MLB Player News

Varland recorded his 23rd save Wednesday against the Nationals, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one over two scoreless innings.

He was summoned in the eighth inning with a three-run lead after Tyler Rogers allowed a run and left runners on first and second with no outs. Varland issued a walk to load the bases but escaped the jam unscathed. In the ninth he worked around a leadoff single from Jorbit Vivas to lock down his 23rd save this season. The right-hander has converted seven saves over his last nine appearances while recording 11 strikeouts across 10 innings during that stretch. For the season, Varland owns a sparkling 0.98 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 73:23 K:BB over 55 innings.

Kikuchi (shoulder) will make a minor-league rehab appearance with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Kikuchi has been out of action since April 29 due to left shoulder inflammation. The veteran southpaw began tossing bullpens in early July and is now ready to return to game action. According to Bollinger, Kikuchi believes he'll need three rehab starts before returning to the Angels' rotation. That means he's unlikely to be activated until at least mid-August.

The Yankees haven't yet determined when Judge (ribs) will next be examined by team doctors, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

It's coming up on two months since Judge last played in a game, and the star slugger remains unable to participate in baseball activities. Manager Aaron Boone said July 25 that Judge is still in "letting-it-heal mode," and with no clear timeline for when he'll undergo imaging again, Judge's potential return date is very hazy. He'll almost certainly need to take part in a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated, but such a stint doesn't seem to be on the horizon.

Frazier (elbow) had his minor-league rehab assignment transferred to Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Frazier previously made six appearances with Triple-A Salt Lake, slashing .217/.280/.304 with two doubles and two RBI. The veteran utility man is recovering from right elbow inflammation and was able to log a full nine innings on the field July 26 for the first time during his rehab stint. Frazier is expected to play a few games with Rancho Cucamonga before potentially being activated from the IL, per MLB.com.

D'arnaud (foot) could be activated from the injured list as soon as Friday, MLB.com reports.

D'arnaud has played six games so far during his minor-league rehab assignment, slashing .227/.261/.273 with a double, two RBI and a 1:7 BB:K. The veteran catcher has yet to catch on back-to-back days, which the Angels have set as a baseline for his activation from the IL, but that could happen as soon as Wednesday. Should that be the case, d'Arnaud may be ready to return to the Angels for the team's series opener against Milwaukee on Friday. Tyler Heineman and Logan O'Hoppe are currently working as the Angels' catchers, so one of them may be moved off the 26-man roster upon d'Arnaud's return.

Emerson (undisclosed) will start at shortstop and bat ninth Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Emerson was a late scratch Tuesday due to an undisclosed issue, but he now seems to have recovered from whatever was bothering him and will reclaim his place in the lineup. The 21-year-old rookie has been in a slump at the plate since the All-Star break, slashing just .206/.222/.235 across his last 10 games.

Torkelson went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 10-9, extra-innings loss to the Orioles.

After the Tigers blew a 7-0 lead in what could end up being Tarik Skubal's final start for the team, Torkelson kept his squad alive by taking Rico Garcia deep in the 11th inning to tie the game at 9-9 before the O's eventually prevailed. It was Torkelson's 20th homer of the season and his fourth in 13 games since the All-Star break, a stretch in which he's batting .222 (10-for-45) with eight runs and 11 RBI.

Duran isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics.

Duran doesn't typically step out of the lineup against left-handed starters, but the Red Sox will give him a day off Wednesday with southpaw Jacob Lopez set to toe the slab for the A's. Jahmai Jones will fill in as Boston's left fielder and bat leadoff.

Skubal didn't factor into the decision Wednesday as the Tigers fell to the Orioles 10-9 in 12 innings, giving up three runs on four hits and a walk over 6.2 innings. He struck out six.

His first strikeout of the day -- on the first batter he faced, Taylor Ward -- gave Skubal 1,000 for his career, making him the fastest pitcher in franchise history to reach that milestone. The star southpaw held Baltimore scoreless through six frames as Detroit built a 7-0 lead, but Skubal faded in the seventh and left the mound after 92 pitches (56 strikes), when his bullpen imploded. The quality start was his ninth of the season, but if this was Skubal's final outing as a member of the Tigers -- the trade deadline looms before his next scheduled start -- it was a tough way to go out. Through 96.2 innings in 2026, he's produced a 2.79 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 116:14 K:BB, maintaining his Cy Young-caliber numbers even if a six-week absence due to elbow surgery has kept him out of the conversation for a three-peat.

Wade isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Wade will miss out on the starting nine for a second consecutive game after going just 2-for-28 since the All-Star break. Taylor Trammell, Lucas Spence and Cam Smith will form Houston's outfield trio while Wade sits.