MLB Player News

No word yet on the specific issue or severity, but France will take a seat with Luke Raley taking over at first base. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports France was in some apparent discomfort during pregame defensive drills. There should be an update on his status shortly.

García took Blue Jays starter Patrick Corbin deep in the second inning for his third round-tripper in his last five games. The 406-foot no-doubter to left-center field was his seventh big fly of the year. The 33-year-old slugger has shown some signs of life recently, but he’s pretty much a power-only fantasy contributor at this juncture of his career.

Clement became the first non-Cubs player to take Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez deep when he connected for a fifth-inning blast to left field. It was his seventh big fly of the season and second time he’s left the yard in three games. The unheralded 30-year-old is having a phenomenal season, hitting .309 through 66 games.

Duran was brought on to protect a three-run lead in the final frame and required just nine pitches (eight strikes) to slam the door. He gave up a one-out double to Andrés Giménez, but managed to get pinch-hitter Jesús Sánchez and Brandon Valenzuela to ground out to end it. He’s converted all 16 of his save opportunities this season to go along with a microscopic 1.25 ERA across 21 2/3 innings of work.

Sánchez authored another masterful performance, notching his fourth double-digit strikeout effort, while limiting Toronto’s lineup to just five baserunners over seven frames. He gave up only four hits, including a fifth-inning solo shot to Ernie Clement, which was just the fourth round-tripper he’s allowed this entire season. The 29-year-old southpaw continues to bolster his NL Cy Young Award case after putting together a remarkable 50 2/3 scoreless innings streak earlier this month. He’ll face a tough challenge his next time out with a road matchup against the Brewers on Sunday.

Corbin gave up four hits, including a two-run homer to Adolis García as he allowed four runs for the second consecutive start. The interesting wrinkle here is that Simeon Woods-Richardson tossed four scoreless innings out of the bullpen in his Toronto debut, which could set up a potential piggyback situation moving forward. Corbin is not a recommended fantasy option when he faces the Yankees on Sunday.

Rashi is merely a depth addition for Minnesota after being removed from Arizona’s roster last week. The 30-year-old has posted a serviceable 5.40 ERA across 20 innings in the majors over the last two seasons. It’s worth noting that he’s compiled some impressive numbers at the Triple-A level in recent years, but that success hasn’t translated into a permanent role at the highest level.

Whitlock has rejoined the Red Sox down in Tampa Bay after wrapping up a minor league rehab assignment with scoreless inning for Triple-A Worcester over the weekend. The 29-year-old could wind up getting the occasional save chance with Aroldis Chapman dealing with a minor hamstring issue that could limit his availability for back-to-back situatuins.

Díaz greeted Red Sox lefty Connelly Early with a leadoff homer before tacking on a key insurance run with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly. It was his 12th long ball of the season. The 34-year-old on-base machine has put together one of the strongest stretches of his career recently, hitting .319 (37-for-116) with eight homers and 24 RBI over his last 30 games. He’s hitting .429 (12-for-28) over his last seven games alone.

Mayer took lefty Ian Seymour deep in the third inning for his third big fly of the year. It was his second homer in five games since the start of June. The 23-year-old former top prospect has played sparingly against left-handed starters this season, which makes it an encouraging development that he was able to take advantage of his opportunity here.

Baker was summoned to guard a two-run advantage in the final frame and needed just 12 pitches (11 strikes) to get the job done. Things got interesting when Wilyer Abreu delivered a one-out single that brought the potential tying run to the plate. However, Baker managed to strike out Willson Contreras and coax a game-ending ground ball from Mickey Gasper to extinguish the threat. He’s the undisputed closer in Tampa Bay right now, having converted 17 of 20 save opportunities this season.