MLB Player News

This agreement was reported early in the week but is now official. Playing his first season with the Diamondbacks, Gurriel Jr. poked a career-high 24 home runs in 2023. He scored 65 runs and posted 82 RBI, as well. To make room on the 40-man roster, INF Diego Castillo was designated for assignment.

Murakami had another big day at the plate, starting with a single and a run scored in the first inning. He then took Merrill Kelly deep for a solo homer in the second. It was his fourth straight game with a home run and ninth of the season. The 26-year-old slugger is hitting .234/.394/.584 with 18 runs scored and 17 RBI across 99 plate appearances.

Antonacci put his speed on display against the D-backs on Tuesday, starting with an RBI triple deep off the center field wall in the first inning. He later hit one down the left-field line in the ninth inning and touched them all for an inside-the-park home run. While not conventional, he gets credit for his first career round-tripper. The 23-year-old is 4-for-21 at the plate so far with just one strikeout.

Thomas knocked a base hit in the third inning, then later took Sean Burke deep for a solo homer in the fifth for his first of the season. The 25-year-old outfielder has struggled so far on the year, hitting .185/.221/.338 with seven runs scored, eight RBI, and three steals across 69 plate appearances.

Burke stranded four runners over three scoreless frames before the Diamondbacks brought a run in to score in the fourth on a triple and a groundout. Alek Thomas later took Burke deep for a solo homer in the fifth. Burke’s sixth and final frame was his only clean inning. His day would be done after six with three strikeouts. The 26-year-old right-hander will take a 4.10 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 20/7 K/BB ratio across 26 1/3 innings into a start against the Nationals in Chicago on Sunday.

The White Sox jumped on Kelly right away, putting four runs on the board in the first inning, including two on a bases-loaded double by Colson Montgomery. Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, and Montgomery got to him in the second, going back-to-back-to-back with solo homers. The D-Backs had to stick with Kelly to give the bullpen a rest. Kelly would pitch into the fifth, leaving with two runners on. It was only the second start for the 37-year-old right-hander since returning from a back injury. He’ll look to bounce back against the Brewers in Milwaukee next Tuesday.

Walker was summoned to close out the game against the Dodgers with a two-run lead in the ninth. He pitched a perfect frame, striking out two batters in what was his best outing of the season for his second save. Walker’s usage so far this season suggests he won’t necessarily get every save chance, but he’s still the favorite to lead the team as long as he can get the job done.

Roupp was sharp over three scoreless innings against the Dodgers before unravelling a bit in the fourth. He walked four batters to bring home a run for Los Angeles. He recovered with a clean fifth inning. Roupp’s day would be done after five as his pitch count reached 106 after the long fourth. He generated 12 whiffs to collect seven strikeouts. The 27-year-old right-hander is off to a great start this season, posting a 2.28 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 31/12 K/BB ratio across 27 2/3 innings. His next start will come Sunday at home against the Marlins.

The Pirates scratched across a run after an Oneil Cruz single, stolen base, and run-scoring single from Ryan O’Hearn. After that, Rocker retired 13 consecutive hitters and cruised to both a quality start and win. As he’s done all season so far, it was a heavy dose of sinkers and sliders all night. Those two pitches accounted for 77 of the 88 he threw in total. He now has a 3.46 ERA and 20:8 strikeout to walk ratio over 20 2/3 innings so far this season. His next start is scheduled to come against the Athletics at home this Sunday.

The Giants got to Yamamoto in the first inning, bringing home three runs on four hits and a walk. He settled in nicely to turn his outing around, giving up two hits and a walk over six more scoreless frames. Yamamoto ended his night strong in the seventh, striking out the side to collect seven strikeouts. The 27-year-old right-hander will take a 2.48 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and a 28/5 K/BB ratio across 32 2/3 innings into a start against the Marlins in Los Angeles on Monday.

Jung is swinging a very hot bat at the moment. His second inning double started things off for the Rangers who wound up cruising to a win and his fifth inning RBI extended his RBI streak to five straight games. He has five doubles over that stretch as well and it feels like he’s hitting consistently for the first time in years. Here’s to hoping he can keep it up.