MLB Player News

He wound have had a second steal, but the pitcher balked as Durbin was in the process of taking third base. It was a good night for the struggling hitter, though. Durbin’s 105.9-mph double off Jack Flaherty barely missed being his hardest-hit ball of the year, and he had another hard-hit grounder in the ninth. He’s at .178/.260/.263 with four steals on the year.

Not good. Early struck out five over four shutout innings before leaving the contest after just 61 pitches. The hope for the Red Sox, and fantasy managers, is that the decision was out of an abundance of caution. The 24-year-old southpaw will undergo further evaluation, and likely imaging as well, to determine the severity of the issue. It certainly sounds like a trip to the injured list is in play and he’s in jeopardy of missing his next start against the Cubs at Fenway Park on Tuesday. There should be a definitive update on his status at some point later this week.

Vitello added that Adames isn’t far off from being ready to return. It qualifies as a positive update with the 30-year-old shortstop sitting out his second straight contest due to back spasms. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him on the bench for Wednesday’s series finale in Arizona with an off day coming up on Thursday.

There’s a lot to unpack here. Contreras is likely to face a suspension after he threw his helmet at Nationals starter Cade Cavalli during a bench-clearing dustup at Fenway Park following a verbal altercation. He was 0-for-2 with a strikeout prior to the fourth-inning ejection. The 34-year-old was also tossed during Monday’s series opener.

Rooker is starting to make some progress after hitting the injured list with a bone bruise in his left knee back on June 12. The power-hitting 31-year-old is likely to require a couple minor league rehab games to get back up to speed before jumping back in to the Athletics lineup. He isn’t too far away from making it back.

Díaz continues working his way back from arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow back in early April. He appears on track to make it back to Los Angeles at some point after the All-Star break.

Smith-Shawver struck out four and threw 41 pitches (29 strikes) in his rehab debut. The 23-year-old former top pitching prospect is working his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery and figures to be an option for Atlanta’s rotation at some point in late July or early August.

Boone added that Judge, who was initially expected to miss 4–6 weeks with a fractured rib in early June, is beginning to feel better but still hasn’t resumed baseball activities. The 34-year-old will need a couple weeks to ramp up, making a return to New York unlikely until late July or early August. There should be a clearer idea of his return timeline and next steps in a couple weeks.

Winkler provides the Athletics with some additional infield depth at Triple-A Las Vegas after calling up Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, Alika Williams and Darell Hernaiz within the past week. The 27-year-old got int 14 games for the Marlins last year, hitting .250 (4-for-16) with one stolen base. He was in Astros camp as a non-roster invitee this spring before hitting .184/.260/.306 with five homers and four steals in 56 games for Triple-A Sugar Land.

There’s a decent chance that Estévez doesn’t make it back for the Royals this season after this latest development. He’s been dealing with a rotator cuff strain in his shoulder since early May. The 33-year-old is going to be racing the clock to make it back in the late stages of the second half if he’s cleared to resume throwing. It’s impossible to dismiss the potential that he winds up requiring shoulder surgery.

Slater is back with Tampa Bay as additional outfield depth at Triple-A Durham after spending a couple days out on the open market. The well-traveled 33-year-old veteran has appeared in 28 games between the Rays, Mets and Marlins this season.