MLB Player News

Fletcher made his first career start as a pitcher for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, striking out six over five innings while allowing two earned runs on three hits and and one walk in a 5-2 win over Norfolk.

Primarily an infielder since entering the professional ranks in 2015, Fletcher saw action in five games with Atlanta earlier this season and has been making regular starts at second base for Gwinnett since being outrighted off the 40-man roster in late April. However, the 29-year-old recently informed club officials that he had been tinkering with a knuckleball, and he impressed enough in workouts for the Gwinnett coaching staff to give him the chance to pitch in games earlier this month. Fletcher was tagged for six earned runs over six innings across his first four relief appearances for Gwinnett, but upon stepping into a starting role Wednesday, he delivered his lengthiest and best outing yet. Fletcher will likely need to turn in at least a few more quality performances on the mound for Gwinnett before Atlanta contemplates bringing him back on the big-league roster as a pitcher and utility infielder. There's also the matter of an ongoing investigation from Major League Baseball into Fletcher's involvement with the same Southern California bookmaker used by Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. According to Tisha Thompson of ESPN.com, sources familiar with the booking operation relay that Fletcher didn't place any bets on baseball, but clarity on whether Fletcher will receive any punishment related to his gambling activities won't become clear until the investigation concludes.

Rojas went 4-for-5 with a double, a run and an RBI against the Mets in Wednesday's 10-3 victory.

Rojas started at shortstop before shifting over to third base late in the contest, and he produced his first four-hit game since last September. The veteran infielder has hit well while mostly filling a backup role this season, slashing .284/.333/.457 with two homers, nine RBI, 12 runs and two stolen bases over 87 plate appearances.

McCarthy is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.

McCarthy had started each of the last three games against right-handed pitchers, but he'll begin this one on the bench as the Mets go with righty Christian Scott as their starter. Pavin Smith will hold down right field.

Heyward went 2-for-2 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a triple in a 10-3 win against the Mets on Wednesday.

Heyward didn't start the contest, but he was called upon to pinch hit for Andy Pages in the eighth inning and smacked a triple before eventually coming around to score. The veteran outfielder got another at-bat in the ninth and came through with a solo homer to right-center field. Since returning from a lengthy stay on the injured list May 17, Heyward has slashed .231/.310/.538 with a pair of homers, three RBI, four runs and a stolen base over 29 plate appearances.

Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Wednesday's 10-3 win over the Mets.

Ohtani knocked a run-scoring single in the fifth inning and capped his performance with a two-run blast in the eighth. The long ball was his first since May 17 and pushed him to 14 on the campaign, eighth-most in the majors. Ohtani has added 38 RBI, 41 runs, 13 stolen bases and a .330/.395/.615 slash line through 248 plate appearances.

Hoskins (hamstring) could be activated as soon as this weekend's series versus the White Sox, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Hoskins has ramped up his running in recent days and is nearly ready to play in games. It's possible the Brewers will ask him to play a few rehab games with Single-A Wisconsin this weekend, and if that happens, it will set Hoskins up for a return Monday at his old stomping grounds in Philadelphia. Hoskins has missed the last two weeks of action with a right hamstring strain.

Alonso is day-to-day after a CT scan confirmed he didn't suffer a fracture when he was hit by a pitch in the right hand during Wednesday's 10-3 loss to the Dodgers, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.

X-rays and now a CT scan have both come back negative, as Alonso has managed to avoid a serious injury and is dealing with a bone bruise to his right hand. It's possible he'll still miss a game or two if he remains sore, but the veteran first baseman looks poised to avoid a stint on the 10-day injured list.

Walston is slated to start Saturday's game against the Mets at Citi Field.

Walston will stick around as the fifth member of Arizona's rotation after he blanked the Marlins over 4.2 innings while striking out four in his first MLB start Sunday. Though the 23-year-old southpaw came through with a passable showing in his first start, fantasy managers should tread carefully with Walston, who has struggled to keep his walks in check at nearly every rung of the minors. Though he issued just one free pass against Miami, Walston walked four batters in his MLB debut May 1, when he tossed 3.2 innings of long relief against the Dodgers.

Myers is scheduled to start Friday's game against the White Sox at American Family Field.

Myers moved from the bullpen into the rotation this past weekend in Boston and struck out four while allowing one run over 4.1 innings in his start Sunday. The performance was good enough to earn Myers a second straight turn through the rotation for what will be his sixth start overall with Milwaukee this season. Over his 22.1 total innings for the Brewers, Myers has pitched to a 4.43 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 23:9 K:BB.

The Brewers designated White for assignment Thursday.

White has bounced around with three different teams this season (Toronto, San Francisco and Milwaukee) and hasn't pitched well at any stop, accumulating a 7.23 ERA and 13:13 K:BB over 23.2 innings. The 29-year-old offers the ability to be used as a starter or reliever, but his lack of minor-league options could limit interest from teams via trade or waivers.