MLB Player News
-
Randy Vasquez SP | SD
Padres' Randy Vasquez: Hurts ankle, later faints
Vasquez fainted while being taken in for an evaluation on his ankle following his start versus the Dodgers on Thursday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Vazquez finished with a no-decision in the contest after allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk over three innings. He was struck on the ankle by a Mookie Betts comebacker in the first inning but remained in the contest for two more frames; however, he was later on his way to get an X-ray before fainting. According to Cassavell, the veteran hurler was taken to the emergency room as a precaution, though he is reportedly stable and conscious. Vasquez will presumably get tests done to try to determine what caused the fainting episode in addition to having imaging on the injured ankle. It's too early at this point to know if either issue will cause him to miss any time.
-
Roki Sasaki SP | LAD
Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Another rough outing Thursday
Sasaki allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three batters over three innings in a no-decision against San Diego on Thursday.
Sasaki's outing began ominously when the first batter he faced, Fernando Tatis, rocked him for a 116-mph double. That proved to be a precursor for what was to come, as the Padres pounded him for seven extra-base hits, including three homers. Manager Dave Roberts finally pulled the plug on Sasaki after three frames and a whopping 88 pitches. Sasaki was fortunate to escape with a no-decision since the Dodgers' offense exploded for 12 runs, but it was unquestionably a troubling outing by the Japanese hurler, who has now given up 19 runs over his past four starts spanning 17 innings. After the game, Roberts said that Sasaki will make his next start but indicated that the team will do a "deep dive" into the pitcher to determine what went wrong, which will include trying to determine if he was tipping his pitches, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
-
Freddy Fermin C | SD
Padres' Freddy Fermin: Removed after foul tip off mask
Fermin was removed from Thursday's game against the Dodgers in the fifth inning after taking a foul tip off the mask, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Fermin spent time on the 7-day IL last month after he was concussed when a warmup pitch struck him in his mask, and it appears he'll now re-enter the concussion protocol. Prior to exiting Thursday, Fermin went 1-for-2 with a double. Rodolfo Duran replaced him at catcher.
-
Jordan Walker RF | STL
Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Breakout campaign continues
Walker went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, two runs scored and a walk in Thursday's 11-5 win over Atlanta.
The four RBI were Walker's most since June 10 and also marked his fourth game this year with at least four RBI. After struggling to find his footing in the major leagues across his prior three seasons, the dynamic 24-year-old outfielder has been a force in St. Louis' lineup this year. Walker has been a five-category contributor for fantasy managers, slashing a potent .291/.346/.519 with 19 homers, 63 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 49 runs scored.
-
Hurston Waldrep SP | ATL
Braves' Hurston Waldrep: Ambushed in no-decision
Waldrep took a no-decision Thursday against the Cardinals, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk in 5.1 innings. He struck out four.
Waldrep gave up all three of his runs in the opening frame, but he was at least able to settle in afterwards and push for a quality start. The 24-year-old right-hander threw 76 pitches in his second major-league outing of 2026, so he may not be fully built up to handle a traditional starter's workload quite yet. Waldrep is contending with Grant Holmes' for a rotation spot going forward, and Thursday's showing might have offered the club enough positive takeaways to hand Waldrep another chance to start next week in Pittsburgh.
-
Dustin May SP | MIL
Cardinals' Dustin May: X-rays come back negative
X-rays on May's injured right ankle came back negative Thursday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
May said his ankle/shin area is "soft" and painful, per Goold, indicating it will be a pain tolerance and swelling issue moving forward. The right-hander was struck by a line drive off the bat of Dominic Smith in the bottom of the first inning of Thursday's start versus Atlanta and was pulled from the game a few batters later, with May ultimately being charged with five runs on five hits and two walks with one strikeout over two-thirds of an inning. The St. Louis bullpen covered 8.1 frames, yielding a combined three hits and one walk in an 11-5 victory. It's unclear at this point if May will be able to make his next scheduled start.
-
Dustin May SP | MIL
Cardinals' Dustin May: Exits early with ankle injury
May exited Thursday's start against Atlanta in the first inning with a right ankle contusion, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
May was making his first start since June 21 after his last turn in the rotation was skipped due to the right-hander dealing with back tightness. May struggled out of the gate Thursday, allowing the first three batters he faced to reach base before he was able to get Michael Harris looking for a strikeout. After Mauricio Dubon notched an RBI single in the next at-bat, Dominic Smith hit a 91.6-mph liner up the middle, which hit off May's right ankle and rolled into foul territory for a double. He was able to remain in the contest for three more batters but was ultimately lifted for Justin Bruihl with two outs in the frame. May finished his day having allowed five runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.
-
Alan Rangel RP | PHI
Phillies' Alan Rangel: Sent back to Triple-A
Rangel was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after Thursday's 6-1 loss to the Pirates, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Rangel did not factor into the decision Thursday after he pitched four scoreless innings, surrendering three hits and four walks while striking out four batters during his start. He will now head back to Triple-A after combining to allow five runs while striking out 12 batters over 13 frames in three outings following his call-up June 22. Rangel's spot in the rotation is set to appear one more time before the All-Star break, and it remains to be seen if the Phillies go with a bullpen game or call up a spot starter for that game.
-
Tommy Edman 2B | LAD
Dodgers' Tommy Edman: In updated lineup Thursday
Edman is slotted as starting at second base and batting ninth in Thursday's updated lineup versus the Padres, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
The initial lineup card for the Dodgers had Alex Freeland starting at second and batting ninth. It appears the lineup with Edman starting was put out as a correction and not a late scratch for Freeland.
-
Jason Adam RP | SD
Padres' Jason Adam: Hits IL with shoulder strain
The Padres placed Adam on the 15-day injured list Thursday, retroactive to Tuesday, with a right shoulder strain.
In a corresponding move, the Padres reinstated German Marquez (forearm) from the 15-day injured list. Adam will be eligible to return after the All-Star break if he's recovered by then. The reliever had a 0.90 ERA heading into June, but he had a 5.11 ERA across his 12.1 innings pitched during that month.