MLB Player News

Cease did not factor into the decision Tuesday against Boston, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out seven across five innings.

It was the first time since June 27 that Cease yielded at least four walks, and the two home runs he gave up tied a season high he set three times prior to Tuesday's start. Still, the right-hander extended his streak of seven-plus strikeouts to 16 starts and came away with his third consecutive no-decision. It was far from his best outing on the season, but Cease is still firmly in the mix for the AL Cy Young award, as he ranks second in the majors in strikeouts (191), fourth in ERA (2.40) and 10th in WHIP (1.07) across 131.1 innings. He's lined up to take on the Yankees this weekend at Rogers Centre.

Jansen allowed a run on a hit and two walks across an inning of relief but managed to secure the save in Tuesday's 6-4 victory over the Guardians.

Jansen entered in the top of the ninth inning staked to a 6-3 lead. It was a struggle for Detroit's closer, as he needed 29 pitches to retire three batters. The subpar outing was still enough for the veteran reliever to record his 14th save of the season, and he's been mostly good lately with a 2.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts across 10 innings in his last 10 appearances. Jansen has no real competition for the closer role at the moment, which gives him fantasy value even though he's not the same dominant force he was earlier in his career.

Waguespack (1-1) tossed two scoreless innings of relief and earned the win in Tuesday's 6-4 victory over the Guardians. He allowed two hits and a walk.

Drew Anderson, who has mostly worked in relief this season, got the start for Detroit and held his own across four innings. However, he didn't go long enough to qualify for the win, which opened the door for Waguespack, who worked the fifth and sixth. The righty earned his first win in the majors since he won five games as a rookie back in 2019. Waguespack isn't in a super fantasy-friendly role at the moment, but he's pitched well this year with 1.52 ERA and 0.89 WHIP across 23.2 innings out of Detroit's bullpen.

McLean (8-8) took the loss against Atlanta on Tuesday, allowing one run on one hit and two walks while striking out three across six innings.

McLean yielded only two baserunners through his first four innings and kept Atlanta off the board before giving up a leadoff solo homer to Ozzie Albies in the fifth. McLean stayed in to pitch through the sixth inning to secure his 14th quality start of the season (tied for eighth-most in the majors), but he still took the loss as his Mets teammates failed to score. His three punchouts were also his second-lowest of the season (two against the Marlins on May 31), and the 25-year-old right-hander sits at a 3.42 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 136.2 innings this season. McLean's next start is lined up for next week at home against the Padres.

Albies went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run during Atlanta's 4-0 win over the Mets on Tuesday.

Albies opened Tuesday's scoring with a solo homer off Nolan McLean in the fifth inning. It was Albies' sixth home run since the All-Star break and 20th of the year, marking the first time he's recorded at least 20 homers in a season since 2023 (33) and the fifth time in his major-league career. He has a .751 OPS with two steals and 64 RBI across 515 plate appearances on the year.

Olson went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored during Atlanta's 4-0 win over the Mets on Tuesday.

Olson doubled Atlanta's lead in the eighth inning when he took Chayce McDermott deep to right field for a 423-foot, two-run homer. It continues a hot stretch at the plate for Olson, who has eight long balls over his last 14 games and is up 35 home runs on the year. Not only is that now tied with Kyle Schwarber and Yordan Alvarez for most in the majors, but it is the third time in Olson's big-league career that he's recorded at least 35 homers in a season. Olson also ranks fourth in the majors this season in slugging percentage (.554) and ninth in OPS (.897) over 525 plate appearances.

Perez (8-6) earned the win against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out two across six scoreless innings.

Perez allowed at least one baserunner in five of the six innings he pitched Tuesday, but the only time the Mets advanced a runner to third base was in the sixth, which ended with a 4-6-3 double play. Perez has now tossed 16 straight scoreless innings spanning three starts and sits at a 2.96 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over 106.1 innings this season. His next start is lined up for next week on the road against the Twins in what projects to be a two-start week for the veteran southpaw.

Pratt (hamstring) is expected to return from the injured list sometime in late August, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Manager Pat Murphy said Tuesday that Pratt is making good progress in his recovery from a strained right hamstring, but he's still likely multiple weeks out from returning to the starting lineup. With Joey Ortiz (back) also dealing with an injury, David Hamilton and Ji Hwan Bae have seen an increase in playing time recently.

Pozo suffered a left index finger injury in Tuesday's game versus the Minnesota, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Pozo took a swing off his glove hand in the bottom of the third inning, and he was removed from the contest immediately afterward. The catcher is dealing with "left index finger pain," and an exact diagnosis of his injury will likely come following additional imaging by the team.

Junis (adductor) completed a bullpen session Tuesday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Junis was able to throw roughly 20 pitches during Tuesday's session, and he announced that he will throw another bullpen Thursday. The team is expected to reassess the right-hander's status after Thursday, as he continues to work his way back from a left adductor strain that has sidelined him since July 30. Junis is eligible to be activated from the 15-day injured list Thursday, but a return in late August now appears to be a more realistic goal.