MLB Player News

Almora Jr. went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment last Friday and will test the free agent waters rather than head to Triple-A Louisville. The 28-year-old remains an excellent defensive outfielder, but hit just .223/.282/.349 with five home runs across 235 plate appearances this season for the Reds.

The 34-year-old slugger opened the scoring in the ballgame as he ambushed a first-pitch slider from Logan Gilbert for a 385-foot (102.3-mph EV) two-run shot in the third inning. That would be his only hit on the afternoon. Pederson has had a resurgent season at the dish for the Rangers, slashing .234/.329/.488 with the aforementioned 26 long balls and 52 RBI.

The 38-year-old right-hander allowed just one single in the contest and didn’t walk a batter. He exited after six frames with a comfortable 3-0 lead which completely evaporated the following inning. He got a whopping 20 swings and misses on 92 pitches on the day — 10 of those on his slider — while registering a CSW of 34 percent. He’ll carry a 3.80 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and a 186/38 K/BB ratio (149 1/3 innings) into Wednesday’s showdown against the Red Sox.

While it’s not a certainty, there’s a chance that this will end the 24-year-old’s season prematurely. Campbell has spent the entire season at Triple-A where he has slashed .256/.383/.380 with eight homers, 51 RBI, eight stolen bases and a 126/73 K/BB ratio across 462 plate appearances.

The 24-year-old hurler has been used out of the bullpen in his first five appearances with the Astros but worked almost exclusively as a starter in the minor leagues. He has posted a 3.86 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and a 10/1 K/BB ratio over his first seven MLB innings. He has the talent to be a decent streaming option, but isn’t likely to work deep enough into the game to have a shot at a victory.

After starting three consecutive games behind the dish for the White Sox, Teel will get a night off on Thursday. Since returning from the injured list, he has hit .214 (3-for-14) with a pair of homers and four RBI in 15 plate appearances. Jake Rogers will do the catching for the White Sox and bat ninth against Pirates’ right-hander Jared Jones on Thursday evening in Chicago.

Amador has been functioning as the team’s primary second baseman in recent weeks, but he’ll get a breather in this one. Connor Norby will start in his place and will bat second for the Rockies against Yankees’ left-hander Max Fried.

Duran left a splitter up and Smith took it up and out to left-center, homering for the third straight day to give the Astros a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning. That’s one way to respond to a loss of playing time. Smith is now hitting .350/.409/.900 over his last seven games and has hit 20 homers and stolen 10 bases in his age-23 season. Not too shabby even if he hasn’t been an instant star after being included in the Kyle Tucker trade.

He broke up Cristian Javier’s no-hitter in the fifth inning and came around to score on a Bryson Stott fielder’s choice. Arraez is hitting .298/.317/.397 since joining the Phillies with two homers and no stolen bases, but he has managed 15 RBI while mostly hitting out of the four hole.

He got Edmundo Sosa to strike out on three pitches, induced a weak groundout from Kyle Schwarber, then got Trea Turner to ground out to end the game. It’s revenge for a run allowed on Tuesday -- the only run allowed Hader has given up in September or August this year. He should remain locked-and-loaded in lineups as the Astros try to chase down another AL West crown.

It was a splitter that hung in the middle of the plate and Smith took advantage of the location and hammered it. It’s the second loss in three appearances for Duran, who has only allowed a single run each time and even despite that has a 1.69 ERA in his last 15 appearances. He’ll be fine.