MLB Player News

Herz (elbow) struck out two and allowed one hit and two walks over two scoreless innings in a rehab start Thursday with Double-A Harrisburg.

After Herz underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2025 and then suffered a left flexor strain this past June, the Nationals have been having him ramp up slowly since he began his rehab assignment earlier this month. Through three outings between Single-A Fredericksburg and Harrisburg, the southpaw has yet to permit a run, but he's been limited to five total innings in those appearances. The 33 pitches he threw Thursday marked a new season high for Herz, but he would need to push that count up to the 70-to-80 range before becoming a viable option for the Washington rotation.

Leahy's innings are expected to be "significantly curtailed," possibly as soon as Sunday in Philadelphia, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Leahy is at 122.1 innings this season, which is already a 34.3-inning jump from last year. His career high in innings is 144.2, but that came back in 2022 in the minors, the last year he was used as a full-time starter. The Cardinals currently have no plans to shut Leahy down completely, but he could make some piggyback starts or perhaps shift to the bullpen. The right-hander has shown no signs of tiring in his transition back to the rotation, logging a pristine 1.38 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 52:9 K:BB through 52.1 innings over his last 10 starts, but the Cardinals want to be proactive in managing his workload. Quinn Mathews stands to benefit, as this would allow him to make multiple starts or piggyback appearances down the stretch.

Lord is slated to start Friday's game against the Marlins in Miami.

Lord will make his third consecutive start, though he's covered just 3.1 total innings in his prior two appearances. The Nationals are expected to once again deploy Lord as more of an opener, with lefty Will Dion profiling as the top candidate to pitch in bulk relief.

Webb (shoulder) is listed as the Giants' probable starting pitcher for Friday's game in Boston.

Webb took a comebacker off his right shoulder during his previous start last Saturday against the Rockies, but he looks like he won't miss a turn through the rotation. The right-hander shouldn't be in store for any major workload restrictions Friday and will look to continue his strong run since the All-Star break. Through his last six outings, Webb has gone 3-0 with a 2.56 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 30:6 K:BB in 38.2 innings.

Burke (5-5) was charged with the loss and a blown save Thursday against St. Louis, allowing six unearned runs on two hits and three walks while striking out one.

Reds manager Terry Francona eschewed using closer Emilio Pagan for a second straight day, instead bringing in Burke to close out a one-run lead to begin the top of the ninth inning. Burke was on the verge of getting the job done, but an error on a routine fly led to six unearned runs. Pagan had thrown 19 pitches Wednesday, and Francona may have considered the team's top closer unavailable, but his decision to turn to Burke may also have been matchup-based -- top right-handed setup man Pierce Johnson hasn't pitched since Monday but went completely unused in the contest.

Pagan was not used to protect a 5-4 lead in the ninth inning of Thursday's 10-9 loss to the Cardinals.

Manager Terry Francona opted for southpaw Brock Burke instead of Pagan to close out the game, after the veteran righty had thrown 19 pitches the night before. The top of the ninth turned into a nightmare, as an error on a routine flyball, along with three walks and a HBP from Burke, lead to six unearned runs for the Cardinals. If Pagan is currently unable to pitch on back-to-back days, it could open up save opportunities for other Cincinnati relievers, but Burke's usage Thursday may also have simply been matchup-based -- top right-handed setup man Pierce Johnson, who hasn't pitched since Monday, went completely unused in the contest.

Alvarez (2-5) took the loss against Texas on Thursday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out five batters over five innings.

Alvarez struggled a bit with his control, throwing only 41 of 75 pitches for strikes and issuing three walks. However, he allowed just one run -- on a solo homer by Corey Seager. That was enough to send him to his second straight loss, however, since the Nationals couldn't muster any runs against Jacob deGrom or three Rangers relievers. Alvarez has been hurt by a lack of support of late -- he's gone at least five frames and given up two or fewer runs in each of his four starts so far in August, but he has an 0-2 record during that span. He'll look for a better outcome in his next outing, which is scheduled to be a favorable home matchup against Colorado.

X-rays on Abrams' left ankle came back negative Thursday, but manager Blake Butera said Abrams will likely need to sit again Friday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Butera said Abrams will hopefully be back in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Marlins after he initially injured his ankle in the ninth inning of Wednesday's contest. With Abrams out Thursday against the Rangers, Jose Tena made the start at second base and hit cleanup for the Nationals. He went 0-for-3 with a trio of strikeouts and one walk in the 2-0 loss.

Walker went 1-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, a walk and an additional run scored in Thursday's 10-9 win over the Reds.

Walker continued to roll Thursday, rapping his seventh extra-base hit in his last six outings. The All-Star outfielder has scored seven runs and racked up 10 RBI during that span as well. Walker remains a five-category fantasy producer, slashing .288/.348/.506 with 26 homers, 94 RBI, 17 stolen bases and 79 runs scored over 535 plate appearances amid a breakout campaign.

The Diamondbacks placed Marte on the 10-day injured list Thursday with left knee inflammation.

After being on the restricted list all week following his no-show for the team's series in Boston, Marte will now spend at least the next 10 days on the injured list. General manager Mike Hazen said earlier Thursday he expected Marte to rejoin the team following his trip to the IL, but it's unclear if that will be in 10 days or longer, as there's been no indication of the severity of Marte's inflammation. Ildemaro Vargas should continue to handle the bulk of the playing time at second base for Arizona while Marte is out.