MLB Player News

Pagán got the call from Reds manager Terry Francona to protect a three-run lead in the final frame and needed just 14 pitches (eight strikes) to set down the lower-third of Pittsburgh’s lineup in rapid succession. The 33-year-old veteran has picked up three saves over the last five days and appears firmly in the mix with Tony Santillan to handle Cincinnati’s closing duties.

Caglianone takes a seat after going 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts during Tuesday’s showdown, leaving him in a lackluster .196 (10-for-51) batting average with zero home runs through 13 games to open his major-league career. Virtually every top prospect goes through an adjustment period upon arrival in the big leagues and the talented 22-year-old slugger appears to be going through his at the moment. How he responds and acclimates to facing big-league pitching over the next couple weeks will determine how much of a fantasy impact he winds up making for the rest of the season. It’ll be veteran Mark Canha taking over in right field on Wednesday night while he gets a day off to clear his head and reset mentally.

Top prospect Ronny Mauricio will get another opportunity at the hot corner while Mark Vientos (hamstring) continues his minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Syracuse. Baty, who has been slumping at the dish since the start of June, will sit out his second straight contest after suffering a groin injury during Sunday’s series finale against the Rays. He’s presumably day-to-day for now.

Lovelady opted out of his minor league contract with the Twins and will pursue a new opportunity on the open market. The 29-year-old journeyman latched on with Minnesota back in early April after making a pair of relief appearances for Toronto. He’s made 110 career appearances in the big leagues since 2019.

Castellanos is back in right field and batting cleanup after being benched during Wednesday’s game by manager Rob Thomson for making a “inappropriate comment” after being pulled from Monday’s series opener against the Marlins.

Cook joins the Pirates ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Marlins with Bryan Reynolds heading out on paternity leave for a couple days. It figures to be a short stint in the big leagues for the versatile 26-year-old, who got into 16 contests last year for Pittsburgh. He’s hit .271 with zero homers and 10 steals in 61 games this season at the Triple-A level.

Technically, Reynolds is already out on paternity leave after making an early exit from Tuesday’s game against the Tigers after his wife went into labor with their third child. The 30-year-old outfielder will be away from the club for a couple days with Billy Cook coming up from Triple-A to take his spot on Pittsburgh’s roster.

No surprise here after Jeffers was lifted from Tuesday’s battle after taking a foul ball off his throwing hand. The positive news here is that X-rays came back negative for any fractures and he’s merely dealing with a right hand contusion. He should be able to return at some point later this week once the swelling subsides. It’ll be veteran Christian Vázquez taking over the catching duties in his absence.

Jung returns to Texas’ lineup at third base and batting sixth after getting two straight games off in an attempt to clear his head and reset at the dish. The 27-year-old slugger is hitting .172 (10-for-58) with zero homers and 19 punchouts over his last 15 games.

Smith will sit out his second straight contest due to a lingering minor left hamstring issue. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy downplayed concern earlier this week and it sounds like the reigning American League Player of the Week will avoid a trip to the injured list. I’ll be Ezequiel Duran taking over at DH on Wednesday night in his absence.

Goodman takes a seat for just the third time since June 1. The 25-year-old slugging backstop has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball during that span, batting .350 (21-for-60) with seven round-trippers and 15 RBI over 15 contests. It’ll be rookie Braxton Fulford handling the catching duties on Wednesday night at Nationals Park.