MLB Player News

Atlanta optioned Ritchie to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

Ritchie's second stint in the big leagues lasted two weeks, with the young righty posting a 5.40 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 16:9 K:BB in 15 innings across two starts and one relief appearance. Due to off days Thursday and Monday, Atlanta should be able to get by with four starters in the short term before filling Ritchie's vacated spot in the rotation late next week. Hurston Waldrep has given up just one run in 7.2 innings over two starts for Gwinnett since being reinstated from the 60-day injured list earlier this month and would be a logical choice to replace Ritchie in the big-league rotation.

Boyd (shoulder/knee) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Thursday's game against the Mets, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell previously noted that Boyd would rejoin the rotation this week, and now the specific date has been confirmed. Boyd has been sidelined since early May, first due to meniscus surgery and later because of shoulder soreness. He threw 59 pitches over four innings in his final rehab start, so Boyd will likely be somewhat limited Thursday from a workload perspective.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that Senga will be moved to the bullpen, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Senga's demotion to a relief role comes after he walked five batters and allowed seven earned runs in just 3.2 innings during Tuesday's loss to the Cubs, bringing his record to 0-6 and inflating his ERA and WHIP to 10.08 and 1.92, respectively, over his seven starts on the season. Though the right-hander will be available to make his debut out of the bullpen during this weekend's series versus Philadelphia, he could be needed to fill a bulk-relief role behind an opener while the Mets still have a couple of holes in the rotation. The Mets aren't necessarily closing the door on Senga re-emerging as a starter at some point, but he'll presumably need to show improved form while working out of the bullpen for an extended period before the team goes down that road again.

The Cubs selected Velasquez's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Velasquez will give the Cubs' bullpen some length during Wednesday's doubleheader against the Mets. The veteran hurler spun 2.1 scoreless frames in his lone appearance in the majors earlier this season.

The Cubs placed Cabrera on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a strained left hamstring, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Cabrera injured his hamstring during Tuesday's start versus the Mets when he did the splits while extending to catch a throw to first base. He will undergo an MRI on Wednesday to determine the severity of the strain. An update on Cabrera's timeline could be available later Wednesday.

Bubic (elbow) is slated to make a rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

After landing on the injured list May 18 due to left elbow soreness, Bubic was cleared to kick off a rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha on June 9. The left-hander was lit up for six runs (five earned) while recording just four outs in his lone outing with Omaha before being pulled off the assignment after experiencing shoulder discomfort. An MRI cleared Bubic of any major concerns with the shoulder, so he didn't have to pause his throwing program for more than a few days. Bubic made it through a two-inning live bullpen session over the weekend without issue and will now resume the rehab assignment, this time linking up with the Royals' Double-A affiliate. He'll likely need at least one more start in the minors beyond Wednesday to get fully ramped up, but Bubic would appear to have a shot at rejoining the Kansas City rotation before the All-Star break.

The Marlins reinstated Perez (gracilis) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Rangers.

Though Miami manager Clayton McCullough said that Perez would likely be shelved for around eight weeks after being diagnosed with a right gracilis strain May 29, the right-hander will wind up returning to the big club in just under a month. During his lone rehab start last week with Triple-A Jacksonville, Perez covered 3.2 innings and tossed 51 pitches, so he'll likely be somewhat limited from a workload perspective as he rejoins the big-league rotation. Perez should be ready to handle a more typical starter's workload following Wednesday's outing.

The Rangers recalled Santos from Double-A Frisco on Wednesday.

Santos has made 11 starts with Frisco this season, posting a 7.44 ERA and 58:21 K:BB over 42.1 innings. The 24-year-old will provide bullpen protection for the Rangers and will be making his major-league debut if he gets into a game.

Smith-Shawver (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday at Atlanta's spring training facility in Florida, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The 23-year-old right-hander is set to throw 35-to-40 pitches over two innings in a simulated game. Smith-Shawver is heading into the final stretch of his recovery from June 2025 Tommy John surgery, and he's on track to be an option for Atlanta's big-league rotation sometime after the All-Star break. Over his first seven starts in 2025 prior to developing elbow trouble, Smith-Shawver had a 2.33 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 40:17 K:BB in 38.2 innings.

Keller (5-5) took the loss Tuesday as the Pirates were downed 3-2 by the Mariners, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk over six-plus innings. He struck out four.

The veteran right-hander did come away with his eighth quality start of the season, but home runs by Cal Raleigh in the fourth inning and Cole Young in the seventh cost Keller his first win since May 24. It marks the first time in 2026 that he's been taken deep multiple times, but over his last five starts, Keller's served up five homers in 24 innings while going 0-3 with an 8.25 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and 23:13 K:BB. He'll try to get back on track in his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home this weekend against the Reds.