MLB Player News

Boston’s front office has been trolling the free agent waters in search of a low-cost fallback option at the cold corner and designated hitter for a couple weeks and finally reeled in a capable veteran in Cron. The 34-year-old slugger dealt with back issues last year in Colorado before being shipped to the Angels. He’s a low-risk lottery ticket for the Red Sox and is unlikely to make a tangible impact for fantasy managers.

Jones’s homer was hit 112.2 mph and projected at 443 feet. He later had a 384-foot flyout and actually went the entire game without striking out. Jones is now 10-for-36 with two extra-base hits and a 16/3 K/BB as a major leaguer. He definitely seems more comfortable now than in his first stint. He’s still going to strike out a ton, but the contact is getting better. He needs to keep it up, since Jasson Domínguez has started a rehab assignment as he makes his way back from a shoulder strain.

Cole was checked on by the trainer following an odd play in the third in which he slid into first after being late to cover and tagged the bag with his pitching hand. However, he was able to remain in, and there was no early indication that it had anything to do with his exit. Cole threw 83 pitches to get his 12 outs tonight, which was probably why he didn’t come out for the fifth. His velocity was great; he averaged 97.6 mph with his fastball and actually peaked at 100.0. However, he walked two and hit a batter, with a catcher’s interference also driving up his pitch count. The Yankees are off Thursday and Monday, so Cole figures to make his next start next Tuesday against the White Sox.

David Bednar had the night off after working the previous two days, and predictably, Cruz was the choice to fill in. He’s made 32 appearances with a 1.84 ERA and 11 holds working in front of Bednar this season. Acquiring him from the Reds for Jose Trevino prior to last year has been a big win for the Yankees.

Cecconi matched his season high in strikeouts. He gave up 10 hard-hit balls, but just one proved to be a problem; Spencer Jones hit a two-run homer in the second after a Jazz Chisholm Jr. walk to start the inning. It went as a third straight no-decision for Cecconi, who remains 3-5 with a 4.83 ERA. He’s due for a two-start week with road outings in Milwaukee and Houston next week. We wouldn’t recommend streaming him, though.

Kwan has completely collapsed with the bat, so it’s time to find new and more interesting ways to reach base. Alas, catcher’s interference doesn’t help with his OBP. He’s still at a respectable .323 there, but he’s batting .213 and slugging .262. He tried a squeeze bunt tonight, but the pitcher got to it quickly and was able to tag the runner coming down base line. His current hard-hit rate is 8.5 percent. Of course, that’s never been a strength of his, but it’s still less than half of his career mark of 20.4%. To put it in perspective, the only player in the Statcast era to qualify for the batting title and finish with a sub-11 percent hard-hit rate was Billy Hamilton, who came in at 8.5 percent in 2018.

It sounds like the Mets want to give Scott some extra rest before he takes the ball again during Thursday’s series finale. The 26-year-old was excellent his last time out, holding San Diego scoreless over 5 2/3 innings. It’ll be Austin Warren kicking off a bullpen game against St. Louis on Wednesday.

Rutschman sat out his second consecutive contest on Tuesday night. It doesn’t sound like a potential injured list situation at the moment, but the Orioles can’t really afford to take any chances with Samuel Basallo playing through a wrist injury. Sam Huff has handled the catching duties in back-to-back games. There should be some additional clarity on his status heading into the final two games of the clubs’ current series against Seattle.

Caglianone also stole a base, and he also singled and added a walk for good measure. Both homers were tape-measure shots and came off Nathan Eovaldi, and it gives the 23-year-old eight homers and 18 RBI on the campaign. Caglianone has massive offensive upside, and while it hasn’t always been on display, the improvement he’s made in 2026 has been readily apparent.

Lange did issue a walk to open the inning, but he was able to keep that runner at bay without giving up a hit. That’s now four saves on the season for Lange, and he lowered his ERA to 3.90 on the process. His grasp on the closer role seems to be tenuous, but he’s done a solid job since inheriting the role.

Eovaldi blanked the Royals for the first four innings, but things fell apart in the middle frames. He gave up homers in the fifth and sixth — both solo shots by Jac Caglianone — and a pair of run-scoring hits between to turn an excellent start into another mediocre one. The right-hander generated only six swings and misses before exiting, and he’s given up at least four runs in three straight starts to see his ERA rise from 3.65 to 4.26 in the process. He’ll try and get back on track against the Red Sox over the weekend.