MLB Player News

Pham smacked a two-out double off of Jordan Montgomery in the fourth inning, then raced around to score on an RBI single off the bat of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. He doubled again in the sixth inning, but ended up getting picked off at second base to end the inning. The 35-year-old outfielder singled off of Martin Perez to begin the eighth inning and scored on a two-run single by Ketel Marte. With his four-hit attack, Pham is now hitting .275 (14-for-51) with three homers, three RBI, 10 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases during the postseason.

The ironman sat out both games over the weekend with a minor thumb injury and will get a blow on Thursday after catching last night. It appears he’s still being handled cautiously. Carter Jensen is playing catcher and Lane Thomas has taken over in the 5-hole for Perez in a rare start against a right-hander in Rangers starter Kumar Rocker.

He had played four days in a row before sitting here, so this is probably just some load management for a player that we know is dealing with an injury. Nick Loftin is playing third base and batting eighth in Garcia’s stead.

Since being activated from the IL on June 1, Smith has started against righties and been a bench bat otherwise. It hasn’t gone well yet — he’s hitting .120/.281/.120 in his first 32 plate appearances. Gabriel Moreno is grabbing a DH game after catching last night in Smith’s place.

He had been working in the Rookie-level FCL over the past few weeks, so this qualifies as good news for Waldrep’s chances of getting back to the big leagues in short order. Waldrep had loose bodies removed from his elbow in spring training. He might be able to get back to the big leagues before the end of June if everything goes right.

Whitcomb homered in a spot start for Jeremy Peña on Wednesday, but heads back to Triple-A. It appears the Astros are set to activate someone else tomorrow.

He and Jonathan Pintaro swap places after Pintaro threw three innings last night. The 29-year-old has pitched well at both Triple-A and in the bigs this year. He holds a 3.91 ERA in 23 innings at Triple-A Syracuse, including six starts, so he figures to be a long reliever.

Pintaro threw the final three innings in a game the Mets were getting demolished in on Wednesday, giving up his first run of the season in the big leagues. His ERA is now 1.35 and he’s struck out five in 6 2/3 innings. He’ll be back up when the Mets need a fresh arm.

Pederson left Wednesday’s game with hip discomfort, and he will not be in the lineup on Thursday. There’s no word yet on whether a trip to the injured list is a possibility.

Robert mentioned on Thursday that he’s been following the trainers’ plan and had “been able to do a little bit of everything, just slowly.” The centerfielder said that, if everything progresses well this week he thinks he’ll “be able to start running out on the field.” Obviously, if he begins running next week, he still has a ways to go to work up to swinging and facing live pitching and then a rehab assignment. It’s unlikely he comes back before August at the earliest.

This is Misner’s first start with the Royals after being called up on Wednesday. The 28-year-old hit .276/.360/.466 with 13 home runs, 51 RBIs, & 11 steals in 59 games for Triple-A Omaha. He could be an option in AL-Only Leagues while Kyle Isbel (plantar fasciitis) is out.