MLB Player News

Smith allowed one hit and one run while striking out one over 1.1 innings, getting charged with a blown save in Wednesday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to Arizona.

Smith was unable to close the door in the bottom of the ninth inning, when Lourdes Gurriel took him deep and set up the Diamondbacks' walk-off win an inning later. Smith has performed well as a fill-in closer, so this one hiccup shouldn't diminish his value. He entered the contest with a 0.82 ERA and an 11:2 K:BB while converting all four save opportunities over the previous 11 innings.

Means (elbow) allowed two hits and one walk while striking out four over 3.2 innings for High-A Lake County on Wednesday.

Means made his second rehab start for the Captains and worked his pitch count to 51 (34 strikes) while using his entire arsenal, per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. The left-hander, who underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2024, is on schedule relative to what the team has laid out for him. Means will likely need a couple more rehab starts before he's deemed ready for activation.

Moncada went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 2-1 win against the Reds on Wednesday.

Offense was sparse on both sides, and Moncada hit the only homer in the contest with a solo shot to center field in the fourth inning. The long ball snapped a 20-game homer drought for the third baseman dating back to July 19. Moncada batted a meager .208 with 19 strikeouts during that rough stretch, though he may be turning things around -- over his past eight contests, he's batting .333 (8-for-24) with three extra-base hits and four RBI.

Garcia struck out one batter over a scoreless ninth inning to earn a save against the Reds on Wednesday.

Kenley Jansen -- the Angels' primary closer throughout the campaign -- is dealing with a rib injury, so interim manager Ray Montgomery turned to Garcia with the team holding a one-run lead heading into the ninth inning. Garcia got the job done, retiring the side in order on 14 pitches (10 strikes). All three batters he faced were right-handed hitters, while southpaw Reid Detmers pitched the eighth and squared off against a lefty and a switch hitter among the four batters he encountered. Jansen is in no danger of losing his closing job, but until he gets back to full health, Garcia could be in the mix for save chances along with Detmers and potentially others.

Kikuchi allowed one run on seven hits and no walks while striking out four batters over seven innings in a no-decision against Cincinnati on Wednesday.

Kikuchi's efficiency was particularly notable Wednesday; he needed just 88 pitches to complete seven frames, throwing 58 strikes and issuing zero walks. That's a dramatic improvement after he had walked multiple batters seven times in his previous nine outings and had completed six innings just once during that span. Kikuchi didn't miss many bats with only six whiffs and four punchouts, but the tradeoff of being able to go deep into the contest is something that the Angels almost certainly prefer. Kikuchi lowered his season ERA to 3.42 with the strong outing, and he's next lined up to face the Rangers on the road.

Ober took a no-decision Wednesday against the Athletics, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk in 5.2 innings. He struck out seven.

Ober turned in his fourth consecutive start of at least five innings since coming off the injured list, and he induced a strong 18 whiffs en route to tying a season high in punchouts. The right-hander had a dismal June, posting a 9.00 ERA across five starts in the month, but he's at least managed to log a more encouraging 4.09 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 19:3 K:BB over his first four outings of August after missing over a month of action due to a left hip impingement. That said, Ober could have his work cut out for him in Toronto against the first-place Blue Jays his next time out.

Ginn took a no-decision Wednesday against Minnesota, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out five.

Wednesday's performance was an improvement from Ginn, who yielded a season-high five earned runs his last time out against the Rays. Even so, the seven hits allowed were a season worst, and the right-hander has worked at least five innings just four times among his 10 starts in 2025. Ginn has an uninspiring 4.95 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 66:20 K:BB over 60 frames, and his streaming appeal should remain limited versus the first-place Tigers next week.

Boushley took a no-decision Wednesday against Kansas City, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks in three innings. He struck out one.

Boushley struggled in his first start of the season, though it's worth noting he was working on just one day of rest. The right-hander threw 68 pitches Wednesday, so he likely won't be available out of the Rangers' bullpen for a few days. Boushley has a 5.22 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 36:13 K:BB across 39.2 innings, and Jacob deGrom (shoulder) is tentatively projected to retake his place in Texas' rotation next week against the division-rival Angels.

Cameron took a no-decision Wednesday against Texas, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out five.

Cameron's streak of starts of at least five innings was stopped at seven, and the three walks were his most since June 27 against the Dodgers. On a positive note, the rookie left-hander recorded 11 whiffs and registered his most strikeouts since his July 27 outing against Cleveland. Cameron will take a strong 2.53 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 83:31 K:BB over 103 frames into his next scheduled appearance, which is slated for next week in Chicago against the last-place White Sox.

Dubon went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Wednesday against the Tigers.

Dubon has started five of the last six games and showcased his versatility, playing first base, second base, shortstop and left field. He hadn't produced much offensively prior to Wednesday's home run during that stretch, going only 2-for-11 with an RBI and a run scored. Dubon changed his fortunes with a two-run blast in the fourth inning, his seventh of the season.