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Nolan Perry SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Nolan Perry: Looks sharp in return to mound
Perry (concussion) tossed three scoreless, no-hit innings for Double-A New Hampshire on Thursday, walking one batter and striking out four.
The 22-year-old right-hander had last pitched July 19, when he took a comebacker off the side of his head, but after clearing the concussion protocol Perry didn't skip a beat. The Blue Jays' top pitching prospect is climbing the ladder in a hurry after returning from Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2025 -- he began the year at Single-A Dunedin, and across three levels of the minors he's delivered a 2.29 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 89:20 K:BB in just 59 innings. Toronto may not want to push him too much farther this season, but Perry may be on track for a 2027 big-league debut if he continues to dominate in the high minors.
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Tyler Mahle SP | ATL
Braves' Tyler Mahle: Set for team debut Friday
Mahle will make his Atlanta debut with a start Friday against the Yankees in New York.
Acquired from the Giants over the weekend, Mahle will slot into the back end of the Atlanta rotation as a replacement for Reynaldo Lopez (knee), who landed on the injured list Sunday. Mahle took advantage of a favorable home park in San Francisco by delivering a 2.65 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over nine starts, but those ratios swelled to a 8.04 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in nine starts away from Oracle Park. The right-hander profiles as a high-risk fantasy option Friday at Yankee Stadium, which is notoriously friendly for left-handed power hitters like Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm and Luis Garcia.
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Zebby Matthews SP | MIN
Twins' Zebby Matthews: Rejoining Minnesota rotation
The Twins plan to recall Matthews from Triple-A St. Paul to start Friday's game against the Brewers in Milwaukee, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
The 26-year-old will be entering the rotation as a replacement for Joe Ryan, who is headed to the injured list after he was diagnosed Thursday with a mild left glute strain. Matthews was demoted to Triple-A last weekend after losing his rotation spot to the newly acquired Dean Kremer, and he owns a 5.22 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 69:26 K:BB in 81 innings over 14 starts this year for Minnesota.
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Luis Castillo SP | CHW
White Sox's Luis Castillo: Stumbles in White Sox debut
Castillo allowed five runs on six hits and a walk over four innings in a no-decision Thursday against the Red Sox. He struck out five.
After holding Boston hitless through his first two innings, Castillo gave up a two-run homer to Connor Wong in the third before surrendering three runs in the fourth to tie the game at 5-5. It's certainly wasn't the ideal White Sox debut for Castillo, who struggled to a 6.35 ERA across 17 innings in his final three starts with the Mariners before being shipped east at the trade deadline. Through 103.2 innings this year, his ERA sits at 5.30 -- he hasn't finished a season with an ERA above 4.00 since 2018, his first full year in the majors. Castillo will look to turn things around his next time out, tentatively lined up to come at home against the Reds, the team he began his career with in 2017.
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Ranger Suarez SP | BOS
Red Sox's Ranger Suarez: Another brief outing
Suarez didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the White Sox, allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks across three innings. He struck out three.
After blanking Chicago for two innings, Suarez ran into trouble in the third, giving up a two-run homer to Chase Meidroth before Colson Montgomery tacked on two more runs. Suarez, who threw 70 pitches Thursday, hasn't made it through five innings in any of his three starts since returning from the IL. Overall, he sports a 3.32 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP and 108:30 K:BB through 20 starts (103 innings) with Boston this season.
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Kohl Drake SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Kohl Drake: Tagged for first MLB loss
Drake (0-1) took the loss against San Diego on Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out one batter over 3.2 innings.
Though he walked only one batter, Drake threw just 46 of 82 pitches for strikes. Three of the six hits the rookie southpaw allowed were doubles, and he didn't miss many bats, recording only three whiffs and one strikeout. Drake logged five innings in his first MLB start July 21 against the A's, but since then each of his three outings has lasted four frames or less. Michael Soroka (glute) recently kicked off a rehab assignment, and Drake is currently the most likely Arizona hurler to be the odd man out of the rotation when Soroka is ready to return.
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Walker Buehler SP | SD
Padres' Walker Buehler: Logs another short start
Buehler allowed one run on six hits and one walk while striking out three batters over four innings in a no-decision against Arizona on Thursday.
Buehler put two runners on base in the first inning but escaped without giving up any runs. He dodged trouble again in the third, when he allowed four straight hits but surrendered only one run. All of that traffic resulted in Buehler needing 76 pitches to get through four frames, and he didn't come back out for the fifth inning. It was the second straight outing during which Buehler has completed less than four frames, though he's yielded a tolerable four runs across 8.1 innings during that span. He's managed to hang onto a rotation spot despite a 5.07 ERA through 23 starts on the season, but the looming returns of Nick Pivetta (forearm) and Joe Musgrove (elbow) -- each of whom recently began a minor-league rehab stint -- could spell the end of Buehler's time as a starter.
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Michael Wacha SP | KC
Royals' Michael Wacha: Just misses quality start
Wacha tossed 5.2 innings in a no-decision against Minnesota on Thursday, allowing one run on three hits and three walks while striking out one batter.
Wacha pitched well, giving up just one run on a Royce Lewis homer. The veteran hurler looked like he was on his way to a fourth straight quality start, but manager Matt Quatraro elected to pull him with two outs in the sixth inning (at 94 pitches) with Lewis coming up for another turn at the plate. Wacha has made it four straight outings with two or fewer earned runs, and he's lowered his season ERA to 3.44 with that effective stretch. He lines up for a tough next start in what's projected to be a road matchup versus the Dodgers.
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Bailey Ober SP | MIN
Twins' Bailey Ober: Posts second straight quality start
Ober completed six innings in a no-decision against Kansas City on Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits and no walks with no strikeouts.
Ober allowed two runs in the third inning and another run in his sixth and final frame. He was far from overpowering, getting just six whiffs and finishing without a punchout for the first time this season, but his performance was nonetheless good enough to go in the books as a second consecutive quality start. Ober's 4.45 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 63:24 K:BB across 93 innings this season make him a fringe, at best, roster option in most fantasy leagues, but he's managed to scratch out a 7-3 record for the Twins. He's slated to make his next start at home against Baltimore.