MLB Player News

Baty thought he had walked for the first time this season on the strikeout, but ABS showed the pitch clipped the top of the outside corner. Baty finished 0-for-8 with a sac fly and four strikeouts in the series against the A’s, and he’s down to .231/.222/.327 in 54 plate appearances. He’ll stick in the lineup against right-handers for now, but if he doesn’t pick it up, his playing time could be at risk once Juan Soto returns.

The Red Sox are looking for an upgrade behind the plate, and Rutschman would qualify. The 28-year-old is currently on the 10-day injured list with wrist inflammation, and the Red Sox really don’t need any more hitters with wrist/forearm injuries. That said, Rutschman is hitting .251/.331/.433 in 67 games this season with eight home runs and 47 RBI. He fits the new Red Sox’s acquisition mold of making lots of contact and being a strong defender. He’s also under contract through arbitration for 2027 as well, so it would likely cost a decent bit to acquire him.

Suter has a 4.12 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 55/17 K/BB ratio in 63 1/3 innings for the Angels this season and will give the Braves another veteran in the bullpen. This is a solid depth acquisition.

Alvarez Jr. can play all over the infield, but the Angels announced him as a third baseman, which may be where we see him most often. He’s slashing .236/.337/.326 in 37 games in Triple-A this season with two home runs and four steals, but he makes a lot of contact and is a strong defender. The 23-year-old may never emerge as an MLB regular, but he could be a solid depth infielder, so it’s a decent gamble by the Angels, who are at least now trying to trade away expiring contracts for young, controllable pieces.

Dalton Rushing is dealing with minor arm irritation, whatever that means, and Eliezer Alfonzo struggled behind the dish on Sunday Night Baseball, so the Dodgers are bringing back an old friend. Rortvedt has not appeared in the big leagues this season and is hitting .234/.319/.414 in 167 plate appearances in Triple-A. McDermott was a former intriguing starting pitching prospect for the Orioles who the Dodgers designated for assignment on July 31st.

Of course they are. Holmes is a command-first pitcher with a deep pitch mix who can attack all quadrants of the strike zone with different speeds and shapes. Oh, and he can eat innings. He’s the perfect fit for the Brewers. Holmes pitched 5 1/3 innings for High-A Brooklyn on Sunday to stay stretched out, and he looks ready to return from the 60-day injured list after fracturing his fibula on a comebacker early this season. If Holmes were to join the Brewers, that would likely push Shane Drohan or Brandon Sproat out of the rotation.

The 36-year-old Suter has a 4.12 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 55/17 K/BB ratio in 63 1/3 innings for the Angels this season. The lefty has been in the league for a decade but has only thrown two postseason innings. Still, he is an experienced arm that will help the Braves’ bullpen in their postseason push. Nacho Alvarez Jr. is a good defender up the middle, but is slashing .236/.337/.326 in 37 games in Triple-A this season with two home runs and four steals. He does have good plate discipline and doesn’t strike out much, so there are some traits to build off of for the 23-year-old.

Have the conversations just been about how nice he is as a person? In seriousness, we’re sure the Rangers have spoken to teams about Eovaldi because it makes sense to talk about any player another team is interested in; however, it would be surprising if Eovaldi were moved. The Rangers are currently just 2.5 games out of the lead in the AL West, and Eovaldi has a $24 million deal for next season and a no-trade clause. The Rangers are one of the older teams in the league, so trading Eovaldi would have to signal a full rebuild, or else we’re unclear how it would help them contend in 2027.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy reported that Houck, who had surgery to repair his right ulnar collateral ligament and flexor tendon in his right elbow, is throwing multiple bullpens a week and is up to 40 pitches. He should advance to facing live hitters soon, and there is a chance that Houck could be an option for the Boston bullpen in September.

Alvarez was optioned to the minor leagues a week ago, but trades have enabled him to be called back up. The 27-year-old has some intriguing swing-and-miss upside, but he also holds a 4.06 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 57 2/3 innings this season for the Nationals and can’t be trusted in fantasy leagues right.

Burleson being a popular name on the trade market does not mean he’s being traded. The 27-year-old is hitting .284/.347/.458 in 111 games this season with 15 home runs, 71 RBI, and three steals. He is also under team control for two more years after this one, which makes it unlikely that the Cardinals would decide to move on from him unless they were to get a pretty large return. That being said, Burleson has also graded out as a poor defender at every position he’s played, including first base, so the Cardinals may have concerns about the long-term fit of a player who is basically a DH.