MLB Player News

Hicks will serve as the opening pitcher in Saturday's game against the Rays, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

Hicks will draw his first opening assignment of the season after pitching 13.1 consecutive scoreless innings while posting a 21:5 K:BB since June 21. He'll likely exit the game after the first inning, at which point Noah Schultz will take over as the bulk reliever.

Abrams went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and three walks in Friday's 6-2 loss to Atlanta.

Abrams reached base in his first four plate appearances, and his performance was highlighted by a solo shot in the fourth inning. The 25-year-old entered the night on a 1-for-14 skid over his previous four games, but he'll finish a stellar July with a 1.150 OPS and 10 long balls over 23 games. For the season, he's slashing .290/.367/.563 with 28 homers, 83 RBI, 69 runs scored and 19 steals across 458 plate appearances.

Cease did not factor into the decision Friday against the Cardinals, allowing one run on three hits and three walks while striking out seven across six innings.

It was another strong outing from Cease, whose lone blemish came in the fifth inning on an RBI single from Jordan Walker, though the former avoided the loss after the Blue Jays tied the game at 1-1 in the sixth. Cease has logged at least seven strikeouts in 14 consecutive starts and finished Friday's outing with 18 whiffs and 57 strikes on 96 pitches. The American League Cy Young candidate is up to 174 strikeouts this season, which is second most in the majors behind Jacob Misiorowski (185). Cease will take a 2.41 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 119.1 innings into his next start, which is lined up for next week on the road against the Astros.

Olson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and an additional run scored in Friday's 6-2 win over the Nationals.

Olson opened the scoring with a solo shot in the first inning before coming around to score after a double in the sixth. The 32-year-old hit just .226 over 27 July contests but still managed nine homers in the month and matched his season homer total (29) from both 2024 and 2025 on Friday. On the year, he's slashing .263/.340/.529 with 29 long balls, 67 RBI, 75 runs scored and two steals across 483 plate appearances.

Harris went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 6-2 win over the Nationals.

Harris broke the game open with a 421-foot blast off Foster Griffin in the sixth inning, reaching the 20-homer mark for the second straight year. The 25-year-old entered the game on an 0-for-11 skid but will finish July with an .806 OPS, 14 extra-base hits and 21 RBI over 27 games. For the season, he's slashing .292/.321/.496 with 20 long balls, 64 RBI, 54 runs scored and six steals across 418 plate appearances.

Bratt did not factor into the decision in Friday's 4-1 win over the Guardians, allowing one run on three hits and four walks with two strikeouts over five innings.

Bratt allowed a run in the first inning but rebounded with four scoreless frames, throwing 50 of 82 pitches for strikes with just five whiffs while allowing five hard-hit balls. It was the 23-year-old's best major-league start in five outings, though he owns an unappealing 12:15 K:BB during that stretch. He'll take a 5.23 ERA and 1.84 WHIP across 20.2 innings with the Diamondbacks into a home matchup with the Padres next week.

Garcia earned the save in Friday's 4-1 win over the Guardians, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.

Garcia was summoned to protect a three-run lead after a late surge by the Diamondbacks, and he closed the door on just seven pitches. With the club recently removing Paul Sewald from the closer role, the 26-year-old Garcia has converted consecutive save chances. He owns a 2.10 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 36:7 K:BB to go along with 13 holds and three saves across 30 innings this season and appears to be the favorite for ninth-inning duties so long as he continues to pitch well.

Bibee (4-11) took the loss against the Diamondbacks on Friday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts over 7.1 innings.

Bibee entered the eighth inning with a one-run lead but was charged with the loss after allowing two runners to reach base, both of whom came around to score after he departed. Despite the end result, the 27-year-old will end July on a run of four straight quality starts, and he's now yielded three earned runs or fewer in 10 of his past 11 outings dating back to May 31. He'll carry a 3.81 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 100:38 K:BB across 132.1 innings this season into a home matchup with the Mets next week.

Varland earned the save in Friday's 3-1 win over the Cardinals, allowing one hit in a scoreless ninth inning. He did not record a walk or a strikeout.

Varland was brought in for the save opportunity after the Blue Jays took a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning. He allowed a single to Masyn Winn but secured the save by getting both of the next two Cardinals batters out. He's converted all 24 of his save chances this season and has a 0.96 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 53:14 K:BB across 47 innings.

Garcia was removed from Friday's game against Atlanta with right knee soreness, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Garcia went 0-for-3 with a strikeout before his knee forced him out of the game in the seventh inning. The severity of his injury remains unknown, but Andres Chaparro could be in line for an extra start or two at first base if Garcia needs to sit.