MLB Player News

It’s the first large round of cuts that we have seen from the Rangers this spring but certainly won’t be the last. Nothing surprising to see here as none of the 10 players were serious candidates to crack the Opening Day roster.

Lile now has 20 home runs on the season. He hit a two-run shot in the fifth inning and hit another two-run shot in the seventh inning. Lile finished August with seven home runs and 26 RBI in 29 games. He’s hitting .257 with a .752 OPS and 80 RBI this year.

Story’s big double to bring the Red Sox within one run in the eighth was probably an out in 29 parks, but it made it off the Green Monster in Fenway. The game-ending single with the bases loaded was a product of better contact, traveling to the gap at 105.2 mph, and would have been a double normally. Story was largely unimpressive on his rehab assignment, but he’s managed two doubles and two singles in two games since returning.

After entering the fifth with a 3-2 lead, Tolle loaded the bases with no outs on a HBP, a walk and a bunt single versus the bottom-third of the lineup. Randy Arozarena then drilled a game-tying single. At that point, Tolle stepped it up, throwing several of his hardest pitches of the game to strike out two and get Cal Raleigh to fly out on a game-high 98.4-mph fastball to end the threat. Afterwards, Tolle clearly should have been told, “great job, hit the showers, kid.” But the Red Sox brought him back out to give up one more run. The one fastball he threw in the sixth checked in at 95.5 mph. It’s the first time in seven starts that Tolle has allowed more than three runs. He remained 8-6 with a 3.23 ERA. He’ll likely face the Orioles on Sunday.

Interim manager Chad Tracy made what we would argue was a bad call after getting Chapman up with the Red Sox down 8-7 in the eighth, only to stick with Alec Gamboa in the top of the ninth. That was especially the case after Gamboa gave up a leadoff triple. Gamboa, though, escaped to keep the deficit at one before the offense came back and tied the game, and Chapman stranded the automatic runner in the 10th, after which the Red Sox won in the bottom of the inning.

Kirby excelled against the Phillies last time out, but this makes three starts out of four in which he’s allowed at least five runs. His ERA is up to 4.19, and this is set to go down as a second straight season of him being a below average starter propped up by his home ballpark. Whether it’s more him to blame or the complacent Mariners, he’s simply not making nearly enough of his talent. Still, he most likely will post better results in a home start against the depleted A’s this weekend.

Asked for a rare four-out save in a one-run game, Muñoz struck out Connor Wong after coming on with a man on second in the eighth. The ninth started with a Roman Anthony liner to center that Julio Rodríguez tried a diving attempt on, turning what should have been a single into a triple, and the Red Sox went on to tie the game on a sac fly. It goes as Muñoz’s ninth blown save, but he probably would have converted this one if not for Rodríguez’s bad decision.

It’s both Arozarena’s second four-hit game and second four-RBI game of the year. The homer was his 21st. This is his sixth straight 20-homer season, but this is just the third time he’s hit 21; he finished with 27 last year, 23 in 2023 and exactly 20 in 2021, ’22 and ’24. With his OBP up about 40 points from last year and 30 points from his career mark, he seems set to enter free agency coming off the best offensive season of his career.

Gusto gave up four hits, walked two and struck out four. The 27-year-old completed five innings in only two of his six starts in August, but still had an excellent month on the mound. Gusto had a 1.91 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings in August. He has a 3.86 ERA this year. Gusto is lined up to face the Cubs at home this weekend.

Dion allowed two hits, walked one and struck out one. He threw 37 pitches in what was his first start of the season. Dion had thrown at least 40 pitches in four of his last five outings entering play Monday. A reliever by trade, Dion can throw multiple innings but isn’t stretched out for a typical starter’s workload just yet. He’ll take a 3.38 ERA into his next start against the Dodgers on the road on Sunday.

Thankfully for King, the ballpark in Cincy managed to hold onto 407- and 409-foot flies from Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz early on. They were homers in 15 and 19 ballparks, respectively. King pitched seven scoreless innings last time out, but that wasn’t enough to get him a win against the Pirates. The Padres, though, were able to support him tonight and improve to 12-16 with their ace on the mound. King, who struck out six, moved to 9-9 with a 3.11 ERA. He’s set to face his old friends the Yankees on Sunday.