MLB Player News

The Marlins are obviously content to remain a joke franchise for another season. The Rangers, on the other hand, are upgrading from their Silver Slugger utilityman at DH by acquiring Burger to play over Josh Smith. Of course, Smith will still get time at other spots. Burger, though, is a nice upgrade for the middle of the lineup and should get quite a fantasy boost while playing in an MLB-quality offense. The Marlins are getting a couple of solid middle infield prospects in Acosta and Vargas, though neither is any kind of lock to turn into a regular. Mendoza, a 20-year-old lefty, is a potential bullpen arm. Burger’s exit from Miami would seem to increase the chances of Deyvison De Los Santos landing a starting job.

Mangum took Bailey Ober deep in the second inning for a solo homer, his first of the season. He then singled in the fifth to drive in a run and added a hit, a stolen base, and a run scored in the seventh. The 30-year-old outfielder has seen sporadic playing time, starting three of the last seven games. He’s hitting .267/.339/.317 with one homer, 16 runs scored, eight RBI, and seven steals across 114 plate appearances.

Cruz blew the game open with a three-run blast off Bailey Ober in the second inning. He added a steal after reaching on a groundout in the sixth, then walked and stole his second base in the eighth. The 27-year-old outfielder has delivered on his upside so far, slashing .258/.327/.468 with 13 homers, 40 runs scored, 40 RBI, and 19 steals across 257 plate appearances.

Clemens doubled and scored in the second inning, then tripled in the third to drive in a run. He’d reach for a third straight time in the fourth, driving in another run with a base hit. The versatile 30-year-old is having a solid season with the Twins, hitting .239/.316/.447 with six homers, 20 runs scored, 18 RBI, and five steals across 179 plate appearances. He’s come into more playing time of late, starting each of the last four games against left-handed pitching.

Soto entered in the top of the eighth up by one run with two runners on and two outs and induced a groundout to end the threat. He returned for the ninth and worked around a walk to close out the game with his seventh save of the season. The 31-year-old left-hander has taken hold of the closer role in Pittsburgh behind a 1.95 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, and a 32/11 K/BB ratio across 27 2/3 innings.

Keller gave up a run on two hits in the second inning. The Twins followed with a second run on two more hits in the third. Keller got into more trouble in the fourth, giving up five runs to blow a five-run lead. The fourth inning would be his last, ending his day at 77 pitches. He struck out five. The 30-year-old right-hander will take a 4.35 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 51/20 K/BB ratio across 68 1/3 innings into a start against the Braves in Atlanta on Friday.

Ober gave up a leadoff homer to Spencer Horwitz in the first inning and stranded two more runners with a pair of strikeouts to end the inning. Things really got away from him in the second, starting with a solo homer by Jake Mangum. The Pirates brought two more runs in on three hits and a walk, leaving two runners on for Oneil Cruz, who took Ober deep for a three-run blast. The Twins left Ober in to give them a little more length. He’d pitch into the fifth, giving up one more run and leaving with two outs in the inning. The 30-year-old right-hander has now given up 14 runs over his last three starts, giving him a 4.59 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 46/18 K/BB ratio across 66 2/3 innings. He’ll take on the Royals in Minnesota on Thursday.

Jung got the scoring started with a solo homer off Seth Lugo in the first inning. He later added a base hit in the seventh, then singled and scored in the ninth in the Rangers’ comeback effort. The 28-year-old third baseman has enjoyed a solid bounce-back season, slugging seven homers while hitting .312/.367/.490 with 27 runs scored and 23 RBI across 221 plate appearances. The improvements come behind a marked drop in his strikeout rate, down from 25.2 percent in 2025 to 14.9 percent this season.

Jensen put the Royals on the board with a base hit in the seventh to drive in a run and later came around to score. He then took Chris Martin deep for a two-run blast in the eighth to give the team a pair of insurance runs. The 22-year-old catcher is up to seven homers while slashing .228/.309/.401 with 22 runs scored and 26 RBI across 191 plate appearances.

Erceg was summoned in the bottom of the ninth to close out the game with a two-run lead against the Rangers. He served up a leadoff homer to Joc Pederson, then gave up three straight hits to bring home the winning run. The blown save was his third in his last five outings and gives him a 6.33 ERA over 21 1/3 innings. The Royals may have to consider a change in the ninth, but there aren’t many standout options. John Schreiber and Daniel Lynch IV have been the most effective in the back end of the bullpen and could be relievers to watch.

Rocker was excellent on Saturday, holding the Royals scoreless over six frames. He scattered three hits and three walks, tossing 52 of 85 pitches for strikes. Rocker succeeded mostly with batted ball luck and weak contact, striking out two and inducing nine fly outs. The outing continues his trend of success at home, ending the day with a 2.95 ERA at Globe Life Field. The 26-year-old right-hander will take a 3.54 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and a 44/25 K/BB ratio across 56 innings into a start against the Guardians in Texas on Friday.