MLB Player News

The Marlins activated Junk (shin) from the 15-day injured list Thursday.

Junk will rejoin the Marlins' rotation with a start Thursday against the Mariners after being sidelined since late May with right shin bone inflammation. The right-hander made two rehab starts and threw 61 pitches in his last outing, so he's unlikely to shoulder a full workload versus Seattle.

The Giants recalled Whisenhunt from Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Whisenhunt will start Thursday's game at Oracle Park against the Rockies. While the intention seems to be for it to be merely a spot start, Whisenhunt might tempt the Giants to keep him around if he pitches well. The lefty permitted two runs and struck out two over five innings in his lone start for San Francisco earlier this season, and he's collected a 4.42 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 82:37 K:BB over 77.1 innings in 2026 at Sacramento.

Littell will operate as a bulk reliever for the Nationals in Friday's game versus the Yankees, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Lefty Carson Palmquist will get the ball first as the Nationals' opening pitcher, but he'll likely work just an inning or two before giving way to Littell. Littell has made 12 starts and six bulk-relief appearances this season and has fared much better in the latter role, holding a 3.03 ERA and 17:7 K:BB over 29.2 innings.

Palmquist will serve as the Nationals' opening pitcher in Friday's game against the Yankees, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.

Zack Littell is poised to absorb most of the workload in bulk relief, but Palmquist will take the ball first. The left-hander has made four appearances for the Nationals, allowing five runs with a 7:2 K:BB over 6.1 innings.

Giants manager Tony Vitello confirmed on KNBR 680 that Whisenhunt will be recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to start Thursday's game against the Rockies.

The left-hander is making a spot start as the Giants look to get their regular rotation members some extra rest. Whisenhunt allowed two runs and struck out two over five innings in his lone start for San Francisco earlier this season, and he holds a 4.42 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 82:37 K:BB over 77.1 innings in 2026 at Sacramento.

Marquez is slated to start Sunday's game against the Blue Jays at Petco Park.

Though he had been expected to be deployed as more of an opener during his previous start Tuesday against the Diamondbacks, Marquez ended up working five innings and tossing 82 pitches in the Padres' 4-1 win. The veteran right-hander yielded just one unearned run in the victory, striking out four while scattering three hits and three walks. His overall numbers on the season (5.02 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 24:18 K:BB in 37.2 innings) still leave much to be desired, so despite coming off of a strong performance, Marquez won't make for the most dependable streaming option Sunday.

Assad is slated to start Saturday's game against the Reds at Great American Ball Park.

After being deployed in the bullpen June 30 versus the Padres, Assad slotted back into the rotation this past Sunday against the Cardinals, taking a no-decision while tossing 4.2 scoreless frames. With Jameson Taillon (hamstring) set to remain on his rehab assignment this week before likely returning from the 15-day injured list following the All-Star break, Assad will stick in a starting role for at least one more appearance. Once Taillon is activated, the Cubs will have rotation spots available for only two of Assad, Colin Rea and David Peterson.

Rea (7-5) picked up the win Wednesday, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks over 5.1 innings in a 9-7 victory over the Orioles. He struck out two.

The veteran right-hander did just about the bare minimum to record the win, leaving the mound after 91 pitches (58 strikes) with the Cubs ahead 4-3, and their offense was able to stay ahead of the bullpen's stumbles. After going winless over five outings in June, Rea has won two straight starts to begin July. He'll take a 4.75 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 70:36 K:BB through 94.2 innings into the All-Star break.

Cabrera (0-2) allowed four runs on four hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out two over 4.1 innings to take the loss Wednesday versus the Padres.

Cabrera has now fallen short of the five-inning mark in consecutive outings. He's posted a 5.60 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 12:7 K:BB through 17.2 innings over four starts this season. The right-hander may stick in Arizona's rotation after the All-Star break if Michael Soroka (glute) isn't ready to begin the second half. The Diamondbacks come out of the break with 13 games in 13 days.

King (6-7) allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out four over six innings to earn the win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

King picked up his third quality start and second win in his last four outings. This was the eighth time in 19 starts that he's been able to limit an opponent to one run or fewer, and those performances account for five of his six wins on the year. He has a 3.41 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 92:43 K:BB through 108.1 innings.