MLB Player News

France went 1-for-4 with a hit-by-pitch, a solo home run and an additional run scored in a win over the Yankees on Thursday.

France's 430-foot shot to center in the second inning was his seventh homer of the season and first since June 12. The veteran has been thriving at the plate this month, as he now owns a .313 batting average, .847 OPS, seven extra-base hits, eight RBI and 13 runs across 73 plate appearances over his last 17 games.

Raley was diagnosed with a sore right hand following Thursday's game against the Royals, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Raley played the entirety of Thursday's game and went 1-for-3 with a run scored. However, he underwent an X-ray after the contest -- which came back negative -- and is set to undergo further imaging. For now, Raley should be considered day-to-day.

Bell went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Thursday's 6-1 victory over the Athletics.

Bell jumped on the first pitch he saw in his second at-bat and absolutely destroyed the ball, sending it well beyond the stands in left field for his seventh home run of the season. The solo shot put the Guardians on the board and tied the game at 1-1 before the team went on to complete its three-game sweep of the A's. The designated hitter was on a 3-for-20 skid coming in (spanning six games), with no RBI or runs scored, but he now has three homers over his last nine games.

Beaty (undisclosed) isn't in Kansas City's lineup Thursday against the Rays.

Beaty seems to still be a bit shaken up after colliding with Samad Taylor during Wednesday's game, and he will sit out Thursday. He should still be considered day-to-day.

Pratto isn't in the Royals' lineup Thursday against Tampa Bay.

Left-hander Shane McClanahan will start on the mound for the Rays, meaning the lefty-hitting Pratto will remain in the dugout to begin Thursday's contest. Instead, Matt Duffy will pick up a start at first base and bat sixth.

Lowe went 1-for-2 with three walks, a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the White Sox.

Lowe returned to the third spot in the order after spending the last two games batting fifth. Texas manager Bruce Bochy said after Monday's game having Josh Jung, who normally bats fifth, serve in the three hole was an experiment against lefties, but the skipper swapped the two again Tuesday against a right-hander. If the manager settles on Lowe being farther down the order, it's not because the first baseman is struggling. Lowe has hit safely in seven of the last eight games, going 10-for-29 with a 1.017 OPS.

Noda went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk in a loss to the Athletics on Wednesday.

Noda gave Oakland an early 4-0 lead with his three-run shot in the third inning, but Cleveland eventually came back to pull out a close victory. The first baseman had been slumping coming into the contest, batting .182 with no homers and 16 strikeouts over his previous 44 at-bats. Noda has been one of Oakland's most productive offensive players with a .239/.390/.423 slash line, eight home runs, 35 runs, 30 RBI and two thefts on the season.

Naylor went 4-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Wednesday's 7-6 win over Oakland.

Naylor had a couple big hits in the contest, tying the score with an RBI single in the fifth inning and pulling Cleveland to within one run with a solo shot in the seventh. He finished with four hits for the second time in his past three games and for the third time overall this season. Naylor is enjoying a career-best year at the plate with a .295/.338/.464 slash line through 260 plate appearances. With nine homers and 55 RBI, he's on pace to challenge last season's career-high totals of 20 long balls and 79 runs batted in.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI on Wednesday against the Orioles.

Diaz has three multi-hit performances in his last nine games, during which he's also tallied six runs scored and four RBI. Despite that positive stretch, he's experienced a dip in power of late, as he entered Wednesday's contest slugging only .333 across 63 at-bats in June. Even so, Diaz has maintained a .212 ISO and .515 slugging percentage on the season, both of which are nearly 100 points above his previous career highs.

Vaughn went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Rangers.

Vaughn has hit four homers over his last 11 games, going 10-for-43 (.233) in that span. All of those long balls have been solo shots. The 25-year-old hasn't been able to prop up his batting average much (.241), but his .761 OPS is a solid mark. Vaughn's added 11 homers, 44 RBI, 36 runs scored, 19 doubles, one triple and no stolen bases through 74 contests this season. With solid plate discipline (18.4 percent strikeout rate, 8.4 percent walk rate), he's got a decent chance to bounce back a bit over the rest of the season.