MLB Player News

Rutschman is back handling the catching duties for the final week of the season following a five-week absence recovering from an oblique strain. The 27-year-old backstop has made a pair of trips to the injured list this year after managing to avoid the shelf during his first three seasons. He should be fully healthy heading into spring training and projects as a potential 20-homer bat and a logical bounce-back candidate.

Naylor catapulted Seattle ahead for good with a no-doubter to right field off Orioles reliever Anthony Nunez with two outs in the fifth inning. It was his seventh round-tripper of the season and second time he’s gone deep in six contests since the start of June. He’s hitting a robust .333 (8-for-24) with six RBI during that span.

Basallo wound up being involved in a bizarre play where he flew out to deep center field with runners at the corners in the eighth inning and Blaze Alexander was tagged out at second base for an inning-ending double play before a run crossed the plate. Orioles manager Craig Albernaz told reporters earlier on Monday that Basallo has been playing through a lingering wrist issue that they’re optimistic won’t require surgery. He’s day-to-day moving forward.

Alexander made things interesting by socking a run-scoring single into left field off Mariners reliever Eduard Bazardo in the eighth inning. The 26-year-old utility specialist has put together an encouraging Orioles debut, hitting .286/.340/.400 with two homers, 18 RBI and seven steals through 56 games.

Muñoz got the call to protect a three-run lead in the final frame and managed to work around a one-out walk to Gunnar Henderson to slam the door. It was a much-needed rebound performance after coughing up two runs in an ugly blown save against the Tigers over the weekend. The 27-year-old has converted just 10 of 15 save chances to go along with a bloated 5.18 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 37/10 K/BB ratio across 24 1/3 innings this season.

Hancock struck out three, issued two walks and hit one batter. A third-inning sacrifice fly from Pete Alonso was the lone blemish through five frames. It wasn’t a dominant performance, but it was good enough to pick up a win and lower his ERA to a sparkling 2.74 mark through 75 2/3 innings. The 27-year-old has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 12 of his 13 starts this season. He’ll close out a two-start week with a road tilt against the Nationals on Sunday.

Gibson drew the starting assignment in place of an injured Chris Bassitt (back) and managed to keep Baltimore within striking distance into the middle innings. He failed to record a strikeout and issued one walk. He carried a shutout into the fifth inning before finally giving up a run and departing with a pair of runners on-base. Unfortunately, reliever Anthony Nunez walked Julio Rodríguez before coughing up a grand slam to Josh Naylor that ostensibly put this one away for good. Gibson is an interesting long-term prospect, but he holds a pedestrian 4.24 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 5/8 K/BB ratio across 17 innings this season. He’ll get the ball against the struggling Padres on Saturday if he stays in Baltimore’s rotation.

Healey adds that Boston’s ownership group hasn’t even discussed making a change. Breslow, who took over as the club’s primary decision-maker prior to the 2024 season, faced little criticism early on, but the tone has shifted. Breslow’s decision to fire longtime manager Alex Cora last month has drawn scrutiny, and some of his recent moves, most notably the Kyle Harrison trade with Milwaukee, haven’t aged particularly well.

It didn’t take Marte long to find a new opportunity after electing free agency last week. The 31-year-old reliever was removed from Cincinnati’s roster following one appearance. He’ll function as organizational depth for Pittsburgh at Triple-A Indianapolis.

Anderson didn’t end up making an appearance for the Angels during his latest stint with the club, which lasted roughly 48 hours. The 31-year-old righty went unclaimed on waivers and will likely opt to remain at Triple-A Salt Lake for now.