MLB Baseball 3 Hours

Last updated: May 23, 2026, 5:44 PM ET

Pitching News

Gerrit Cole made a triumphant return from a 569-day absence caused by elbow ligament reconstruction, tossing six shutout innings for the Yankees in his first major league start since April 2023. Meanwhile in Cleveland, Gavin Williams matched Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez with eight scoreless innings before Kyle Manzardo delivered a pinch-hit homer in the ninth inning to lift the Guardians to a 1-0 victory.

Injury Updates

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, a three-time All-Star batting .300 with 15 homers and 31 RBIs, exited Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field with back spasms in the middle of his at-bat. The Astros' injury concerns deepened as Arizona's Lourdes Gurriel Jr. left the Diamondbacks' game against the Rockies with left hamstring tightness after making a sliding catch.

Roster Moves

The Mets designated 37-year-old reliever Craig Kimbrel for assignment Friday after just 14 appearances with the club, ending a brief stint in New York. The Cubs made their own lineup adjustment Saturday, giving struggling left fielder Ian Happ a day off while moving center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong up to the leadoff spot against the Astros.

Around the League

Jackson Holliday hit a two-run shot that went just 337 feet in the fourth inning Friday, sneaking over the wall and under the foul pole in left field during a 7-4 win over the Tigers. The rookie's unusual blast highlighted an early trend in baseball's new challenge system, where early data shows teams are winning challenges at a notable rate through the first weeks of Automated Ball-Strike implementation.