MLB Player News

Littell (3-4) earned the win Wednesday against the Mets, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks in five innings. He struck out three.

Following an abysmal start to the season, Littell is finally starting to find a rhythm on the mound. The 30-year-old right-hander served up a whopping 13 home runs across his first 28.2 innings of the year, but he's given up just two long balls over his last 17.2 frames in May en route to posting a 2.55 ERA and 0.96 WHIP during that span. Littell will be looking to further improve on a 5.83 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 23:15 K:BB through 10 starts (46.1 innings) in his next scheduled outing versus Cleveland.

Thornton (0-1) took the loss Wednesday against Washington, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out three.

Making his first career major-league start, Thornton struggled across the board Wednesday. The Nationals ambushed the southpaw for three runs in the first inning, but Thornton was at least able to settle down a bit afterward and hold Washington to one run across his next 3.1 frames. He's next tentatively set to take the ball against the Reds for the next turn through the rotation, but it remains to be seen if the Mets will call up Jonah Tong to fill that slot.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 9-1 win over Miami.

Smith snapped a long homer drought Wednesday, as his last long ball came over a month ago during an April 17 win in Philadelphia. The 30-year-old journeyman has found a home in 2026 as Atlanta's primary designated hitter against right-handed pitching, as injuries have disrupted the team's plan to give most of that playing time to their catching duo of Drake Baldwin (oblique) and Sean Murphy (finger). Through 98 at-bats in 39 games, Smith is hitting a torrid .337 with nine extra-base hits, 22 RBI and 15 runs scored.

Sale (7-3) earned the win Wednesday against Miami, allowing one run on four hits and no walks in seven innings. He struck out eight.

The All-Star southpaw found himself in peak form again Wednesday, generating 18 whiffs en route to fanning at least seven for a sixth consecutive start. Sale has now spun at least six frames while yielding one or no earned runs in eight of his 10 outings on the year. He'll take a career-best 1.89 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 72:14 K:BB over 62 innings into his next appearance, which tentatively lines up to come in Boston against the Red Sox.

Junk (2-5) took the loss Wednesday against Atlanta, allowing eight runs on eight hits and no walks in five innings. He struck out three.

Junk poured in 62 of his 88 pitches for strikes Wednesday, but he might have been too aggressive in pounding the zone. The 30-year-old right-hander was tagged for a season-worst eight runs, and he's now served up six home runs over four starts in the month of May after giving up only a pair of homers in his first six outings of the season. Junk will be trying to keep the ball in the park during his next scheduled appearance in Toronto, where he'll bring a 5.07 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 40:13 K:BB over 55 innings.

McCarthy went 2-for-5 with a triple, a stolen base, and two runs scored Wednesday against the Rangers.

McCarthy led off the bottom of the first inning with a single followed by his ninth stolen base of the season, tying Brenton Doyle (oblique) for the team lead. The 28-year-old McCarthy is carrying a hot bat in May, going 15-for-46 (.326) with two doubles, two triples, two homers, three steals, 11 RBI and seven runs in 15 games.

Mejia was charged with a blown save Wednesday in the 5-4 loss to the Rangers, giving up one hit with one strikeout over two-thirds of an inning.

With the Rockies holding a one-run lead, Mejia was called upon to put out a ninth-inning fire with the bases loaded and one out, but a passed ball and a single resulted in two inherited runners coming across to score, tagging him with his first blown save. The right-hander has recorded three saves this year and should remain in the mix at closer for Colorado given that he has not been charged with a run in his past seven appearances and holds a 3.80 ERA over 19 outings overall.

White (undisclosed) was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday, Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com reports.

White was scratched from his scheduled start Wednesday with the Jumbo Shrimp, and although it initially seemed like an indication that he was on his way to the big leagues, he'll instead spend at least a week on the IL due to an unspecified injury. The 21-year-old top prospect has a 4.34 ERA and 1.48 WHIP through five starts at Jacksonville this season, and although he isn't ready for his MLB debut just yet, there's still a chance he gets called up later in the year.

Dunn went 2-for-5 with a double, a triple and two runs scored in Wednesday's 9-4 win over Philadelphia.

Dunn typically starts against left-handers, but he got an opportunity against Phillies' right-hander Aaron Nola. He tripled and scored in the fourth inning and then scored a second run after a sixth-inning double. He's hit safely in four consecutive games, going 7-for-14 with five runs scored during the streak. A couple of Cincinnati outfielders -- TJ Friedl and Will Benson -- are slumping through the first two months, which could lead to regular opportunities for Dunn, who is batting .357 (10-for-28) over 11 games since being recalled from Triple-A Louisville.

Merrill was removed from Wednesday's game against the Dodgers with an apparent back injury, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

The young outfielder appeared to tweak something while trying to rob Shohei Ohtani's home run in the first inning, and Merrill was later taken out of the game at the start of the fifth. The Padres will likely send him for imaging to determine the specifics of his injury. If he has to miss any time, Bryce Johnson would be in line to pick up starts in center field.