MLB

The 32-year-old right-hander had an opt-out clause in his minor league deal that he planned to exercise. The Rangers would like to bring him back — preferably on another minor league pact — but Houser is now free to peddle his wares on the open market. He made nine appearances (eight starts) at Triple-A Round Rock, registering a 5.03 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 37/15 K/BB ratio across 39 1/3 innings.

The 32-year-old had been stationed on the injured list at Triple-A Charlotte since April 26 when he injured his wrist on a hit by pitch. It’s unclear if Drury plans to look for opportunities elsewhere or if this could be the end of the line for him. Prior to the injury, he was hitting .179/.319/.282 with one homer, three RBI and a 10/7 K/BB ratio through his first 47 plate appearances at Triple-A Charlotte.

Ohtani delivered a sacrifice fly in the second inning that extended the Dodgers’ early lead to 4-2. He then helped to break the game open with a 382-foot (102.9 mph EV) three-run blast off of Jason Alexander in the third inning that made it 10-2. He victimized Alexander again the following inning — that time for a 418-foot (109.6 mph EV) two-run blast that made it 15-2. The 30-year-old superstar finished the evening 2-for-5 and is now slashing .310/.409/.673 with 15 homers, 28 RBI and 10 stolen bases. The 15 long balls tie him with Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber for the most in all of baseball.

Kim smacked a one-out single off of Osvaldo Bido in the second inning, swiped second base and scored on an RBI single off the bat of Mookie Betts. He then delivered a run-scoring single of his own in the second inning and rode home on a three-run shot by Shohei Ohtani. Kim also walked and scored on Ohtani’s two-run shot in the third inning. He then punished catcher Jhonny Pereda with an RBI double in the eighth before scoring on Max Muncy’s sacrifice fly. He has been awfully impressive to start his big league career, hitting .429/.467/.571 with a homer, five RBI and three stolen bases in his first 30 plate appearances.

After hitting just one home run in his first 154 plate appearances on the season, Muncy launched a three-run homer in his final at-bat on Wednesday and followed it by crushing a 408-foot two-run shot off of Osvaldo Bido in his first trip to the dish on Thursday. He also added an RBI single in the second inning and a sacrifice fly in the eighth that capped the scoring in the ballgame. With his three-hit attack, the 34-year-old slugger is now hitting .207/.323/.341 with three long balls and 16 RBI.

Wrobleski came on in the sixth inning with the Dodgers leading 15-2 and all he needed to do was keep the train on the tracks to earn a victory in this one. He did much better than that, allowing just one hit while striking out four batters over his four scoreless frames. It looks like Landon Knack has the leg up on the open spot in the team’s starting rotation, so expect Wrobleski to head back to Triple-A Oklahoma City soon.

The 27-year-old infielder victimized Matt Sauer for a 424-foot (105.7 mph EV) solo shot in the second inning, pulling the Athletics to within a run at 3-2. That would wind up being the extent of their offense while the Dodgers would tack on another 16 runs. Schuemann also worked a walk in the ballgame, reaching base safely in two of his three plate appearances. On the season, he’s now slashing .250/.308/.444 with one RBI in his first 39 plate appearances.

Bido also issued a pair of free passes in the abbreviated outing while recording two of his five total outs via the strikeout. The Dodgers jumped on him right out of the gate in this one, putting up three runs in the opening inning — including a two-run blast off the bat of Max Muncy. The Dodgers pushed three more across while chasing him from the game the following frame. Bido got just four whiffs on 49 pitches on the night, registering a brutal CSW of only 16 percent. He’ll carry a miserable 5.82 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and a 29/18 K/BB ratio (43 1/3 innings) into Tuesday’s matchup against the Angels.

The 23-year-old infielder sustained the injury while sliding. He’ll need to pass through the concussion protocol before he’s able to return to game action. In 37 games at Triple-A Sugar Land, Matthews was hitting .234/.375/.375 with four homers, 13 RBI, 16 stolen bases and a 45/28 K/BB ratio.

Burger finally snapped a scoreless tie in the sixth inning as he whacked a 1-1 cutter from Hunter Brown for a 394-foot (108.1 mph EV) solo shot. That would prove to be the only tally for either team in the ballgame. He also singled with two outs in the eighth inning but was left stranded there. The 29-year-old slugger has now hit safely in all four games since returning from Triple-A, raising his season slash to .214/.262/.375 to go along with four homers and 15 RBI.