MLB Player News
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Aaron Civale RP | CHC
Cubs' Aaron Civale: Bullpen role awaits
The Cubs plan to use Civale out of the bullpen after claiming him off waivers from the White Sox on Sunday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
Civale was reluctant to pitch out of the bullpen for Milwaukee before he was traded to the White Sox on June 13, but he'll have to settle for a relief role as he moves on to his third team of the season. The veteran righty had a stretch of three straight scoreless outings coming out of the All-Star break, but he otherwise turned in an unremarkable 13-start run with the White Sox, logging a 5.37 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 55:26 K:BB in 67 innings. The Cubs will likely keep Civale stretched out in a long-relief role in the event that a spot in the rotation opens up in September, but for now, the team appears set to proceed with Colin Rea and Javier Assad as its back-end starters until Jameson Taillon (groin) and/or Michael Soroka (shoulder) return from the injured list.
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Emmet Sheehan SP | LAD
Dodgers' Emmet Sheehan: Will be skipped in rotation
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that Sheehan will have his next turn through the rotation skipped, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Since Blake Snell returned from the injured list earlier in August, the Dodgers had been running a six-man rotation featuring Sheehan, but the team will temporarily scale back to five starters amid a stretch of three games in five days. Because Sheehan is in his first season back from May 2024 Tommy John surgery, the Dodgers have some added incentive to hold the right-hander out for a turn. Sheehan was available out of the bullpen but went unused in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks, and assuming he's not needed in relief for the Dodgers- upcoming three-game series in Pittsburgh, he could re-enter the rotation next weekend in Baltimore.
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Kodai Senga SP | NYM
Mets' Kodai Senga: Tagged with five runs
Senga (7-6) yielded five runs on seven hits and two walks over 4.2 innings Sunday, striking out six and taking a loss against Miami.
Senga never settled into a groove Sunday and was chased after just 75 pitches (43 strikes). Four of the five runs against him came after the second inning, including Agustin Ramirez's two-run shot in the third. Senga went into the All-Star break with a stellar 1.39 ERA, but he's since produced a 6.56 ERA over 35.2 innings. He's allowed at least three earned runs in six of his last eight outings, and he hasn't turned in a quality start since June 6. Senga will carry a 3.02 ERA into his next matchup, which is projected to be in Cincinnati next weekend.
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Michael Burrows SP | PIT
Pirates' Mike Burrows: Works in relief Saturday
Burrows struck out two and allowed one earned run on five hits over two innings of relief In Saturday's 10-3 win over the Red Sox.
Though Burrows had been one of the team's top starters since the All-Star break with a 3.53 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over his previous seven outings, the Pirates opted to shift him to the bullpen this weekend. The role change was seemingly motivated by a desire to keep Burrows' workload in check, as the right-hander has already totaled 108.2 frames between the majors and minors in 2025 after accruing 54.2 innings in 2024 once he completed his recovery from his April 2023 Tommy John surgery. The Pirates haven't offered up a precise target for Burrows' innings count this season, and it's unclear if or when he might rejoin the rotation. Per Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com, the Pirates aren't listing Burrows among their starters for their three-game series with the Dodgers that begins Tuesday, so the 25-year-old appears set to remain in the bullpen for at least this week.
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Sandy Alcantara SP | MIA
Marlins' Sandy Alcantara: Tosses seven innings
Alcantara (8-11) yielded one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings Sunday, striking out six and earning a win over the Mets.
Alcantara fired seven shutout frames before the Mets finally put a run on the board in the seventh inning. He's completed seven innings in three straight outings and has produced four consecutive quality starts. Alcantara produced a season-high 17 swinging strikes -- including seven each with his fastball and changup -- on 104 total pitches. He's registered a 1.67 ERA with a 29:5 K:BB over his last four outings, dropping his season ERA to 5.66 through 148 innings. Alcantara is lined up to face the Phillies at home next weekend.
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Justin Verlander SP | SF
Giants' Justin Verlander: Strikes out 10 in win
Verlander (3-10) allowed three hits and four walks while striking out 10 over five scoreless innings to earn the win Sunday over the Orioles.
Verlander's pitch count got elevated quickly, but the Giants let him work long enough to qualify for the win since they held a commanding 7-0 lead through four innings. All told, he threw 81 of 121 pitches for strikes in this outing. He also recorded double-digit strikeouts for the first time in the regular season since his last start of 2022. He allowed 15 runs (13 earned) over 32.1 innings across his six starts in August, though he finished the month with a pair of wins. Overall, he has a 4.29 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 114:43 K:BB across 121.2 innings through 24 starts. Verlander's next outing is projected to be at St. Louis, assuming his heavy workload Sunday doesn't force him to take extra rest.
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Brandon Pfaadt SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Brandon Pfaadt: Struggles again Sunday
Pfaadt allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out five over 4.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers on Sunday.
Pfaadt opened August with a pair of wins before going winless across his last four starts of the month. He allowed 21 runs over 30.2 innings while posting a 24:8 K:B across his six outings during the month. Pfaadt remains inconsistent with a 5.33 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 122:33 K:BB through 147 innings across 28 starts this season. He has a low enough walk rate to find success if he can make his pitches a little less hittable. Pfaadt's next start is projected to be at home versus the Red Sox.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto SP | LAD
Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Strikes out 10 in no-decision
Yamamoto allowed one run on four hits and struck out 10 without walking a batter over seven innings in a no-decision versus the Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Tanner Scott surrendered the lead in the eighth inning, denying Yamamoto the win, but it doesn't sour the starter's strong performance. This was Yamamoto's third double-digit strikeout game of the year and his first since April 18 versus the Rangers. He's also logged three straight quality starts. On the season, Yamamoto is now at a 2.82 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 167:48 K:BB through 146.2 innings across 26 starts. He's projected to make his next start on the road in Baltimore.
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Walker Buehler SP | PHI
Phillies' Walker Buehler: In line for Sept. 12 team debut
The Phillies plan to have Buehler, who has been assigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, make his first start with the big club Sept. 12 versus Kansas City, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Buehler was assigned to Lehigh Valley after signing a minor-league contract with Philadelphia on Sunday, but he'll remain at Triple-A on a short-term basis before joining the big club when it expands its rotation to six men Sept. 12. With Zack Wheeler (shoulder) out for the season, the Phillies seem to be opting to deploy a six-man rotation down the stretch, with Taijuan Walker and Buehler making up the final two starting slots. Buehler should be able to get in three starts with the Phillies if he indeed debuts with the club against Kansas City.
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Walker Buehler SP | PHI
Phillies' Walker Buehler: Assigned to Triple-A
The Phillies officially signed Buehler to a minor-league contract Sunday and assigned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Though Buehler's contract is a minor-league deal, it's likely just a formality so that the Phillies can avoid a move when the active roster expands from 26 to 28 men Monday. Since the veteran hurler officially joined the organization before the end of Sunday, he'll still be eligible for the postseason roster. Buehler will likely serve in a swingman role down the stretch while offering the Phillies an experienced arm with past postseason success.