MLB Player News

Liberatore exited Thursday's start in the second game of a doubleheader against the Royals due to fatigue, Jim Hayes reports.

Liberatore labored through four innings, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and a walk. His velocity was also down to 89.8 mph in his final at-bat, so fatigue is seemingly the best news possible. It's unclear if Liberatore will require further testing or whether he will make his next turn through the rotation.

Woodford signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Thursday.

The Yankees released Woodford on Sunday, but he found a new opportunity quickly. He'll be a candidate to provide depth out of the Cubs' bullpen but has yet to appear in a major-league game in 2025.

Liberatore exited the second game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Cardinals' head athletic trainer, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports

Liberatore struggled across four innings prior to his exit, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and one walk. The exact nature of the injury is unclear, but his velocity dipped to 89.5 mph against the final batter he faced, per John Denton of MLB.com.

Cease (1-5) took the loss Thursday against the Giants, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks across five innings. He struck out seven.

All three of the runs charged to Cease came in the third inning. After he allowed two walks and a single to load the bases, Willy Adames drove in a run with a sacrifice fly before Cease surrendered a two-run double to Dominic Smith with two outs. The 29-year-old Cease has now gone 11 straight starts without a win. His ERA sits at 4.72 with a 1.31 WHIP and 85:24 K:BB across 13 starts (68.2 innings) this season. He's currently scheduled to face the Dodgers at home in his next outing.

Wrobleski is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to start Friday against the Cardinals, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

The Dodgers continue to shuffle the back end of their rotation, giving Wrobleski his first chance to start in the majors since May 15. He's had mixed results in two starts, though he completed four shutout innings with a 4:0 K:BB in his last opportunity with Los Angeles on May 15 versus the Athletics. Wrobleski has worked as a traditional starter with Oklahoma City, so he should be able to handle a relatively large workload Friday if he's efficient and effective.

Ray (8-1) earned the win Thursday over the Padres, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out nine.

Ray gave up a two-run homer to Manny Machado in the third inning, but he'd stop the damage there, blanking San Diego over his final four frames en route to his eighth win, tying Hunter Brown and Carlos Rodon for the MLB lead. Ray has been a revelation in San Francisco so far this year -- the southpaw has gone seven innings in three of his last four outings, lowering his ERA to 2.44 with a 1.07 WHIP and 87:31 K:BB across 13 starts (77.1 innings). Ray is currently slated to face the Rockies on the road in his next start.

Luzardo (5-2) took the loss against the Blue Jays on Thursday, allowing eight runs on nine hits and two walks with two strikeouts over 2.1 innings

Luzardo surrendered eight runs across the second and third innings in his shortest outing of the season. After yielding just 16 earned runs through his first 11 starts, he's now been tagged for 20 over his past two. The southpaw's velocity remained in line with his season averages, suggesting a loss of command rather than stuff at the moment. He now carries a 4.46 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 83:34 K:BB across 72.2 innings and lines up for a difficult matchup with the Cubs next week.

Mikolas allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out two over six innings in a no-decision in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Royals.

Mikolas was pushed back a day after Wednesday's game was postponed due to weather. He's earned a quality start in three of his last four outings, though he didn't get any run support during his time on the mound Thursday. He also allowed a home run for the fourth time in six starts, though Mikolas has generally found success by keeping the ball down this year. The 36-year-old right-hander is now at a 3.96 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 36:17 K:BB through 61.1 innings over 12 starts this season. He's projected to make his next start during a home series versus the Blue Jays.

Holmes did not factor into the decision in Thursday's 11-10 loss to the Diamondbacks, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts over 3.1 innings.

Holmes faced the minimum through three innings but fell apart in the fourth, allowing three runs before being pulled at just 64 pitches. He generated nine whiffs but also surrendered five hard-hit balls in his shortest outing since making his season debut in a one-inning relief appearance March 27. The 29-year-old had completed at least five frames in nine straight starts, so this may have simply been a quick hook during a tough frame. He'll carry a 3.99 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 68:29 K:BB across 67.2 innings into a road matchup with the Brewers next week.

Pfaadt did not factor into the decision in Thursday's 11-10 win over Atlanta, allowing six runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts over three innings.

Pfaadt endured a five-run third inning highlighted by three consecutive Atlanta doubles. The 26-year-old has allowed at least four earned runs in four of his seven starts since the calendar flipped to May, including 13 over his past two outings. Those back-to-back rough starts have inflated the righty's ERA from 3.90 to 5.51, and he now owns a 1.36 WHIP and 51:17 K:BB across 65.1 innings. He'll try to get back on track in a home matchup with the Mariners next week.