MLB Player News

It was as cheap of a homer as you’ll see in a major league ballpark, landing in the first row of seats just to the left of the Pesky Poll at Fenway Park. Keppinger had entered the game two innings earlier as a pinch-runner for Mike Sweeney. He’s due to get some playing time at third with Mark Teahen out, but Esteban German, who had two more hits tonight, is doing his best to prevent it from happening.

Over his last 25 games, Kwan is hitting .329/.417/.425 with 10 runs scored and three steals. The power was never really something you were banking on from him, but his run totals should increase now that he has retaken his spot at the top of the order. If you need batting average and runs in your fantasy legaue, Kwan is back on the radar.

Detmers spent last year in the bullpen but has enjoyed a solid return to the rotation, posting a 4.16 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 130/35 K/BB ratio in 114 2/3 innings. There are still some consistency issues, and being able to work with the pitching development program in another organization would probably benefit him. Jose Soriano also started the year on fire, allowing one earned run in his first six starts. In 14 starts since, he has a 5.15 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and a 72/40 K/BB ratio in 73 1/3 innings.

Bummer was designated for assignment by the Braves after posting a 7.63 ERA in 15 1/3 innings earlier this season. He then opted out of his minor league deal with the Cubs after allowing four runs on six hits in four innings at Triple-A Iowa. He’ll see if the third time is the charm in 2026.

Gelof has been out since July 9th after cutting his knee on the outfield fence while making a sliding catch. The Athletics will want to see how his knee handles running and other baseball movements before determining how quickly he can get back into game action. He likely won’t need many rehab games before rejoining the Athletics’ lineup.

When Kurtz was placed on the injured list on July 11th, the Athletics did not provide a timeline for his return. We still don’t have a timeline for his return, and we know that he is still unable to participate in baseball activities. The Athletics are firmly out of the playoff race, and might continue to lose ground with Kurtz out, so that might impact how aggressive the Athletics want to be in bringing him back quickly.

Both players have been out for the majority of July, so they will likely need at least a week of rehab games before rejoining the Pirates. That means it might be early August when we see both of them back in MLB games.

The slot value for the eighth overall pick was $6.98 million, so the Athletics went a little over that to get Burress signed. The Georgia Tech product has no truly elite talent but is strong across the board. He could be a quick mover in the Athletics’ farm system.

Schaffner was the 20th overall pick in this month’s draft, and slot value for the 20th pick was $4.37 million. Part of the reason the Red Sox drafted Schaffner, in addition to the fact that he has elite contact skills and good speed, is that he would sign for under slot, which allowed them to provide big bonuses to high school draft picks to lure them away from their college commitments.

Holmes was having a great season, with a 2.39 ERA over his first nine starts before fracturing his fibula on May 15. He threw 45 pitches in a live batting practice session over the weekend and should make a rehab start with an affiliate this week. The Mets are hopeful that Holmes could quickly make a return to the big league mound because they do seem intent on trading him this year. Holmes has a $12 million player option next season, which he will likely decline if he’s healthy, so this could be a rental situation for whoever acquires him.

Halvorsen is being sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 26-year-old has a 4.74 ERA in 19 innings this season and a 4.31 ERA in 71 career MLB innings for the Rockies. He also has a triple-digit fastball and had 11 saves for Colorado last year, so this is an interesting add for the Dodgers.