MLB Player News

Kikuchi (4-6) picked up the win in Saturday's 10-5 victory over the Diamondbacks, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.

The southpaw served up a pair of solo shots to Eugenio Suarez but otherwise was in control until the sixth inning, when a 105 mph Josh Naylor comebacker with two outs struck him on the left shoulder. He stayed in the game for one more batter, but after a Randal Grichuk RBI single made it a 6-3 game, interim manager Ray Montgomery elected to lift the Angels' lone All-Star representative as a precaution, leaving him one out shy of his ninth quality start. There's been no word yet that he sustained any kind of lingering injury, and Kikuchi heads into the break with a 3.11 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 115:49 K:BB through 113 innings.

Houck is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list this week with his 30-day rehab window coming to a close Thursday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Houck's rehab stint got off to a rocky start, but he's performed better over his last two outings with Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, allowing just one earned run on six hits and two walks while striking out 10 over 9.1 innings. Despite his recent success, the right-hander is not expected to be inserted into Boston's starting rotation, with Richard Fitts getting the first chance to fill the vacancy created by Hunter Dobbins' season-ending knee injury. Houck still has two minor-league options left and could stick around with Worcester while continuing on a starter's trajectory until a rotation spot with the big club opens up. Boston also hasn't ruled out bringing him back as a member of the big-league bullpen.

Burke did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over five innings against the Guardians. He struck out five.

Burke wasn't dominant but did well enough to keep the Guardians in check before turning things over to the bullpen. The right-hander now holds a 4.36 ERA and 1.40 WHIP across 97 innings in 19 appearances, including 16 starts, this season.

Bibee (5-9) earned the win Saturday, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against the White Sox. He struck out five.

The right-hander picked up his first win since May 22, with the only damage off him coming on a two-run single by Kyle Teel in the fourth inning. It was an encouraging outing for Bibee, who came into the start with a 5.13 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 40.1 innings across seven starts since the beginning of June. For the season, he now holds a 4.29 ERA and 1.24 WHIP through 109 innings in 19 starts.

Rogers (2-1) took the loss Saturday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over 6.2 innings against the Marlins. He struck out eight.

The southpaw's only blemish Saturday came on a seventh-inning RBI single by Derek Hill, but with the Orioles struggling offensively, that was enough to saddle him with the loss. Rogers has been excellent across six starts with the big league club, posting a 1.53 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over 35.1 innings. While those numbers may not be sustainable, Rogers has a chance to stick as a solid rotation arm if he continues to boost his strikeout rate (8.2 K/9) and keep his walks in check (2.5 BB/9).

DeGrom allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out eight over six innings in a no-decision versus the Astros on Saturday.

DeGrom closed out the first half by logging quality starts in seven of his last eight outings, going 5-0 with 12 runs allowed over 49 innings in that span. He was a bit unfortunate Saturday, serving up solo home runs to Jose Altuve and Yainer Diaz, which makes this deGrom's fourth outing with multiple homers allowed. He's still been otherwise dominant -- and more importantly, healthy -- in 2025, posting a 2.32 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 113:24 K:BB across 112.1 innings over 19 starts. He's already at his heaviest workload since 2019, so it'll be something to keep an eye on with how he holds up after the All-Star break.

Valdez allowed an unearned run on four hits and struck out 10 without walking a batter over six innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers on Saturday.

Valdez's own wild pitch allowed Sam Haggerty to score in the first inning, but that was the southpaw's lone mistake. It wouldn't be the only blunder for his team, however, as closer Josh Hader blew his first save of the year, denying Valdez the win. Valdez has racked up all three of his double-digit strikeout performances over his last seven starts, a span in which he's given up a total of 11 runs (10 earned) over 43 innings. For the season, he's at a 2.75 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 125:41 K:BB through 121 innings across 19 starts.

Baz (8-5) completed 6.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out three batters in a loss to Boston on Saturday.

Baz was very effective Saturday, allowing just a fourth-inning run despite notching only one 1-2-3 frame. However, opposing hurler Garrett Crochet fired a complete-game shutout, resulting in Baz taking a second consecutive loss. Despite the defeat, this was another strong performance by the right-hander, who has recorded four straight quality starts. He'll head into the All-Star break with a 4.17 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 107:40 K:BB over 110 innings spanning 19 outings.

Crochet (10-4) earned the win over Tampa Bay on Saturday, allowing three hits and striking out nine batters without issuing any walks over nine scoreless innings.

Crochet fired a masterpiece, allowing just three baserunners -- all on singles. The last of Tampa Bay's knocks came in the sixth frame, and Crochet retired the final 11 batters he faced en route to his 10th victory of the campaign. The southpaw racked up 14 whiffs and nine punchouts to punctuate the brilliant performance, and he became the seventh MLB hurler to notch double-digit victories this season. Crochet's first campaign in Boston has been a rousing success so far -- he enters the All-Star break as a viable candidate for the AL Cy Young Award, posting a 2.23 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 160:34 K:BB spanning 129.1 innings (20 starts).

Mize (9-3) took the loss after throwing three innings, allowing six runs and one walk while striking out four, during Saturday's 15-7 loss to the Mariners.

In his last start before the All-Star break, Mize had a rare rough outing, lasting a season-low three innings and giving up a season-high six runs. It snaps a streak of nine straight starts allowing three runs or fewer for the right-hander. The 28-year-old will still enter the All-Star break with great numbers, posting a 3.15 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 77 strikeouts in 88.2 innings.