MLB Player News

Kurtz went 1-for-4 with a walk, a three-run home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 7-0 win over the Yankees.

The rookie slugger took Clarke Schmidt deep in the sixth inning to break open a tight 1-0 contest. Kurtz has been crushing the ball since returning from a hip issue earlier in June, and over his last 13 games he's batting .327 (16-for-49) with seven homers and 15 RBI.

Toro went 0-for-4 in Friday's 9-0 loss to Toronto.

Toro was a nice story earlier this month, but the corner infielder has been in a prolonged slump. After Friday's 0-fer, he's batting .138 (4-for-29) with one extra-base hit and zero RBI over the last nine games. He and Romy Gonzalez continue to serve as a band-aid at first base, but with Kristian Campbell getting starts at first base for Triple-A Worcester, a better option could emerge soon.

Schanuel went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and a double in Friday's 15-9 loss to the Nationals.

Schanuel has tapped into a bit of power lately, going 13-for-49 (.265) with four homers and three doubles over his last 11 games. The first baseman isn't known for his slugging, and it's unclear if he'll be able to sustain his recent success over a longer stretch. For the season, he's at seven homers, 32 RBI, 40 runs scored, three stolen bases, 16 doubles, one triple and a .276/.364/.413 slash line across 78 games.

Aranda went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 22-8 loss to the Orioles.

Aranda opened Friday's scoring with a 433-foot solo home run off Tomoyuki Sugano. That home run extended Aranda's hitting streak to 12 games, and over that span he has gone 19-for-48 (.396) with eight runs scored, four doubles, one home run and five RBI.

Mayo went 2-for-6 with a two-run double, a two-run home run and another run scored during Friday's 22-8 win over Tampa Bay.

Mayo finally hit his first major-league home run in the eighth, albeit off shortstop Jose Caballero, who yielded two homers and six runs in the frame. Per Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, Mayo is the sixth player since 2020 to hit the first home run of their MLB career off a position player and the first Orioles player to do so since the team moved to Baltimore in 1954. Mayo has three multi-hit games over his last eight starts, and over that span he has gone 8-for-29 (.276) with one home run and seven RBI.

Guerrero (forearm) is now playing first and batting third Friday against Boston, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Guerrero wasn't initially in Friday's lineup due to a bruised right forearm, but after he hit in the cage, the Blue Jays opted to insert the first baseman into their starting nine, according to Hazel Mae of Sportsnet. Alan Roden was bumped from the lineup to make way for Guerrero.

Santana is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

Santana will yield to Kyle Manzardo at first base Friday, ending Santana's three-game start streak. The veteran first baseman is 13-for-77 (.169) with a pair of home runs in June.

Guerrero (forearm) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Boston.

Manager John Schneider said Friday morning that Guerrero was likely to be in Friday's lineup, but Guerrero will actually be on the bench. The first baseman was hit by a pitch on the forearm Thursday, and his X-rays came back negative. He should still be considered day-to-day going forward, but his status is certainly worth monitoring.

Mountcastle (hamstring) said Friday that he began a hitting progression this week and is hoping to return once he's eligible for reinstatement July 30, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Mountcastle was given an 8-to-12 week return timeline, and he's trending toward being activated around the eight-week mark, having made significant strides in his recovery. The 28-year-old will have to avoid a setback, but he's on track for a late-July or early August return.

France is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers.

France will get the night off Friday after making six consecutive starts at first base. In his place, Kody Clemens will start at first base and bat seventh.