weathers was scratched from his scheduled start Thursday due to an illness he suffered earlier in the week, so Blackburn will step in for a spot start. The 32-year-old righty has gotten off to a nice start to begin the 2026 campaign while working exclusively out of the bullpen, logging a 3.21 ERA and 1.36 WHIP through 14 frames. He'll benefit from a favorable matchup Thursday against a Rangers offense that ranks 28th in MLB with 137 runs scored on the season.
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Jack Flaherty SP | DET
Tigers' Jack Flaherty: Punches out 10 in third loss
Flaherty (0-3) took the loss Wednesday against the Red Sox, allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out 10.
Although he remained winless on the campaign, it was still one of Flaherty's better performances so far. The right-hander fanned a season-high 10, issued fewer than two walks for the first time this year and also pitched at least five frames while yielding two runs or fewer for just the third time in eight starts. Flaherty still has a disappointing 5.56 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 42:26 K:BB over 34 innings, but he's next set for a soft matchup against the Mets.
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Joey Cantillo SP | CLE
Guardians' Joey Cantillo: Earns second win of 2026
Cantillo (2-1) earned the win against the Royals on Wednesday, allowing one run on three hits and three walks while striking out one batter across five innings.
Cantillo found himself in trouble both in the second and third innings, but he managed to limit the damage to one run on a Salvador Perez sacrifice fly in the third. It was by no means a blistering performance out of Cantillo with a season-low one strikeout, but it was fourth time this season that he gave up just one earned run (in eight starts). He'll bring a 3.43 ERA and 1.37 WHIP (across 39.1 innings) into his next start, which is slated for next week at home against the Angels.