MLB Player News

Newcomb allowed an earned run on one hit and two walks over two innings of relief Wednesday in the Red Sox's 5-1 loss to the Mets.

Newcomb claimed a spot in the Boston rotation coming out of spring training but has been working exclusively out of the bullpen since late April after turning in a 4.43 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and 27:11 K:BB in 22.1 innings over his five starts. His results over the past month as a reliever have been only marginally better (3.06 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB in 17.2 innings over six appearances), but Newcomb could nonetheless find himself in the mix for a spot start or bulk-relief appearance in the near future. As a result of postponements Thursday and Friday, the Red Sox will begin a stretch of six games in five days Saturday and will need to break in a temporary sixth starter at some point.

DeGrom's average arm angle in 2025 is at 30 degrees, the lowest its been in five years since Statcast began tracking arm angles, David Adler of MLB.com reports.

The lower arm angle appears to be working for deGrom, who is delivering results similar to what he did during his Cy Young seasons of 2018 and 2019. "When [my arm angle] climbs," deGrom said this week, "I noticed I got a little bit more sore. So I was just trying to do what's best for health. And now I feel like with the slot that I'm at right now, I've been able to recover really well in between." Over his last three starts, the right-hander struck out 10 over five innings against the Tigers, shut out the Astros through eight frames and then held the Yankees in check over seven innings.

Biggio isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Twins.

Biggio will take a seat on the bench to begin Saturday's contest after going 1-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's series opener. Salvador Perez will serve as the Royals' DH instead, while Freddy Fermin starts behind the plate.

Scherzer (thumb/back) is set to throw bullpen sessions Saturday and Monday before accompanying the Blue Jays for a road series next week against the Rangers, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The veteran righty is still a long way from coming off the injured list, but if his bullpen sessions go well, Scherzer could face live batters while with the team next week. Until he's able to build up and test his thumb past around 50 pitches, which was the point at which it began to bother him earlier this season, there won't be a clear timeline for his return, however.

Perez (illness) will start at designated hitter and bat fourth Saturday against the Twins.

After missing Friday's contest with an illness, Perez seems to be feeling well enough to return to action Saturday. The 35-year-old backstop has been in an extended slump recently, slashing just .205/.224/.301 in 76 plate appearances since the start of May.

Burger went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Friday's 4-1 loss to the White Sox.

Burger continued a revival since being called up from a brief stay in the minors. He's hit safely in nine of 11 games since returning the majors, going 12-for-40 (.300) with three doubles, three home runs and seven RBI. Unfortunately for the Rangers, the offense was dormant once again, managing just three hits. Burger, who's spent much of his time in the lower half of the batting order, has been moved up to fourth and fifth the last two games.

Rocker (shoulder) allowed two hits and no walks and struck out three over three scoreless innings Friday in a rehab start with Double-A Frisco.

Rocker cruised Friday, making use of his full arsenal across his 34 pitches while sporting a fastball that sat around 96 to 98 miles per hour. Per MLB.com, manager Bruce Bochy said that the young right-hander will need at least a few more appearances in the minors before making his return from the 15-day injured list. Prior to being deactivated, Rocker turned in a 8.10 ERA and 1.75 WHIP over 20 innings, and he may not be a lock to reclaim a rotation spot once he returns from the IL with veteran lefty Patrick Corbin (3.59 ERA, 1.31 WHIP over eight starts) having thus far delivered decent results for the Rangers.

Santana went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's 3-1 win over Detroit.

Santana delivered a two-out, run-scoring single in the first inning that turned out to be the game-winning hit. He's knocked in at lease one run in five consecutive games and has eight RBI over the last seven. After driving in seven runs over his first 29 contests, the veteran slugger has accumulated 20 RBI over his last 19 games.

Kwan went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 3-1 win over the Tigers.

Kwan bookended Cleveland's scoring, as he doubled and scored the team's first run in the first inning, and then drove in its final run in the ninth. The outfielder's logged five games with at least three hits this season and has raised his average to .322 through 50 contests. The run batted in was his first in 14 games and his 18th RBI overall.

Fairbanks walked one and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his ninth save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Blue Jays.

The right-hander picked up his first save since May 4, but the drought was due to a lack of opportunities rather than effectiveness -- Fairbanks has blown only one save chance all season, and that came on an unearned run. Through 9.2 innings in May, Fairbanks has produced a 1.86 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB.