MLB Player News

Burke (4-4) earned the win Thursday against the Yankees, allowing one run on five hits and one walk while striking out eight over 7.1 innings.

After opener Bryan Hudson tossed 1.2 scoreless innings, Burke carried the bulk of the workload and finished the game, with the lone blemish on his line coming via a Ryan McMahon solo homer in the third inning. The right-hander was dominant Thursday, generating a whopping 20 whiffs and an elite 39.2 percent whiff rate. His eight strikeouts matched a season high and were especially encouraging given his recent inconsistency, as he entered Thursday with a 5.82 ERA over his previous seven appearances. Burke now owns a 3.89 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 81:29 K:BB across 81 innings this season and is scheduled to face Cleveland at home in his next outing.

Atlanta designated Leon for assignment on Thursday.

With Atlanta acquiring Joey Bart (foot) from the Pirates, Leon loses his spot on the 40-man roster after going 4-for-44 at the plate with zero extra-base hits and a 0:18 BB:K across 21 games.

Atlanta acquired Bart (foot) from the Pirates on Thursday in exchange for Hunter Stratton.

Bart has spent the last month-plus on the injured list due to a foot infection, but he began a rehab assignment last week and appears ready to make his return to the big leagues with Atlanta, where he'll serve as the backup to Drake Baldwin while Sean Murphy recovers from a broken finger that is expected to sideline him until after the All-Star break. In just 62 trips to the plate this season with the Pirates, Bart slashed .259/.290/.379 with two homers, six RBI, nine runs scored and a 2:21 BB:K.

Soto went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs and a walk in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Phillies.

Soto opened the scoring with a solo homer off Aaron Nola in the first inning before taking the veteran right-hander deep again in his next plate appearance to record his second multi-homer performance of the year. Soto has looked locked in at the plate over his last eight games, batting 14-for-29 (.483) with three homers. The 27-year-old is now slashing .300/.398/.582 with 17 home runs, seven doubles, one triple, 38 RBI, 36 runs scored and six stolen bases across 249 plate appearances this season.

Williams earned the save Thursday against the Phillies, allowing a run on two hits and a walk while striking out one over one inning.

Williams was called upon to protect a three-run lead in the ninth inning and ultimately got the job done despite some late traffic. He allowed a run on a Justin Crawford RBI single and put additional runners on base, but the right-hander avoided a bigger rally and secured his 11th save of the season. While the overall numbers remain underwhelming, Williams has pitched much better of late, posting scoreless outings in 16 of his last 18 appearances. He owns a 5.18 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 38:15 K:BB across 24.1 innings with just one blown save on the year.

Nola did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Mets, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out six over five innings.

The veteran right-hander generated 10 whiffs on 97 pitches, with most of the damage against him coming via a pair of solo homers from Juan Soto. Despite the solid strikeout total, Nola continues to search for consistency in what has been a difficult campaign. He's failed to cover more than five frames in any of his past five starts and has a 5.68 ERA during that span. Nola will carry a 5.71 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 77:25 K:BB into his next scheduled start on the road against Washington.

Manaea did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Phillies, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out five over 5.1 innings.

Making just his second start of the season, the veteran left-hander threw 63 of his 95 pitches for strikes and generated an impressive 16 whiffs. Philadelphia plated runs in the first, third and fourth innings, with the final run coming home following a throwing error by A.J. Ewing. In four games working as a bulk reliever or starter, Manaea has pitched to a 3.10 ERA and 18:3 K:BB across 20.1 innings. It appears likely that Manaea will remain in the rotation moving forward, with his next scheduled start set to come at home against the Cubs.

Emerson went 1-for-2 with a walk, two RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's 3-0 win over Baltimore.

In his first plate appearance, Emerson lined a two-run single as part of a three-run frame that ultimately accounted for the game's only scoring. He also swiped his first base of the season in the first inning. The young infielder is batting 5-for-22 (.227) since returning to the lineup last week after missing a few games due to back spasms. On the season, Emerson is slashing .235/.309/.529 with six home runs, five doubles, a triple, 16 RBI and 13 runs across 26 contests.

Ballesteros was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Elias Schuster of SI.com reports.

Ballesteros will head to Iowa after struggling to a .128 average with one home run, seven RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base over 94 at-bats in his last 34 contests. The 22-year-old will look to hit the reset button at the Triple-A level and then get another shot with the major-league roster down the road this year.

Munoz earned the save Thursday against the Orioles, allowing two walks while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.

Munoz was handed a three-run lead in the ninth and made things a bit interesting. The right-hander issued walks to Gunnar Henderson and Samuel Basallo to bring the tying run to the plate, but the right-hander ultimately closed out the victory to secure his 12th save in 17 opportunities. He's recorded consecutive scoreless appearances for the first time since May 22. Munoz now owns a 5.47 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 39:13 K:BB across 26.1 innings.