MLB Player News

Mitch Keller retired Pujols in each of his first two plate appearances, but in the sixth inning he hung a curveball and the future Hall of Famer lined it over the left-field wall for a two-run shot. Pujols had been tied with Babe Ruth on the all-time RBI list but now is in the No. 2 spot by himself with 2,216. He’s gone deep in back-to-back games and his 16 homers since August 14 are more than anyone else in baseball (yes, including Aaron Judge’s 15).

Schneider noted that Roden would have been available off of the Jays’ bench in an emergency situation on Thursday. It sounds like he should be ready to return to action on Friday, though his viability for fantasy purposes may be going away soon with Daulton Varsho nearing a return from the injured list.

The 32-year-old right-hander has been absolutely obliterated on his minor league rehab assignment, giving up eight home runs in just 18 2/3 innings of work, but the Mets are hopeful that he’ll be able to put that behind him and turn the page when he’s back in the big leagues. It goes without saying that fantasy managers should take a wait-and-see approach before trying to rush Montas back into their lineups.

The A’s had optioned Holman to Triple-A on Monday, but that option was rescinded, and he was placed on the injured list instead. No word yet on the severity of the injury or how much time Holman stands to miss.

The 29-year-old hurler has really struggled in his time with the A’s this season, registering a 6.14 ERA, 1.76 WHIP and a 34/23 K/BB ratio over 48 1/3 innings of work in 12 appearances (nine starts). He’ll work to refine his craft at the Triple-A level until another opportunity arises with the A’s.

The 27-year-old right-hander will take the place of Osvaldo Bido on the A’s active roster. Maldonado has made six appearances with the Athletics this season, posting a troublesome 12.00 ERA, 2.50 WHIP and a 7/5 K/BB ratio over six innings of work. He’ll give manager Mark Kotsay another option to deploy in the middle innings.

The 26-year-old southpaw just joined the Yankees’ bullpen on Thursday morning. Now he’ll head right back to Triple-A without even appearing in Thursday’s contest against the Angels. The expectation is that right-hander Luke Weaver will be activated from the injured list on Friday to take his place.

Chourio served as Milwaukee’s primary offensive catalyst on Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field, getting on-base twice and scoring a pair of runs to spark an eight-run outburst. The 21-year-old prodigy is starting to turn it up at the dish in recent weeks, batting .271 (35-for-129) with five homers, 17 RBI and six thefts over his last 30 games.

Crow-Armstrong took Brewers ace Freddy Peralta deep in the opening frame for his 20th round-tripper of the year to become the first member of the 20-homer, 20-steal club this season. The 23-year-old breakout sensation has slowed down slightly bit in recent weeks, but he’s still hitting .275 (33-for-120) with nine big flies and 10 steals over his last 30 games. He’s the real deal.

Megill was brought in to protect a one-run lead at Wrigley Field for his first appearance since last Sunday after Abner Uribe coughed up a pair of runs in the ensuing frame. The 31-year-old righty managed to work around a leadoff walk to Ian Happ by striking out Kyle Tucker and coaxing a game-ending double play from Seiya Suzuki to extinguish the threat. He’s converted 16 of 18 save opportunities this season to go along with a 2.84 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 30/13 K/BB ratio across 25 1/3 innings (29 appearances).

Peralta wasn’t sharp during Thursday afternoon’s matinee at Wrigley Field, but still managed to outperform his Chicago counterpart Jameson Taillon to pick up his seventh win of the year. He gave up only two hits, but both wound up leaving the yard courtesy of burgeoning start Pete Crow-Armstrong and veteran Dansby Swanson. He finished with six strikeouts and also issued a pair of walks. He’ll carry a solid 2.76 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 90/34 K/BB ratio across 88 innings (16 starts) into a home tilt on Tuesday against the division-rival Pirates.