MLB Player News

Thornton will start Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Thornton's start Wednesday will mark his MLB debut, and the Mets have officially decided not to use the 24-year-old southpaw behind an opener. He'll be filling the opening left in New York's rotation by Clay Holmes (leg) and should receive several opportunities to make an impression with the big club before Kodai Senga (back) returns from the IL in a few weeks.

Dubon went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in Tuesday's 8-4 win over the Marlins.

The veteran super-utility player got the start in left field and hit second behind a returning Ronald Acuna, and Dubon took advantage of the prime placement. The performance snapped a 2-for-23 skid over his prior six games, and on the season he's slashing .256/.312/.395 with three homers, 20 runs and 26 RBI in 46 contests. Even with Ha-Seong Kim back in action as the starting shortstop as well, Dubon could retain a near-everyday role given his defensive versatility.

Matthews (1-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Astros, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out six over six innings. He did not issue a walk.

Matthews fell behind immediately, surrendering a two-run homer to Isaac Paredes before recording his first out of the night, but the right-hander settled in beautifully afterward. Over the next five innings, he allowed just three baserunners while consistently attacking the zone, throwing 66 of his 100 total pitches for strikes. Despite the loss, Matthews has looked excellent since being recalled, limiting opponents to two runs with an 11:1 K:BB across 13 innings over his first two starts back in the majors. The 25-year-old is currently scheduled for a matchup against the White Sox next, the first in a two-start week.

Varsho went 4-for-5 with a steal and a run scored during the Blue Jays' 5-4 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday.

Varsho posted a career high in hits Tuesday, all of which were singles. He's recorded at least two hits in three of his last four games, improving his season slash line to .278/.346/.438 with four steals, five home runs and 15 RBI in 179 plate appearances.

Cease (3-2) took the loss against the Yankees on Tuesday, allowing five runs on four hits and four walk while striking out nine across five innings.

It was an up-and-down performance from Cease, who recorded six of his nine punchouts through the first three innings, striking out the side in the third. However, Cease issued three of his four walks over the next two frames and gave up all five runs on homers by Ryan McMahon and Ben Rice in the fourth and fifth, respectively. Cease had given up just one home run through his first nine starts of the season, and Tuesday was the first time he yielded two homers in a start since last Aug. 21. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, which is lined up for this weekend at home against the Pirates.

Alexander (1-0) earned the win Tuesday against the Twins, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out four over six scoreless innings.

After being called up from Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday, Alexander was pressed into a start as a result of Lance McCullers being scratched, and the 33-year-old impressed by keeping Minnesota off the board across six innings. The right-hander threw 50 of his 80 pitches for strikes and worked efficiently despite recording just one 1-2-3 inning, never allowing multiple baserunners in a frame. Entering Tuesday, Alexander had allowed five earned runs across his two MLB appearances this season, though he did post a respectable 3.66 ERA in 14 appearances for Houston during the 2025 season.

Lovelady earned the save in the Nationals' 9-6 win over the Mets on Tuesday after striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth.

With both Gus Varland and PJ Poulin being deployed in Monday's extra-inning loss, Nationals manager Blake Butera turned to Lovelady to protect the team's three-run lead. Lovelady answered the call, needing just 10 pitches (eight strikes) to close out Tuesday's game, and capped things off by striking out Carson Benge. Lovelady has a 2.61 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 20:14 K:BB across 20.2 innings this season.

Perez didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 8-4 win over the Marlins, giving up four runs on five hits and two walks over five innings, He struck out 10.

Moving back into the rotation after JR Ritchie was sent back down to Triple-A Gwinnett, Perez got ambushed by Miami for three runs in the bottom of the first inning, but he kept his focus and wound up setting a new career high in strikeouts while firing 55 of 78 pitches for strikes. The veteran southpaw sports a 2.85 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 38:13 K:BB through 41 innings over 10 appearances (six starts), and he'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which lines up to come at home this weekend against the Nationals.

Hoerner went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Brewers.

Hoerner tallied his first multi-hit effort since May 10, and in seven games in between, he had gone just 4-for-28 before Tuesday's encouraging performance. It's been a struggle all month for the speedy infielder, who ended April batting .291 but is now down to .264. Hoerner still offers plenty of run-scoring potential atop Chicago's lineup along with the ability to swipe a base, and he's too good of a hitter to stay down for long.

Tena went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during the Nationals' 9-6 win over the Mets on Tuesday.

Tena tied the game at 5-5 after taking Nolan McLean deep to left-center field for a solo homer. It was the third home run of the season for Tena, who is slashing .247/.307/.441 with 13 RBI and 16 runs scored across 101 plate appearances in 2026.