Reds OF prospect Rodríguez homers again

Jax gave up two hits, walked none and struck out seven. He’s allowed two runs and recorded nine strikeouts in 10 innings over his last two starts. Jax has a 3.40 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 95 1/3 innings over 21 starts since the Rays moved him into the rotation at the end of April. Jax is lined up to face the Red Sox at home on Sunday.

Blalock returns to Miami to replace injured closer Pete Fairbanks ahead of Tuesday’s game against Arizona. The 25-year-old has allowed two runs over six innings across two appearances in the majors this season.

It feels like a virtual lock that Fairbanks is done for the rest of the season with less than two weeks remaining on the calendar. He appeared visibly frustrated when he was forced to depart Monday’s save chance against the Diamondbacks due to a recurring nerve issue. The 32-year-old impending free agent finishes with a calamitous 6.31 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 57/21 K/BB ratio across 41 1/3 innings over 46 appearances. He converted 19 of 23 saves during his Marlins debut. His absence opens the door for either Calvin Faucher or Michael Petersen to finish the year as Miami’s closer, although a committee approach seems like the most logical outcome.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters the hope is that Ohtani will return before the conclusion of the regular season. The 32-year-old generational talent is obviously critical to Los Angeles’ postseason aspirations as they chase their third consecutive World Series title. There should be a clearer idea of his exact return timeline as the week progresses and Ohtani starts to ramp up his hitting progression.

Pages is close to taking live batting practice, which would be the final step before getting back into game action again. The 25-year-old center fielder should make it back to Los Angeles for the start of the postseason after having surgery to repair a left hand fracture back in late August.

Kuroda-Grauer won’t make it back before the regular season concludes, but he’s expected to have a normal offseason and be ready for the start of next spring. That wasn’t a sure thing after he underwent surgery to address a ruptured testicle back in late July.

Jiménez looked sharp while pitching in a game setting for the first time since 2024. It seemed like there was a strong possibility his career was over after a series of knee surgeries and several setbacks during his rehabilitation process. It would be surprising to see him back with Atlanta in the postseason, but the fact that he’s back pitching in a competitive setting at all is the biggest positive development.

The Orioles weren’t going to take any chances after Baz was struck on his pitching arm by a 105.1 mph comebacker from Bo Bichette in the fifth inning. The 27-year-old was charged with three runs on seven hits over four innings. He struck out two and also handed out a pair of free passes. He’ll undergo further evaluation, and possibly imaging, to determine whether he’ll take the ball for his next start against the Blue Jays on Monday.

It seems unlikely that Early, who threw 35 pitches (23 strikes) in his first rehab outing, will make his Nationals debut during the final week of the season, but the fact that he’ll enter the offseason with a clean bill of health is the best-case scenario. The 24-year-old southpaw came over from the Red Sox in the Curtis Mead trade back in late July. He figures to open next season in Washington’s rotation.