MLB Player News

Freeland is slashing .264/.379/.440 with eight home runs, 12 steals, a 15.7 percent walk rate and a 25.2 percent strikeout rate in 64 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Freeland hasn't been dominant (113 wRC+), but he's been pretty good across the board, particularly for an age-appropriate shortstop at the highest level of the minors. His 50.3 percent hard-hit rate is very strong and he's been a line drive machine (27.0 LD%) while using the whole field (31.3 Oppo%) and rarely chasing out of the zone (20.8 O-Swing%). Freeland isn't on the 40-man roster, but after playing 103 games at Triple-A across 2024 and 2025, he appears ready for the big leagues if the Dodgers have a need or if he's dealt to another team at the trade deadline.

Taylor went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Thursday's win over the Nationals.

The veteran outfielder is up to eight steals on the season in nine attempts, and half of those successful pilfers have come in his last 12 games. Taylor isn't offering much else as a fantasy asset, however -- over that stretch he's batting just .226 (7-for-31) with zero homers, zero runs and three RBI while consistently hitting near the bottom of the Mets' order. Due to his defense, he'll continue seeing the bulk of the starts in center field until Jose Siri (lower leg) gets healthy, but upgrading the position figures to be one of the front office's top priorities as the trade deadline approaches.

The Brewers have acquired Vaughn from the White Sox on Friday in exchange for right-hander Aaron Civale, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Vaughn was demoted to Triple-A Charlotte last month after slashing only .189/.218/.314 with five home runs across 193 plate appearances. The third overall pick in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft has been a disappointment at the big-league level, slashing .248/.303/.407 over parts of five seasons. In MIlwaukee, Vaughn will be behind Rhys Hoskins at first base and Christian Yelich at designated hitter, so he'll likely go to Triple-A Nashville in hopes of finding his swing, but his results at Charlotte thus far (.211/.328/.368 in 67 plate appearances) haven't been pretty. The 27-year-old is making $5.85 million in 2025 and has another year of team control next season.

Sykora dazzled for High-A Wilmington on Thursday, striking out 10 without walking a batter over five scoreless innings while allowing just two hits.

The Nationals' top pitching prospect sat through a brief rain delay before the game began, but Sykora didn't bat an eye -- he struck out the side in the first inning and didn't allow a baserunner to get past second base over 79 pitches (55 strikes) before leaving the mound. The 21-year-old righty sports a 1.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and stunning 32:2 K:BB over 18 innings since his promotion to High-A, and Washington may have little choice but to bump him up another level to Double-A in the near future just to try and find a challenge for him.

Donovan (toe) went through a light pregame workout Thursday and Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol indicated the second baseman "felt a lot better," Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Donovan exited Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays and didn't play Wednesday or Thursday due to a sprained left big toe. While he appears to be on the mend, the Cardinals do not plan to play shorthanded much longer. A decision on whether Donovan needs a stint on the 10-day injured list is expected to be made soon.

Williams went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, two triples, two RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base for Double-A Binghamton on Thursday.

The 21-year-old top prospect has been simply destroying baseballs this week, going 8-for-15 over his last four games, and incredibly all eight knocks -- four doubles, two triples and two homers -- have gone for extra bases. Williams is blocked at his natural shortstop position by Francisco Lindor, but he's seen time at second base and center field this season, and the latter spot might provide his clearest path to a starting job in the majors for the Mets. Williams is slashing .298/.407/.530 for Binghamton with six homers, 18 steals and a 31:42 BB:K in 52 contests, and a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse seems imminent.

Burns gave up two earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out seven in 5.1 innings Thursday for Triple-A Louisville.

In his Triple-A debut, Burns held his own against a stacked Iowa lineup that includes Moises Ballesteros, Jonathon Long, Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara. The 22-year-old righty averaged 97.1 mph on his four-seam fastball and touched 98.6 mph, and his 89-mph slider got whiffs 50 percent of the time. Now that he's at Triple-A, Burns could be promoted to the majors at any point and is a must-stash where possible.

Blackburn appears to be the top option to replace the injured Kodai Senga (hamstring) in New York's rotation, Will Sammon of the Athletic reports.

Blackburn missed the first two-plus months of the season due to knee problems, but the veteran right-hander has been impressive since coming off the injured list, blanking the Dodgers over five innings in a spot start for his 2025 debut June 2 before recording his first career save in a long-relief stint against the Rockies last Sunday. He worked over 70 pitches in both appearances, so length wouldn't be an issue if he shifts back into the rotation. The Mets will wait and see how Frankie Montas (lat) looks in his rehab start Friday before making any decisions on who will take Senga's next turn, however.

Montas (lat) is set to make a rehab start Friday with Triple-A Syracuse and could be reinstated from the 60-day injured list next week to make his Mets debut, Will Sammon of the Athletic reports.

The right-hander built up to 76 pitches in his last start for Syracuse on Sunday, so if he looks good Friday, it could be enough to convince the team he's ready for his 2025 debut. Montas signed a one year, $17 million contract with the Mets this offseason that included a player option for 2026 after producing a 4.84 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 148:66 K:BB over 150.2 innings last season between the Reds and Brewers. The Mets could have Montas enter the rotation as a direct replacement for Kodai Senga, who is headed to the injured list after straining his hamstring in his latest start Thursday against the Nationals.

Taillon (7-3) recorded the win Thursday against the Pirates after giving up two runs on four hits and two walks in 6.1 innings. He struck out seven.

Taillon extended his streak of quality starts to six, and it was also his eighth such effort in his last nine outings. The 33-year-old right-hander has yielded greater than three runs on just two occasions this year, and he also tied his season high in punchouts Thursday. Taillon holds a steady 3.48 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 65:16 K:BB across 82.2 innings ahead of his next appearance, which is set to come versus a Brewers team that's batting a paltry .218 against righties since the start of May.