MLB Player News

Morton will make his first start for the Tigers on Sunday in Philadelphia, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Acquired from the Orioles on Thursday in exchange for minor-league lefty Micah Ashman, Morton will step in as the Tigers' new No. 5 starter in place of right-hander Troy Melton, who was moved to the bullpen. Morton will need to be a serviceable innings eater to ensure he sticks in the Detroit rotation for the rest of the season, but after a rough start to the campaign at Baltimore, the veteran righty had been pitching effectively for the past two and a half months. Over his final 14 appearances (11 starts) with the Orioles, Morton logged a 3.62 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 15.5 K-BB% over 69.2 innings.

The Twins activated Ober (hip) from the 15-day injured list to start Saturday against the Guardians at Progressive Field.

Ober will rejoin the Minnesota rotation after he had been on the shelf since July 2 due to a left hip impingement. Ober built up to five innings and 65 pitches over the course of two minor-league rehab starts, so he could be operating with a light workload restriction Saturday.

Kelly is scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

Acquired from the Diamondbacks on Thursday, Kelly will join the Texas rotation as a replacement for right-hander Kumar Rocker, who was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday. Set to become a free agent this winter, the 36-year-old Kelly will be looking to finish the 2025 campaign on a high note while he aims to secure one last big payday in the offseason. He had been Arizona's top starter this season prior to being dealt, turning in a 3.22 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 121:38 K:BB over 128.2 innings.

Baz (8-8) took the loss Friday against the Dodgers, allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out eight.

Baz at least managed to register 16 whiffs and fan eight to salvage what was an otherwise poor outing overall. The eight hits allowed were one shy of a season worst, and the 26-year-old right-hander walked multiple batters in his fifth straight start. Baz's impressive run to open the campaign is becoming a distant memory at this point -- he posted a 2.45 ERA through April 25 -- and he'll carry a mediocre 4.79 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 124:46 K:BB through 124 frames into a scheduled road matchup against the Angels in Anaheim.

Kershaw (5-2) tallied the win Friday against the Rays, allowing five hits and no walks in six shutout innings. He struck out three.

Friday marked just the fourth quality start of the year for Kershaw, who scattered five singles. The 37-year-old left-hander has now pitched at least five innings in seven of his last nine outings, though he's recorded more than five punchouts on just one occasion through 13 appearances this season. Kershaw owns a serviceable 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 42:18 K:BB across 65.2 frames, and he'll try to build on Friday's success in a tough matchup versus the first-pace Blue Jays at home next week.

Junk took a no-decision in Friday's 13-12 win over the Yankees, allowing six runs on six hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out four.

After throwing three spotless innings to begin the night, Junk was tagged for six runs over his final two frames. The six runs allowed also set a season high for the 29-year-old right-hander, who at least managed to toss at least five innings for a sixth consecutive start. Junk still owns a decent 3.86 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 48:6 K:BB over 65.1 frames, but his streaming appeal could be limited his next time, when he's projected to take on the first-pace Astros in Miami next week.

Rodon took a no-decision in Friday's 13-12 loss to the Marlins, allowing four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out nine.

Rodon threw four hitless innings to open his outing, but he ended up getting blasted for four runs in the fifth frame to leave a considerable knock on his ledger. While the All-Star southpaw failed to fire at least five frames for the first time in 2025 while also issuing five free passes, he did come just one strikeout short of tying his season high. Rodon still owns a strong 3.34 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 156:52 K:BB across 134.2 frames, but things aren't likely to get much easier his next time out, when he's expected to face the AL West-leading Astros in The Bronx.

Smith settled for a no-decision after throwing 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out four, during Friday's 6-3 win over the Angels.

In his return from the injured list, Smith made it only 4.1 innings, throwing 79 pitches. His last time throwing was a 55-pitch bullpen, so the lack of length can likely be explained away by that on this occasion, but it's still been a pattern of the 25-year-old throughout the season, especially lately. He's currently in the midst of a six-start streak of not making it through five innings. The right-hander has a 3-7 record with a 4.25 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 91 innings, and he is slated to face the Mariners on the road his next time out.

Alexander (2-7) took the loss after throwing six innings, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five, during Friday's 6-3 loss to the White Sox.

Alexander had a solid outing, allowing just five hits and four runs, but the left-hander once again had an issue keeping the ball in the ballpark. Three of the five hits the 35-year-old allowed were home runs, and he's now allowed at least one home run in five straight starts and 23 total home runs on the season, the second-most in all of MLB behind Zack Littell's 25 homers. Alexander is scheduled to face the Rays at home his next time out.

Ryan did not factor into the decision in Friday's game against the Guardians, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four across six innings.

Ryan yielded a run in each of the first two innings, but he finished his outing strong by retiring 14 of the last 15 batters he faced. He now has 12 quality starts this season (six of which have come over his last nine outings), and his 2.83 ERA and 0.93 WHIP (across 127.1 innings) rank eighth and fifth, respectively, among qualified starters. Ryan is slated to make his next start against the Tigers on the road next week.