MLB Player News

Hader was summoned to protect a two-run advantage in the final frame against the top of the Rangers lineup and needed just 11 pitches (nine strikes) to set down the side in order. The 30-year-old elite fantasy closer has reeled off five consecutive scoreless appearances dating back to July 31.

The 31-year-old slugger underwent season-ending knee surgery earlier in July to address cartilage issues. Nothing has changed in his prognosis, this was done as a procedural move to clear a spot on the team’s 40-man roster for the promotion of Tommy White on Friday. Rooker is expected to be fully recovered and ready to go for the start of the 2027 season.

As previously reported, the 23-year-old slugger will join the Athletics for Friday’s second half opener against the Nationals. He’s expected to see action at first base while Nick Kurtz is shelved before making the move over to the hot corner. White had been slashing .303/.345/.489 with nine homers and 47 RBI in 252 plate appearances at Triple-A Las Vegas.

Teng misses the minimum time on the IL with his right knee sprain. The 27-year-old hurler was booted from the Astros’ rotation after struggling to a 7.77 ERA over 22 innings during the month of June. He’s expected to function in a long relief role this time around.

It’s the first trip to the big leagues for the 23-year-old outfielder, who replaces the injured Brice Matthews (knee) on the Astros’ roster. Spence was hitting .258/.353/.424 with six homers, 44 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 278 plate appearances, mostly at Double-A Corpus Christi. He’s unlikely to see enough action to gain relevance from a fantasy perspective.

Matthews suffered the injury during Sunday’s first half finale against the Rangers. No word yet from the Astros on how long they anticipate him being shelved for. Lucas Spence was promoted from Triple-A Sugar Land to take his place on the Astros’ active roster.

Narváez hit a towering 412-foot blast in the seventh inning over the Green Monster to increase Boston’s lead from 8-0 to 10-0. He also had a key role in an earlier rally by dropping down a squeeze bunt that catcher Nick Fortes wound up throwing into right field. There’s no fantasy value here and Narvaez has had a rough season, hitting .203/.269/.297 while stepping back into a smaller role after playing in 118 games last year. It was a nice game, though.

Yoshida’s homer wrapped around the Pesky Pole and went just 328 feet, meaning it would have been a homer in just one other park. Still, Yoshida is locked into a big role on a red-hot offense and seems like he should be a playable option down the stretch in most leagues. He’s hitting .354/.404/.625 in his last 15 games with three homers.

The Rays as a whole were baffled by Jake Bennett, who held them to just Caminero’s single in six innings. But Caminero looked pretty good despite getting hit in the hand at the All-Star game and appears to be no worse for the wear.

Nothing under the hood looked too bad for Jax, who gave up his one home run just inside the Pesky Pole to Masataka Yoshida. The Red Sox chained a HBP-single-walk-single start to the sixth inning together and reliever Chris Roycroft allowed two inherited runners to score to balloon Jax’s ERA. Jax had a 36 percent whiff rate and allowed just seven hard-hit balls -- four against his four-seamer -- in 85 pitches. He’ll look to bounce back next time out against the Blue Jays.

Somehow, Bennett returned. He struck out just three, but allowed only one hit, a single to Junior Caminero, in a gem. Bafflingly, he only found four whiffs in 26 swings and his velocity was down a full tick. He also allowed only four hard-hit balls. Bennett has a 1.87 ERA over his last seven starts and should be viewed as a locked-in 12-team starter against the Orioles next week.