MLB Player News

The Mets will recall Thornton from Triple-A Syracuse to pitch Friday against the Phillies, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear whether he'll be in store for a traditional start or a bulk-relief outing, but Thornton has a chance to remain in the Mets rotation for a while following the trade of David Peterson and demotion of Kodai Senga to the bullpen. Thornton struggled in a spot start in his major-league debut last month, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks in 4.1 innings in a loss to the Nationals. The lefty holds a 4.25 ERA and 56:23 K:BB over 55 innings this season between Double-A Birmingham and Syracuse.

The Diamondbacks will option Bratt to Triple-A Reno prior to Thursday's game in St. Louis, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Bratt had a solid abbreviated major-league debut Wednesday versus the Cardinals, yielding one run over three innings of work. The left-hander is not fully stretched out yet after recently returning from injury at Reno, so he will continue to rebuild his stamina at the team's top minor-league affiliate. Brandon Pfaadt will enter the Arizona rotation in Bratt's place.

Knack (chest) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, yielding two runs on five hits and one walk over 1.1 innings.

Knack struck out a pair in the outing and got his pitch count up to 33. The right-hander has been out all season with an intercostal strain, and he will be built up as a starting pitcher before likely remaining in the OKC rotation once he's activated from the 60-day injured list.

Mlodzinski threw three scoreless innings with three strikeouts while allowing two hits and no walks to earn the save Wednesday against the Mariners.

Mlodzinski continues to serve in a bulk-relief role, this time following Braxton Ashcraft while finishing off a blowout win for the Pirates. He earned his second save in the process and has not been charged with an earned run in each of his last three appearances. However, Mlodzinski's fantasy relevance remains limited because he's pitching about once a week on a starter's schedule, yet with lesser volume and win potential.

Mahle allowed two hits and two walks while striking out four over 5.2 scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Athletics on Wednesday.

Mahle missed about four weeks due to a hamstring strain. He was pretty good in his return, throwing 44 of 70 pitches for strikes, but the Giants didn't get on the board until the ninth inning, leaving him with a no-decision. On the year, Mahle has a 5.49 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 61:26 K:BB over 62.1 innings across 12 starts. The veteran right-hander's time off while injured could help him reset after his poor form to begin the campaign. He is lined up to make his next start on the road in Arizona.

Perez (6-4) allowed three runs on four hits and four walks while striking out four over four-plus innings to take the loss Wednesday versus San Diego.

Perez didn't have his best command Wednesday, throwing just 42 of 82 pitches for strikes. James Karinchak allowed an inherited runner to score after Perez put the first two batters aboard in the fifth inning, and that run ended up being the difference in the game. Perez is now at a 3.00 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 60:27 K:BB through 72 innings over 16 games (12 starts) this season. The veteran left-hander has yet to allow more than four runs in a game this year, making him a reliable starter more often than not. Perez is projected to make his next start at home versus the Cardinals.

The Cubs acquired Peterson from the Mets on Wednesday in exchange for infielder Cole Mathis (undisclosed), Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Peterson had endured a rough season with the Mets, turning in a 6.09 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 68 innings across 16 appearances (eight starts). However, the Cubs will gladly take all the rotation arms they can get at this point, as Edward Cabrera (hamstring) and Ben Brown (neck) became the fifth and sixth Chicago starting pitchers to land on the injured list Wednesday. Peterson is expected to provide immediate aid to the rotation and could make his first start with the Cubs as soon as Friday at Milwaukee, after he threw 79 pitches Sunday in his final appearance with the Mets.

Sears (1-0) allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five over 5.2 innings to earn the win over Atlanta on Wednesday.

This was Sears' first outing at the major-league level after his poor spring training numbers cost him a shot at the Opening Day roster. He pitched fairly well Wednesday, throwing 53 of 81 pitches for strikes while coming up an out short of a quality start. He had a 7.92 ERA, 1.84 WHIP and 62:28 K:BB over 63.2 innings across 14 starts for Triple-A El Paso, but a pitcher-friendly home park in the majors should help Sears perform better than he did while on the hitter-friendly circuit in the minors. Sears struggled a bit in 2025 with a 5.04 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 117:36 K:BB across 135.2 innings between the Athletics and the Padres. While Lucas Giolito (elbow) and German Marquez (forearm) are both out, Sears should have a chance to stay in a starting role. Even if Marquez is back soon, Sears could edge out Griffin Canning for the last spot in the rotation to begin next week when the Padres visit the Cubs for a three-game series.

Liberatore (3-5) allowed six runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three over 5.1 innings to take the loss versus the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Liberatore got through three innings with little trouble, but Arizona piled on six runs in the fourth. He allowed back-to-back home runs to LuJames Groover and Ketel Marte to cap that rally. Liberatore's decent start to the year has fallen apart in June -- he's allowed 22 runs (18 earned) across 15.2 innings over his four starts this month. He's now at a 5.56 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 70:29 K:BB in 77.2 innings through 16 starts overall. The southpaw is tentatively projected to make his next start at Atlanta, which is not a matchup that offers much bounce-back potential.

Bratt allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out three over three innings in a no-decision versus the Cardinals on Wednesday.

This was Bratt's major-league debut, and he performed well in a short start. The left-hander is still building up after a back injury sidelined him at Triple-A Reno for the first half of June. He had a 2.84 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 42:12 K:BB over 44.1 innings with Reno. If Bratt gets another turn through the rotation, it's projected to be at home versus the Giants next week. He's unlikely to be fully stretched out for that game after throwing just 54 pitches (36 strikes) in his Arizona debut.