MLB Player News
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Braxton Fulford C | COL
Rockies' Braxton Fulford: Knocks in five
Fulford went 2-for-2 with a walk, a triple, five RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 10-1 win over Atlanta.
Fulford has served as the Rockies' backup catcher since June 6, when he was promoted from Triple-A Albuquerque following the release of Jacob Stallings was released. The rookie has started only three of nine games since his promotion, but he made a strong case for earning more work after his big performance Sunday. Even so, Hunter Goodman is still likely to dominant the playing time behind the dish moving forward.
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Bryce Harper 1B | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Fielding, but not yet hitting
Harper (wrist) fielded ground balls at first base Friday, but the Phillies aren't certain when he'll be ready to swing a bat or resume throwing, MLB.com reports.
Harper is set to accompany the Phillies on their four-game set in Miami to begin the week, but he doesn't appear on track to be activated at any point during the series. The 32-year-old won't be cleared for throwing or swinging until his right wrist is completely pain-free, though the Phillies relayed Sunday that the range of motion in his wrist is "almost" back to normal. Otto Kemp will continue to serve as the Phillies' primary first baseman for the duration of Harper's absence.
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Colin Rea SP | CHC
Cubs' Colin Rea: Performs well in no-decision
Rea didn't factor into the decision during Sunday's extra-inning win over the Pirates, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk over six innings. He struck out four.
Both of the runs against Rea came in the first inning, when he allowed a single to three of his first four batters faced. However, the 34-year-old rebounded with five scoreless frames to notch his third quality start of the campaign and complete six innings for the first time since May 12. Rea has allowed four or more runs in three of his last five appearances and has yielded a home run in seven of his last nine. On the year, he has a 3.84 ERA and a 52:18 K:BB across 68 innings. He's on track to face the Mariners his next time out.
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Mitch Keller SP | PIT
Pirates' Mitch Keller: Another quality start
Keller didn't factor into the decision in Sunday's extra-inning loss to the Cubs, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out three.
Keller owns a middling 4.08 ERA on the season, but he's been an extremely reliable arm on the front end of Pittsburgh's rotation. He's had two blow-up starts, allowing a combined 13 earned runs in those outings, and owns a 3.10 ERA outside of those two appearances. His consistency is shown in his 11 quality starts -- tied for the most in baseball. However, a lack of run support has made Keller's campaign frustrating, as the 29-year-old has posted a 1-9 record through 14 outings. In 2024, his ninth loss came Sept. 1. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Rangers his next time out.
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David Bednar RP | NYY
Pirates' David Bednar: Yields walk-off
Bednar (1-5) took the loss Sunday against the Cubs, allowing an unearned run on one hit and one walk with a strikeout over one-third of an inning.
Bednar took the hill in the bottom of the 10th frame and intentionally walked Kyle Tucker to lead off the inning before a double steal put a pair of runners in scoring position with no outs. While Bednar would strike out Jon Berti immediately after, Ian Happ delivered a walk-off base hit. It was the first run Bednar had allowed in his last nine innings. Bednar has converted on all 10 of his save chances in 2025, owning a 3.38 ERA and a 34:5 K:BB over 24 innings.
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Chris Sale SP | ATL
Braves' Chris Sale: Back on pitching schedule Wednesday
Sale is scheduled to make his next start Wednesday against the Mets in Atlanta, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
After striking out a season-high 11 batters in seven innings in his most recent start last Monday in Milwaukee, Sale was denied a two-start week when Atlanta opted to push him off his previously scheduled turn Sunday against the Rockies. Grant Holmes ended up getting the start Sunday, and Sale will now end up returning to the hill on eight days' rest for the second game of the home series versus the Mets. The decision to push Sale back in the schedule wasn't the result of any health concern; instead, Atlanta simply wanted to have the reigning Cy Young Award winner make each of his next three starts against divisional rivals as the 31-39 squad looks to make up ground in the NL East. After Wednesday's outing, Sale will tentatively line up to make his next two starts June 23 on the road against the Mets and June 28 at home versus the Phillies.
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Brandon Woodruff SP | MIL
Brewers' Brandon Woodruff: Gets back on mound
Woodruff (elbow/ankle/shoulder) tossed a 25-pitch bullpen session Sunday and checked out fine physically, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.
Woodruff looks to be fully recovered at this point from his October 2023 shoulder surgery, but a couple of unrelated setbacks on the health front during his rehab assignment have delayed him from making his 2025 MLB debut. He was briefly shut down in mid-May after experiencing ankle tendinitis following his sixth rehab start, and after returning to action May 21, he made three more starts before exiting his most recent outing with Triple-A Nashville on June 3 when he was struck in his pitching elbow by a comebacker. Fortunately, Woodruff suffered nothing more than a contusion on the elbow, and after completing his side session Sunday, he acknowledged that the recent time off allowed him to clean up his pitching mechanics. According to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Woodruff is slated to throw another bullpen session of about 40 pitches Wednesday or Thursday before restarting his rehab assignment. He'll likely need to get stretched back out to around 80 pitches over the course of two or three starts in the minors before potentially returning from the 60-day injured list shortly before the All-Star break.
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Daniel Johnson CF | HOU
Giants' Daniel Johnson: Hits homer off bench
Johnson hit a solo home run in his lone at-bat in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.
Johnson got the Giants within a run with his eighth-inning homer. He saw some steady action just after he was called up in early June, but he's since taken on a bench role as a spare outfielder. He's batting .235 with a homer, a double, one RBI, four runs scored and one stolen base over 19 plate appearances this season.
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Sean Hjelle RP | SF
Giants' Sean Hjelle: Does fine as spot starter
Hjelle allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out five over 3.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers on Sunday.
Facing a top-tier offense on short notice after the Giants traded Sunday's projected starter, Kyle Harrison, to the Red Sox just before game time, Hjelle put in a fine performance. He allowed a sacrifice fly to Andy Pages in the first inning and a solo home run to Tommy Edman in the second, but the Giants got him off the hook with three runs in the fourth. Over 7.2 innings this season, Hjelle has allowed four runs while adding a 6:5 K:BB. This was his longest outing in the majors this season at 54 pitches (33 strikes), so it's unclear if he'll be stretched out as a starter -- he hasn't filled that role in the minors since 2023, instead functioning as a multi-inning reliever. Assuming Justin Verlander (pectoral) is good to go in the coming week, there may not be an opening in the Giants' rotation anyway.
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Tommy Edman 2B | LAD
Dodgers' Tommy Edman: Solo shot in Sunday's win
Edman went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants.
Edman's 10th homer of the season came in the second inning, producing a 2-0 lead for the Dodgers. The 30-year-old was given two days off earlier in the week in addition to a team off day Thursday, so it's possible the Dodgers are trying to prevent an aggravation of an ankle injury that bothered him earlier in June. Edman still looks to be the starter at second base, though the team's complement of hitters is fully healthy and Hyeseong Kim has looked good in limited playing time. It's a competitive lineup, and Edman's .247/.283/.463 slash line may not be enough for him to be an everyday option. He's added 34 RBI, 30 runs scored, nine doubles, one triple and a stolen base over 53 games.