MLB Player News

Robert Jr. had been struggling mightily as of late, but this was a nice reminder of just how talented the 26-year-old is. The steal is the 14th of the season for the outfielder, and that number is more impressive when you keep in mind he’s only played 54 games, and that he hasn’t been caught while attempting a theft yet. The question now is if the White Sox — who have lost 15 straight games and have guaranteed a losing record despite it being only July 29 — will move Robert Jr. before the deadline Tuesday.

The injury was previously referred to as plantar fasciitis. Lowe thought he could play through it, but either that changed or the Rays simply decided to shut him down anyway. José Caballero and Taylor Walls should be in line for extra playing time until Lowe returns.

Fairchild gets another opportunity right away in spite of his struggles the last couple of years. Even if one wants to throw out his .216/.273/.333 line in 55 plate appearances for the Braves, given how sparingly he was used, he still had just a 77 OPS+ for the Reds last season. His mark of 89 from 2023 isn’t very good, either. The Rays, who had an opening with Brandon Lowe going on the IL, figure to use him in left or right against lefties.

Rodríguez has been out since June 10 with a forearm strain, and after he experienced a setback 10 days ago, his status for the rest of the season is up in the air. With a 2.08 ERA in 30 1/3 innings, he was off to a great start before getting hurt.

Waddell was sent down on Saturday, but since he was hurting when it happened, he’ll resume collecting a major league salary and service time until he’s healthy. The 31-year-old Waddell has a 4.00 ERA over 27 innings for the Mets this season.

Marte missed two weeks with a bruised right knee. He’s done solid work in hitting .270/.353/.387 this season, and he should resume starting against lefties, which will probably further cut into Ronny Mauricio’s playing time.

Garza is up with the Mets for the second time after allowing four runs in 6 2/3 innings last month. The 31-year-old journeyman had a 10.38 ERA in 8 2/3 innings for Triple-A Syracuse.

With Rico Garcia and Justin Garza getting added to the Mets pen, Devenski is out. He’d allowed just one run in 6 1/3 innings since being called up July 5. He has a 2.38 ERA in 11 1/3 innings over four stints with the Mets this season.

Herget, who was just called up Saturday, did a great job last night in throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings in the Mets’ comeback victory, but now he’s gone for a fresh arm. That’s the life of a fringe reliever.

Young got one plate appearance in 11 days with the Mets and delivered a sac fly. He’s hit .171/.222/.415 overall in 45 plate appearances for the club this season.

Birdsong will head back to Triple-A after losing the strike zone and giving up five runs without retiring a batter last night. He had a 2.79 ERA in five starts and 11 relief appearances through June 12, but he’d since given up 20 earned runs and walked 18 in 17 1/3 innings over his last five starts. Carson Seymour was called up and could jump into the rotation in his place next week. Carson Whisenhunt could also be an option, and there’s the chance the Giants could trade for a starter before the deadline.