MLB Player News

Atlanta optioned Fuentes to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

Despite Atlanta having two long-term openings in its rotation with all of Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), Chris Sale (ribs) and Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list, Fuentes hasn't pitched well enough to justify sticking around with the big club. After getting tagged for eight earned runs and lasting just one inning in his most recent outing in Tuesday's 10-1 loss to the Athletics, the 20-year-old right hander has submitted a 13.85 ERA, 2.23 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB across 13 frames through his first four big-league outings. Nathan Wiles was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move and will likely fill one of the open spots in the rotation this weekend in St. Louis.

Holmes didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Orioles, coughing up five runs on seven hits and a walk over five-plus innings. He struck out five.

The Mets took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning, but Holmes had the wheels come off his start after he plunked Jackson Holliday to begin the frame. The 32-year-old right-hander got the hook after 87 pitches (58 strikes) and escaped his fifth loss of the year when New York rallied late. Holmes hasn't completed six innings in an outing since June 7, and he could be tiring in his first season as a full-time starter since he was a minor leaguer in the Pirates' system. Holmes is expected to handle a smaller workload Sunday in Kansas City as he gets piggybacked by a returning Sean Manaea (elbow/oblique), and he could get extra rest over the All-Star break depending on how the Mets re-shuffle their rotation to accommodate Manaea and Kodai Senga (hamstring). Over his last five starts, Holmes has a 4.32 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 16:17 K:BB in 25 innings.

Kershaw (4-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Brewers, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out three in six innings.

Kershaw tossed three scoreless before the Brewers compiled five base hits against him in the fourth, leading to two runs and the eventual loss opposite rookie phenom Jacob Misiorowski. Kershaw managed to go six innings for a third consecutive start, though he's now given up 15 hits over his past two outings. He hasn't been missing a ton of bats, and his 6.2 K/9 would be the lowest mark of his Hall of Fame career. Still, Kershaw owns a 2.57 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over his last six starts and is not set to take the mound again until after the All-Star break.

Imanaga (5-3) allowed two runs on five hits across six innings to take the loss Tuesday against the Twins. He struck out one and did not issue a walk.

Imanaga pitched well in his six innings of work, but he departed with the Cubs down 2-0, and then Minnesota tacked on six runs in the eighth in an eventual 8-1 victory. The lefty continued his consistent stretch of strong play, as he's now allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his 11 starts this season, and his ERA is sitting at a tidy 2.80 to go along with a minuscule 0.98 WHIP. About the only negative to his game right now is his 6.2 K/9, which is down from 9.0 in 2024, but the 31-year-old has still been effective at limiting offense. Imanaga will look to keep rolling and get a little more run support in his next outing, which is currently penciled in for Sunday against the Yankees on the road.

Gray (9-3) earned the win Tuesday against the Nationals, giving up two runs on five hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out six.

Gray was curiously lifted after tossing just 70 pitches in a solid performance. It's worth noting Tuesday's first pitch was delayed by about two hours due to rain, which might have altered St. Louis' plans in terms of Gray's workload. The Cardinals have been cautious with the veteran right-hander all year long, as Gray has hit the 90-pitch threshold only six times out of his 18 starts. That hasn't prevented him from delivering a steady 3.51 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 113:19 K:BB across 105 frames, though. His next appearance is set for this weekend at home versus an underperforming Atlanta team that has a .670 OPS since the start of June.

Irvin (7-4) took the loss Tuesday against the Cardinals, giving up four runs on six hits and four walks in six innings. He struck out three.

Limiting free passes remains an issue for Irvin, who walked at least three batters for the third straight start. The 28-year-old right-hander has recorded more than five strikeouts just once in his last eight outings, during which he has just two quality starts to go with a poor 6.96 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 31:18 K:BB over 42.2 innings. Irvin doesn't set up as a particularly appealing streaming option in most formats this weekend in Milwaukee against the hot-hitting Brewers, who sport an .804 OPS over their last 18 games.

Fuentes (0-3) allowed eight runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two over one-plus inning to take the loss versus the Athletics on Tuesday.

Fuentes had his worst outing yet, allowing three home runs in the first inning as the Athletics stormed ahead 5-0. He loaded the bases in the second and was pulled from the game at 40 pitches (24 strikes), only for Jesse Chavez to allow all three inherited runners to score on a Nick Kurtz grand slam. Fuentes has allowed 20 runs over 13 innings in his four major-league starts, adding a 12:6 K:BB. He's struggled, but Atlanta's rotation has been pummeled by injuries. With the team far adrift of a wild-card spot, Atlanta may be more tolerant to let Fuentes learn on the job for the remainder of the season, or at least until Chris Sale (ribs), Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) and Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) are healthy.

Ray allowed a run on four hits and three walks while striking out five over 5.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Phillies on Tuesday.

Ray came up an out short of a quality start, but he was pulled at 99 pitches (63 strikes). He wasn't scored upon until the sixth inning, when he gave up an RBI double to Otto Kemp, which ended his start. Ray has allowed 11 runs (10 earned) over his last 31.2 innings as he continues to give the Giants a chance to win every time he's on the mound. He's given up no more than four runs in any start, and he's surrendered that many just three times all season. The southpaw is at a 2.63 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 122:42 K:BB across 113 innings through 19 starts.

Pivetta allowed two hits and three walks while striking out seven over 5.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Pivetta threw 66 of 104 pitches for strikes in a strong start. He didn't get any run support while in the game, but Luis Arraez delivered a solo shot to give the Padres the win in the end. Pivetta has allowed just one run over his last 18.2 innings, adding a 23:3 K:BB in that span. He continues to work toward a career year, with a 3.07 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 114:27 K:BB across 102.2 innings over 18 starts. He is tentatively projected for a home start versus the Phillies this weekend.

Kelly (7-5) allowed one run on four hits and struck out four without walking a batter over seven innings, taking the loss Tuesday versus the Padres.

Kelly was stuck with an unlucky loss, as he gave up the lone run of the game on a Luis Arraez solo shot to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning. This was the fifth straight start in which Kelly has given up a home run. He's given up 16 runs (13 earned) over 29 innings in that span, which has been one of his more modest stretches in a strong campaign. Overall, Kelly has a 3.41 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 107:29 K:BB across 111 innings over 19 starts. He is projected to start this weekend on the road versus the Angels.