MLB Player News

Barger hit .256 with eight home runs in 180 at-bats with Triple-A Buffalo this year. He was 1-for-18 (.056) with no walks and six strikeouts in his previous stint with Toronto this year. Daniel Vogelbach was designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

Houck had worked through three scoreless innings against Texas before Jonah Heim took him deep for a three-run homer in the fourth. Leody Taveras followed with a solo blast to give the Rangers the lead. Houck started the sixth inning and gave up three straight hits before he was pulled. The 28-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 3.09 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 123/35 K/BB ratio across 134 innings. He lines up for a start against the Astros in Boston on Friday.

Littell struck out three and walked one while inducing 10 whiffs on 40 swings for a 25 percent whiff rate and 29 percent CSW on the day. The only damage was a solo home run to Jon Singleton in the second inning. With the Rays trading away Zach Eflin and Aaron Civale, Littell’s rotation spot is secured, even with the rest of the Rays’ rotation getting healthy. He’ll take a 4.06 ERA into a tough start with the Orioles next week.

Díaz served up a long ball to Matt Chapman in the ninth inning but was unscathed the rest of the way. He now has 22 saves and a 4.35 ERA in what has been a pretty inconsistent season.

Stephenson took Kyle Harrison deep in the second inning 387 feet and then topped that in the fourth inning with a 418-foot shot. He’s now up to 13 home runs and 40 RBI on the season and had been red hot at the start of July before cooling off over the last couple of weeks. Perhaps another hot streak is in store.

Encarnación went 0-for-4 in his first start since being promoted but showed why the Giants brought him up with an eighth-inning blast as a pinch hitter. The 26-year-old hit .352 with a 1.054 OPS and 33 RBI in 33 games with Triple-A and could be given a chance to provide the right-handed power bat that the Giants presumably lost when they traded Jorge Soler. He doesn’t have a starting job yet but is a name to keep an eye on.

The home run was Chapman’s 16th of the season and was a 423-foot shot that left the bat at 106 mph. He also added a 110 mph double on the day. He’s now 16-for-52 (.308) in 15 games since the All-Star break with three home runs and three steals. He has been hitting the ball well all season while showing improved plate discipline and should be in for a strong second half.

Greene also walked only one batter on the day, while inducing 21 whiffs on 51 swings for a 41 percent whiff rate and 34 percent CSW. His slider was electric on the day, and Greene has continued to put together a truly dominant season while not having to add another pitch to his arsenal. He’ll now take a 2.83 ERA into a juicy matchup against the Marlins.

The left-hander allowed four home runs, which accounted for all of the runs he allowed on the day. Perhaps more concerningly, his fastball velocity was down 1.7 mph on his fastball and down almost three mph on both his curve and changeup. That led to just three total whiffs on 23 swings. There are currently no indications of there being any injury but it’s something to monitor going forward. Harrison will now carry a 4.09 ERA into a start against the Nationals next week.

Jeffers took Garrett Crochet deep for a solo homer in the second inning to put the Twins on the board and later drew a walk in the sixth. He knocked a base hit in the eighth and stole second for his third steal of the season before scoring on a base hit by Willi Castro. The 27-year-old catcher is hitting .233/.317/.459 with 16 homers and 51 RBI across 335 plate appearances.

Kepler entered the game in the fifth inning to pinch-hit for Manuel Margot after lefty Garrett Crochet departed from the game. Kepler came through for the Twins in the seventh, giving them the lead with a solo homer off Touki Toussaint. The 31-year-old outfielder is hitting .267/.321/.411 with seven homers, 39 runs scored, and 37 RBI across 313 plate appearances.