MLB Player News

Solometo struck out seven batters and allowed two earned runs in five innings in his first start for Double-A Altoona.

The low-slot southpaw carved up High-A hitters to the tune of a 2.30 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 68 strikeouts in 58.2 innings through 12 starts before earning the promotion to Double-A. The 6-foot-5 Solometo has one of the most deceptive arm actions in the minors, somewhat reminiscent of Madison Bumgarner's delivery, and it's possible he could still add a tick to his low-90s fastball in the coming years.

Lesko (elbow) will make his pro debut Tuesday in the Arizona Complex League, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

The best prep pitcher in last year's draft class, Lesko had Tommy John surgery last spring, and he will be eased into pro action against rookie-level hitters. Assuming his stuff is back to where it was pre-surgery, Lesko should quickly ascend to Single-A Lake Elsinore.

Medina will serve as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Ken Waldichuk in Tuesday's game against the Guardians, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Since he had previously been serving as a starter before transitioning to a bullpen role about a month ago, Waldichuk could be capable of covering somewhere around 1-to-3 innings before turning the game over to Medina. While pitching out of the bullpen likely puts a cap on Medina's potential innings count, it should enhance his chances of factoring into the decision. Over his last five outings, Medina has gone 1-4 with an 8.06 ERA and 1.88 WHIP across 22.1 innings.

Watkins was designated for assignment Tuesday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Watkins was called up by the Orioles over the weekend but didn't make an appearance. The 30-year-old has posted a 7.27 ERA this season at Triple-A Norfolk and would seem to have a good chance of clearing waivers.

Hancock has generated a 5.92 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 62.1 innings over 14 starts with Double-A Arkansas, but he's posted three straight quality starts to push his record to 8-3.

It's been a true feast-or-famine season for Hancock, whose contradictory set of metrics is due to four outings where he's allowed between six and nine earned runs. Otherwise, the right-hander, the sixth overall pick in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, has given up three earned runs or less in his other 10 starts, including a pair of blankings against Tulsa over five and six innings. Hancock has dealt with both shoulder and lat injuries over the past two seasons, but he's sporting a career-best 11.0 K/9, albeit alongside a career-high 4.6 BB/9. If he's able to maintain his current form, a move to Triple-A Tacoma later in the summer wouldn't be inconceivable.

Houck (face) is scheduled for a follow-up meeting with a doctor Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Houck, who was hit just under the right eye by a batted ball last Friday, was placed on the injured list while the Red Sox gather information. At this point, the team is not sure if Houck will need surgery or how long he'll be out. Tuesday's exam, they hope, will provide more clarity.

Wacha allowed two runs on four hits and two walks over six innings in a no-decision in Monday's 7-4 extra-inning loss to the Giants. He didn't strike out any batters in the 93-pitch start.

Wacha was far from overpowering in the outing -- he notched just three whiffs and didn't strike out any batters -- but he still managed his fourth straight quality start. The right-hander kept the Giants off the scoreboard for four frames before giving up a solo homer in each of the fifth and sixth innings. Wacha improved his ERA to 2.90 with the performance, and that mark is a remarkable 1.14 since the start of May. The veteran has also posted a 0.81 WHIP and 46:16 K:BB over 55.1 innings across nine starts during that span.

Brown dropped to 6-4 in Monday's 11-1 loss to the Mets after allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over 5.2 innings.

Brown got an extra day of rest between starts, but that didn't seem to be to his advantage as he surrendered a season-high six runs. Most of the damage against the right-hander came in the third inning, when New York pounded him for five runs on five hits, including two homers. Brown had recorded two straight quality starts -- including a scoreless seven-inning outing -- coming into the contest, so Monday's rough appearance may end up being just a blip on the radar. He still owns a respectable 3.78 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 14 starts on the season.

Burnes dropped to 5-5 in Monday's 9-1 loss to Arizona, allowing seven runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three batters over five innings.

Nearly all of the damage against Burnes came in the first inning, when he gave up six runs on five hits. The scoring tally in that frame matched the total Burnes had yielded over 20 innings in his previous three starts combined. To his credit, the right-hander hung around for four more frames and gave up just one more run, but Milwaukee's offense never came close to making the game interesting. Burnes had registered four straight quality starts coming into the contest, but he's had an uncharacteristic number of blow-ups this season, giving up five or more earned runs on four different occasions. His 3.96 ERA is on track to be his worst since 2019.

Kelly moved to 9-3 in Monday's 9-1 win over Milwaukee, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over seven innings.

In another excellent outing, Kelly notched his fifth straight quality start and gave up just three hits for the second straight appearance. The right-hander has rattled off eight victories since his last loss and is tied for second in the majors with nine victories on the campaign. Kelly has also upped his strikeout rate considerably this season, tallying 96 punchouts over 90 frames. Coming into 2023, he had never averaged more than a strikeout per inning.