MLB Player News

With this pair of cuts, the Royals are now down to 47 players remaining in big league camp. Avila, 24, only appeared in two Cactus League contests after spending most of the spring with Team Venezuela for the World Baseball Classic. He registered a 2.25 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and a 4/2 K/BB ratio over four innings in Cactus League action. He should get an opportunity to pitch for the Royals at some point during the 2026 campaign.

Kepler hit two harmless singles before coming through again with a two-run double in the sixth inning. He was 1-for-13 with a walk in his last five games entering play Monday. Kepler is hitting .235 with a .667 OPS and 14 RBI in 68 at-bats for the Diamondbacks.

Lowe had the day off on Saturday with the Pirates facing Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga. Since then, he’s had three hits in back-to-back games. On Monday, he singled to get the Pirates on the board in the sixth inning, doubled in the eighth inning and hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning. Lowe is hitting .251 with a .797 OPS and 67 RBI, which leads all second basemen.

Alvarez earns a ticket back to the minors after allowing one run over 4 1/3 innings during a bulk relief appearance against the Blue Jays on Monday. He struck out three and also issued three walks. He holds a pedestrian 4.06 ERA across across 57 2/3 innings of work this season.

Schmitt left the contest with a trainer after suffering an apparent left leg issue while pulling up awkwardly after rounding first base following a second-inning single. He was limping noticeably while walking off the field. The biggest concern here is that he may have hurt his knee on the play. There should be an update on his status once he undergoes further evaluation.

Kelly gave up four hits, walked one and struck out six. His only run allowed came in the sixth inning when his throwing error on a pickoff attempt helped lead to a Pirates run. Kelly has completed at least five innings and allowed two runs or less in five consecutive starts. He has a 4.86 ERA and 4.97 xFIP this year. Kelly’s lined up to face the Guardians on the road on Sunday.

Keller gave up six hits, walked one and struck out four. The 30-year-old right-hander from Cedar Rapids, Iowa kept the Diamondbacks off the scoreboard for five innings before running into trouble in the sixth inning. Four consecutive hits led to two Arizona runs before Keller was removed. His ERA is 4.83. Keller is lined up to face the Reds on the road on Saturday.

Mayo extended Baltimore’s early advantage with an RBI single against Tigers starter Keider Montero in the third inning before taking reliever Brenan Hanifee deep for a no-doubter to left field in the fifth. It was his 14th round-tripper of the season and fourth time he’s gone deep since the start of July.

Holliday recorded the fourth four-hit performance of his career, accomplishing the feat for the second time this month. The 22-year-old former top prospect is hitting .292 (7-for-24) in nine games since the All-Star break. He doesn’t offer a ton of power or stolen bases at this stage of his career, but he won’t turn 23 years old until the offseason. It’s still very early in his development at the highest level.

Garcia got the call to protect a three-run lead in the final frame after Andrew Kittredge worked a scoreless eighth inning. He needed just 17 pitches (10 strikes) to dispatch the Tigers and preserve the win. He struck out Matt Vierling and Kevin McGonigle before getting Dillon Dingler to pop out in foul territory to end it. Garcia should continue factoring into Baltimore’s late-inning mix along with Kittredge and Tyler Wells while Ryan Helsley (elbow) is on the injured list.

Bradish surrendered a two-out RBI single to Zach McKinstry on his 93rd pitch of the ballgame, having allowed five runs for the first time since June 11. The unexpected clunker included a whopping 10 hits with only one of them going for extra bases. He finished with four strikeouts and only issued one walk. He’ll attempt to turn things around with a home matchup against the Phillies on Sunday to wrap up a two-start week.