MLB Player News

Valdez (7-7) earned the win Thursday over the Mariners, allowing five hits and two walks over seven scoreless innings. He struck out five.

Valdez has now gone seven frames in back-to-back starts while giving up just four runs across 19 innings in his last three outings -- he had struggled to a 7.71 ERA across 18.2 frames in his previous four starts. Valdez has lowered his ERA to 4.17 across 127.1 innings this season with a 1.37 WHIP and 103:45 K:BB. He's currently slated to face the Guardians at home his next time out.

McLean (8-7) earned the win against the Guardians on Thursday, allowing five runs on eight hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out eight.

McLean certainly wasn't in peak form Thursday, but the Mets gave him plenty of run support to get the hurler credited with the win. It was a rare misstep for the right-hander, who entered Thursday on an outstanding six-start streak with at least six innings while conceding two runs or fewer. McLean will bring what's still an excellent 3.51 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 156:48 K:BB over 130.2 innings into his next scheduled appearance in Atlanta.

MRI results revealed a strain in Ryan's left glute Thursday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Manager Derek Shelton said Wednesday that Ryan's injury has prevented him from replicating his delivery, and the right-hander is likely to spend time on the injured list now that he's been officially diagnosed with a strain. It's unclear whether he'll need to miss more than the 15-day minimum, but the Twins may provide a return timeline once he officially lands on the IL.

Ray is listed as the Padres' probable pitcher for Friday's game against the Astros in Houston.

Ray will be taking the hill on seven days' rest as he makes his debut for the Padres, who acquired him Monday in a deal that sent right-hander Miguel Mendez and shortstop Joniel Hernandez to the Giants. The 34-year-old southpaw was one of two additions to the rotation at the deadline, as the Padres also brought aboard Casey Mize from the Tigers. Ray will look to aid the Friars' playoff push over the next seven and a half weeks before heading into free agency this winter.

Griffin (12-4) took the loss against the Mets on Thursday, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out six.

Making his Guardians debut, Griffin didn't leave an encouraging first impression with his new club. The left-hander has now coughed up 11 runs in his past two starts (9.1 innings), which is quite the disappointment after he gave up 10 runs altogether across his previous nine outings. Griffin will be aiming to get back on track his next time out in Detroit, where he'll bring what is still an impressive 3.31 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 122:32 K:BB over 133.1 innings for Washington and Cleveland.

The Nationals paused Early's (elbow) throwing program Thursday after he felt forearm tightness during his latest live BP session, Danielle Allentuck of The Washington Post reports.

Early has been sidelined by elbow inflammation since the beginning of July. He was aiming to return from the IL to make his Nationals debut sometime in late August, but the latest setback is likely to extend his time on the shelf. Manager Blake Butera noted that the left-hander's forearm issue isn't too concerning, per Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com, but the team is still going to be "ultra cautious" with Early going forward and give him some time off to rest before reevaluating and determining next steps.

Johnson took a no-decision against the Orioles on Thursday, allowing one run on three hits and five walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out one.

Despite tossing only 37 of his 78 offerings for strikes, Johnson still managed to keep the Baltimore bats in check Thursday. The lack of efficiency prevented the right-hander from qualifying for the win, and the five walks also represented a season-worst figure. With a 7.11 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 38:25 K:BB over 50.2 innings in 2026, Johnson doesn't appear to be a viable streaming option in most formats for his next scheduled outing against the division-rival Rangers.

Young (8-3) took the loss against the Angels on Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out four.

A third-inning Zach Neto three-run home run left a big mark on Young's line, and the hurler never quite got it going Thursday. The right-hander did escape a bases-loaded jam in the third frame to avoid what could've been an even worse outing, but it was still his shortest start since May 17 in Washington. Young will bring a decent 3.43 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 89:38 K:BB over 107.2 innings into his next scheduled appearance in Minnesota.

An MRI on Painter's left hamstring came back clean, and he is expected to make his next start Monday in St. Louis, Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic reports.

Painter had to be lifted from Wednesday's start versus the Nationals after four innings when his left hamstring tightened up on him. His removal was seen as a precaution, however, and the rookie hurler won't miss a turn as long as he gets through his normal between-starts bullpen session without any hiccups.

The Angels will recall Klassen from Triple-A Salt Lake to start Friday's game against the Marlins in Miami, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Klassen will be up with the Angels for the second time this season, after giving up six earned runs in just 4.2 innings across his first two big-league outings back in April. He's been dominant in the minors recently, posting a 1.93 ERA. 1.02 WHIP and 24:3 K:BB in 18.2 frames over his last three starts. He'll now be granted another opportunity with the big club and will match up against a Miami offense that's posted a .654 OPS since the All-Star break.