MLB Player News

Varland recorded his 23rd save Wednesday against the Nationals, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one over two scoreless innings.

He was summoned in the eighth inning with a three-run lead after Tyler Rogers allowed a run and left runners on first and second with no outs. Varland issued a walk to load the bases but escaped the jam unscathed. In the ninth he worked around a leadoff single from Jorbit Vivas to lock down his 23rd save this season. The right-hander has converted seven saves over his last nine appearances while recording 11 strikeouts across 10 innings during that stretch. For the season, Varland owns a sparkling 0.98 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 73:23 K:BB over 55 innings.

Kikuchi (shoulder) will make a minor-league rehab appearance with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Kikuchi has been out of action since April 29 due to left shoulder inflammation. The veteran southpaw began tossing bullpens in early July and is now ready to return to game action. According to Bollinger, Kikuchi believes he'll need three rehab starts before returning to the Angels' rotation. That means he's unlikely to be activated until at least mid-August.

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman reiterated Wednesday that the Dodgers expect Ohtani to pitch again this season, with Friedman noting that the two-way player's right biceps soreness is a lesser concern than his inflamed left knee, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports. "If it weren't for the knee, [Ohtani] would be pitching right now," Friedman said.

Per David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports, Ohtani is throwing plyometric balls to limit the force on his left knee, after the Dodgers decided to postpone his scheduled bullpen session over the weekend. The Dodgers are confident that the four-time MVP will start playing catch again soon, which would put him on track to be ready to pitch by season's end. Ohtani hasn't made a start as a pitcher since July 3 but has continued to handle an everyday role at designated hitter while he recovers from the knee issue.

The Yankees haven't yet determined when Judge (ribs) will next be examined by team doctors, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

It's coming up on two months since Judge last played in a game, and the star slugger remains unable to participate in baseball activities. Manager Aaron Boone said July 25 that Judge is still in "letting-it-heal mode," and with no clear timeline for when he'll undergo imaging again, Judge's potential return date is very hazy. He'll almost certainly need to take part in a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated, but such a stint doesn't seem to be on the horizon.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Glasnow (back) will begin a rehab assignment after completing Wednesday's live batting practice session, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Glasnow has been shelved since May 8 due to lower back spasms, but assuming he checks out fine following Wednesday's live session, he'll move on to the final stage of the recovery process. Given the length of his absence, Glasnow will likely require at least three rehab starts to build up his pitch count before he's deemed ready to rejoin the Dodgers rotation. Prior to landing on the shelf, Glasnow turned in a 2.72 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 49:13 K:BB across 39.2 innings over seven starts.

The Dodgers activated Diaz (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Diaz has been on the shelf since April 20 after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow. He was cleared to embark on a rehab assignment right before the All-Star break, and across seven minor-league games he allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out 11 over 5.2 innings. The Dodgers should ease Diaz back into the fold, but if all goes well, the veteran right-hander could reclaim the closer role from Tanner Scott in the near future.

Littell did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Blue Jays, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out two over 4.2 scoreless innings.

Littell threw 50 of his 81 pitches for strikes on his way to recording his first scoreless outing since May 15. The veteran right-hander has now held opponents to one run or fewer in four of his last five starts, though the lone exception was an eight-run outing against the Athletics. Despite the recent run prevention, Littell has struggled to miss bats throughout 2026, ranking in the fifth percentile of qualified pitchers in expected batting average and whiff rate. He owns a 4.94 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 68:34 K:BB across 105.2 innings this season and is tentatively scheduled to face the Phillies early next week.

Frazier (elbow) had his minor-league rehab assignment transferred to Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Frazier previously made six appearances with Triple-A Salt Lake, slashing .217/.280/.304 with two doubles and two RBI. The veteran utility man is recovering from right elbow inflammation and was able to log a full nine innings on the field July 26 for the first time during his rehab stint. Frazier is expected to play a few games with Rancho Cucamonga before potentially being activated from the IL, per MLB.com.

Keller underwent right elbow UCL reconstruction surgery with internal brace and flexor tendon repair Tuesday, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Keller was diagnosed with a torn UCL in his right elbow just after the All-Star break and has now officially gone under the knife. He's expected to be sidelined 13-to-16 months from Tuesday's surgery, so the earliest that he could return to action will be late in the 2027 season, though it's more likely that he'll be aiming toward being fully healthy for the start of the 2028 campaign. Keller will finish the 2026 regular season with a 4.02 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 13 holds, three saves and a 32:13 K:BB across 31.1 innings.

Barco could be used as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Yohan Ramirez in Thursday's game in Cincinnati, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

The Pirates recalled Barco from Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, but he went unused in relief during the team's 3-0 loss to the Diamondbacks. With Ramirez likely to be limited to one or two innings Thursday in his first big-league start, Barco will be the freshest arm in the Pittsburgh bullpen and is one of the few options who's capable of covering multiple frames. Barco has handled a swingman role at Triple-A for most of the season, posting a 4.87 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 49:23 K:BB in 44.1 innings.