MLB Player News

Walter (1-2) took the loss Wednesday against the Guardians, giving up two runs on two hits and no walks in six innings. He struck out seven.

Walter continues to provide length for the Astros, having now thrown at least five innings in each of his first seven starts in 2025. The 28-year-old southpaw also tallied 16 whiffs Wednesday, and he's now posted four quality starts for the year. Walter has logged a 3.98 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and a pristine 40:2 K:BB through his first 40.2 frames prior to the All-Star break, and he should continue to hold down a major-league roster spot to help eat innings for Houston's injury-riddled rotation.

Cecconi (4-4) earned the win Wednesday against the Astros, giving up two runs on five hits two walks in seven-plus innings. He struck out nine.

Cecconi was able to contain a hot Astros team, setting a season high in strikeouts during a quality start. The 26-year-old right-hander tossed at least six innings for only the fourth time among his 10 outings, and Wednesday also represented the seventh time this season that he threw at least five innings while surrendering two runs or fewer. Cecconi will bring a solid 3.44 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 56:18 K:BB through his first 55 innings into the All-Star break, and he should maintain a rotation spot at least until Shane Bieber (elbow) is ready to make his season debut.

Festa (3-3) earned the win Wednesday against the Cubs, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks in 5.1 innings. He struck out three.

Festa held a formidable Cubs lineup to just two runs on three singles, and he was able to limit the damage during Chicago's two-run fourth frame. The 25-year-old right-hander tossed at least five innings while allowing two runs or fewer for just the third time in 10 outings this year. Festa owns a dicey 5.25 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 48:18 K:BB across 48 innings ahead of the All-Star break, but his rotation spot should remain intact for the near future with Bailey Ober (hip), Zebby Matthews (shoulder) and Pablo Lopez (shoulder) on the injured list.

Semien went 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk and four RBI in a loss to the Angels on Wednesday.

Semien got the scoring started for Texas with an RBI groundout in the first frame. He added a sacrifice fly in the third before launching a two-run homer in the seventh inning. The veteran infielder snapped a mini five-game slump during which he had gone 2-for-20 at the plate. Despite that brief rough stretch, Semien has been quite productive for about the past six weeks -- he's batting .312 with seven home runs, 25 RBI and 28 runs over his past 36 contests dating back to May 30.

Soler went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in an 11-8 victory versus Texas on Wednesday.

Soler was hitless in his first three plate appearances, but he came through when it mattered most, launching a 421-foot, two-run blast to break an 8-8 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning. It was a much-needed big hit for the veteran outfielder, who entered Wednesday having batted just .136 with only six RBI over his previous 22 games. Soler posted a poor 37.8 percent strikeout rate during that span, and Wednesday marked just the second time over his past 15 contests that he's finished without a punchout.

D'Arnaud went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 11-8 victory against the Rangers.

D'Arnaud's long ball was a solo shot in the fourth inning that tied the game 5-5. The veteran backstop has homered in each of his past two games, going 4-for-8 with four RBI over that stretch. While Logan O'Hoppe remains the Angels' primary catcher, he's recorded a 0:16 BB:K and .205 batting average over his past 10 games, so d'Arnaud could log a bit more playing time if the Angels opt to give O'Hoppe some time to reset. As it is, d'Arnaud has started over O'Hoppe in two of the team's past three contests.

Trout went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI in an 11-8 win over Texas on Wednesday.

Trout belted both of his long balls against Rangers starter Kumar Rocker, swatting a two-run shot in the third inning and a solo blast in the fifth. It was the third time this season Trout has notched multiple home runs in one game, and he's up to 16 homers on the campaign. Wednesday also marked Trout's first multi-hit game since June 19 -- he had been mired in an 11-for-53 (.208 batting average) stretch over his previous 17 contests.

Rocker allowed six runs on six hits and one walk while striking out two batters over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against the Angels on Wednesday.

Rocker was staked to a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third inning, but he couldn't hold the advantage. The right-hander was tagged for six runs over the third through fifth frames, serving up three homers -- including two to Mike Trout -- along the way. The six earned runs tied a season-worst mark for Rocker, with the other such instance coming in his season debut March 31 versus Cincinnati. Wednesday's poor outing snapped what had been a pretty strong run for Rocker, as he entered the day having posted a 2.49 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over his previous four starts.

Jansen earned a save against the Rangers on Wednesday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in one scoreless inning.

After the Angels rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to take an 11-8 lead, Jansen was summoned to close things out in the ninth. He gave up a one-out double but nothing more to nail down his first save since June 18. The save drought wasn't really of Jansen's doing -- he blew just one save during that span and hasn't given up an earned run in any of his past 10 appearances, notching a 13:2 K:BB over 10 innings during that stretch. The veteran closer has been effective in his first season as an Angel, converting 16 of 17 save chances while posting a 3.48 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 35:11 K:BB over 33.2 innings spanning 37 appearances.

Hendricks allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out three batters over 3.2 innings in a no-decision against Texas on Wednesday.

Hendricks was tagged for a run in the first inning and two more in the third. He returned for the fourth but didn't make it out of the frame, as he was pulled after giving up a run-scoring double to Josh Smith. It was the sixth time over 18 starts that Hendricks has given up at least four earned runs, though this was his first such instance since June 6. The right-hander likely won't pitch again until after the All-Star break; if that's the case, he'll finish the first half of the campaign with a mediocre 4.88 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 65:24 K:BB over 96 innings.