Mariners take power-hitting 3B Ace Reese at 24

The magic continues. Valdez picked up right where he left off prior to the All-Star break, lifting a towering fly ball off Guardians starter Gavin Williams that just kept on carrying into the right-field seats to give Pittsburgh a 4-1 advantage in the sixth inning. The 22-year-old slugging prospect has gone deep a staggering 11 times in just 29 games to open his big-league career. He’s going to cool off at some point in the near future since he’s striking out nearly 40 percent of the time and running a BABIP in the .400 range, but he’s clearly going to keep hitting for power, which should keep him fantasy-relevant until further notice.

Bazzana supplied Cleveland’s lone run during the front-end of the twin bill when he drilled a 101-mph RBI triple into the right-field corner off Pirates starter Jared Jones with two outs in the third inning. It was his lone hit in four at-bats out of the leadoff spot as the Guardians managed just six hits combined in their second-half lid-lifter.

Gonzalez wasted little time making an impression in Pittsburgh, launching a 428-foot no-doubter off Cleveland starter Gavin Williams into the right-field seats in his first at-bat as a Pirate. The 24-year-old rookie has an opportunity to play everyday as Pittsburgh’s primary shortstop until Konnor Griffin (finger) returns from the injured list in early September after being acquired from the White Sox in a trade last week.

Jones drew the starting assignment for the front-end of Saturday’s doubleheader at Progressive Field and touched triple digits 11 times during an impressive 74-pitch outing where he leaned almost exclusively on his fastball and slider. The lone run against him came on an RBI triple from Travis Bazzana with two outs in the third inning. The Pirates have been cautious with his workload as he returns from Tommy John surgery, but he’s looked outstanding since the start of July, allowing just two runs while compiling a 23/3 K/BB ratio over 15 innings across his last three starts. He should be rostered in all fantasy leagues at this point based on his strikeout upside alone.

Williams notched his fifth double-digit strikeout performance of the season but was burned by the long ball in this one, serving up three homers to a suddenly red-hot Pirates lineup. He managed to shake off an early two-run blast from Jacob Gonzalez before giving up a two-run shot to Esmerlyn Valdez and a solo tater to Nick Gonzalez in the sixth. The result was a bizarre-looking pitching line where he somehow managed to dominate for most of his outing while still ending up being saddled with a loss. He’ll square off against the Twins on Thursday in his next outing.

Early increased his flat-ground throwing distance to 90 feet after playing catch from 75 feet on Friday. The 24-year-old lefty hit the injured list with posterior elbow inflammation back on July 1. He’ll ramp up his throwing progression over the next few weeks and should make it back to Boston’s rotation at some point in the second half.

Braden Shewmake takes over at the keystone with Turang taking a seat after fouling a ball off his right foot during Friday’s second-half opener. He’s delivered top-three fantasy value at second base this season, hitting .263/.359/.460 with 66 runs scored, 14 homers, 60 RBI and 15 steals in 421 plate appearances through 92 games. It’s unclear whether there are any plans for him to undergo imaging at this juncture. There should be a more definitive update on his status later this weekend. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now.

Encarnacion-Strand will get a chance to make an impact for the Orioles while Blaze Alexander is sidelined with a fractured left hand. The 26-year-old former prospect has always possessed impressive raw power, but he’s never been able to parlay it into an everyday role at the highest level during his time with the Reds. He’s in a great spot with Camden Yards being an ideal spot for right-handed pop. A wait-and-see approach is preferable here, but he’s the type of hitter that could get hot and make some noise in a hurry.

Soroka is working his way back from a left glute strain that put him on the injured list back in late June. The general expectation is that he’ll need at least one minor league rehab start before returning to Arizona’s rotation at some point in August.

Bradford tossed one inning last weekend in his first rehab start since early April. The 28-year-old lefty suffered a setback in his rehabilitation from last year’s Tommy John surgery, but appears to be trending towards making it back to the majors at some point in the late stages of the second half.