MLB Player News

Olson continues to tear it up at the plate after hitting .313 in June. He doubled and scored in the first inning, then slugged a solo homer to lead off the third. A base hit drove in a run in the fourth before drawing a pair of walks. The 31-year-old slugger is slashing .271/.372/.495 with 17 homers, 49 runs scored, and 58 RBI across 387 plate appearances.

Things were going fine for Pepiot, who had allowed just one unearned run on four hits through his first five innings. In the sixth, he allowed three hits and three earned runs, including a two-run homer to Ceddanne Rafaela. The right-hander struck out three and walked one on the day, while posting a 14 percent whiff rate and 24 percent CSW. Some of that lack of swing-and-miss is on Pepiot, who didn’t locate his slider or changeup well, but the Red Sox offense has just been really tough to get out lately. Pepiot will now take a 3.38 ERA into the All-Star Break.

Bello has now allowed three runs or fewer in every start since May 18th and has allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last six starts. He was efficient again on Sunday, throwing 73 of his 105 pitches for strikes and not walking a single batter while striking out five. The 26-year-old continues to morph into a predominantly fastball pitcher with 80 of his 105 pitches being either a four-seamer, sinker, or cutter. He only had two total whiffs on 12 swings on his changeup and sweeper, so the secondaries remain inconsistent, which keeps Bello from being a true difference-maker in fantasy leagues. However, his floor is considerably higher with this new approach and high groundball rate, and he should be rostered in most leagues.

It sounds like the decision was out of an abundance of caution after Abrams suffered the minor injury during his pregame routine, which led to his removal from Sunday’s lineup shortly before first pitch. There should be some additional clarity on his status following the contest.

Cruz takes a seat for Sunday’s first-half finale after leaving Saturday’s game with a hip flexor issue. The 26-year-old is slated to compete in the All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday, so his absence is likely for precautionary reasons to ensure that he’s ready to compete.

Kim made an early exit from Sunday’s first-half finale at Fenway Park after fouling a ball off his left foot. The -year-old shortstop will likely head for X-rays to determine whether he suffered any fractures. There should be an additional update on his status at some point in the near future.

Frelick was lifted from the contest after making a sliding catch in right field during Sunday’s first-half finale. His departure came a couple frames after he appeared to suffer some sort of injury on a stolen base attempt earlier in the contest. There should be an additional update on his status at some point in the near future concerning whether he’ll require a trip to the injured list coming out of the All-Star break.

Marte will sit out Sunday’s first-half finale to get some extra rest ahead of next week’s All-Star Game. The 31-year-old veteran second baseman has been battling through a lingering groin issue over the last week. It doesn’t sound like he’s in any danger of missing the Midsummer Classic.

The hope is that Alvarez will finally be cleared to resume hitting assuming that he’s pain-free. The 28-year-old fantasy stalwart has been out since early May recovering from a small fracture in his right hand. There should be a clearer return timetable at some point next week once he’s re-evaluated. He’ll likely require an extended rehab assignment to get back up to speed after such a long layoff.

It’ll be Bieber’s first game action since suffering a setback last month in his recovery from last year’s Tommy John surgery. The positive news here is that he isn’t dealing with any sort of structural damage, but he’s going to be racing the clock in order to make it back to Cleveland before the late stages of the regular season.

It certainly qualifies as an electric rehab outing as Gil threw 36 of 50 pitches for strikes and topped out at 97 mph in this one. The 27-year-old reigning AL Rookie of the Year has been out since spring training recovering from a lat strain. New York is going to be cautious with his ramp-up from a workload standpoint, so fantasy managers should anticipate a couple additional rehab outings before he’s ready to make his season debut.