MLB Player News

Casas batted fourth and went 0-for-4 in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Giants.

The ridiculously hot Casas, who had a six-game hitting streak snapped in the loss, batted cleanup for the third time this season and the first time since consecutive games in April. The first baseman hit four home runs during his six-game streak. Prior to Saturday, Casas led MLB in on-base percentage (.568), slugging percentage (1.139) and OPS (1.707), was tied for the lead in homers (seven) and second in batting average (.472) since the All-Star break.

The Angels selected Padlo's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.

Padlo is back with the Angels for the second time this season after he was previously with the big club for a five-day stretch in June before being designated for assignment and outrighted off the 40-man roster. He'll be joining the Halos this time around as a replacement on the active roster for outfielder Taylor Ward (face), who was placed on the 10-day injured list. Padlo is likely to serve as a depth option at either corner-infield spot while rookie Trey Cabbage picks up more work in the outfield in the wake of Ward's move to the IL.

Vaughn went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk Saturday against the Guardians.

Vaughn managed to clear the fences for the first time in 21 games when he took Logan Allen deep in the sixth inning. He still found ways to be productive in that span, tallying five extra-base hits, seven runs scored and 11 RBI. Vaughn had surprisingly sat both Thursday and Friday in favor of Yasmani Grandal and Gavin Sheets, so his playing time will be worth monitoring in the short term.

Mountcastle went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 8-3 loss to the Yankees on Saturday.

Mountcastle has gone 11-for-36 (.306) with two homers and three doubles since the All-Star break. While he has just three RBI in that 13-game span, it's an improvement on how he was hitting prior to a monthlong stint on the injured list with vertigo. The first baseman has a .240/.279/.441 slash line with 13 homers, 43 RBI, 41 runs scored and two stolen bases through 74 games this season. He's splitting time at first base with Ryan O'Hearn, though Mountcastle is usually in the lineup as the designated hitter when O'Hearn is in the field.

Abreu went 3-for-3 with a three-run home run and two additional runs scored in Saturday's win over Tampa Bay.

For the second straight night Abreu logged a roundtripper, boosting his home run total to 10 this season. Abreu has been on fire since the All-Star break, batting .315 (17-for-54) with 11 RBI and 11 runs scored across 14 contests. He'll look to continue his power streak Sunday in the series finale against the Rays, who will be having a bullpen day.

Raley is not in Saturday's lineup against the Astros, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays were slated to face three righties this weekend, but they will still find opportunities for some of their right-handed bench bats. Harold Ramirez is starting at designated hitter against righty Hunter Brown. Raley is hitting .185 with zero home runs and a 32.4 percent strikeout rate in his last 10 games.

Diaz (groin) returned to the lineup Friday but said he is still sore when he runs, swings and plays defense, MLB.com reports.

Diaz missed only one full game with the injury and returned as the DH on Friday, when he went 0-for-3 with an RBI. Manager Kevin Cash hopes his first baseman will return to playing the field Saturday, but the skipper also noted the injury will require management for the rest of the season. Diaz has been one of the Rays' better hitters this season, so the team certainly won't want to keep him out of the lineup, but his recovery may ultimately dictate extra days off down the stretch.

Naylor went 3-for-4 with a double in Friday's 3-0 loss to the White Sox.

Naylor accounted for half of the Guardians' hits in the shutout loss. While the first baseman has gone nine games without a home run, he's smacked three doubles and gone 10-for-34 (.294) in that span. For the season, he's maintained a .309/.349/.510 slash line with 15 homers, 79 RBI, 41 runs scored, 25 doubles and six stolen bases over 378 plate appearances in a breakout campaign.

Casas went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two total RBI in Friday's 3-2 win over the Giants.

Casas was a thorn in the side of Giants ace Logan Webb, as the Boston first baseman hit an RBI double in the second inning and a solo shot in the fifth. This was Casas' fifth multi-hit effort during his active six-game hitting streak, a span in which he's homered four times and driven in eight RBI. The first baseman is up to a .256/.361/.491 slash line with 16 long balls, 40 RBI, 46 runs scored, 15 doubles and two triples through 90 games this season. He's seen steady playing time with the Red Sox facing six straight right-handers, and that should continue through the weekend.

Abreu went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's loss to Tampa Bay.

After going 50 games without a homer to begin the season, Abreu now has nine in his last 50. His long ball in the fourth inning Friday tied the game against Rays ace Shane McClanahan. It's been a strange season for the veteran, but he's at least showing flashes of his old self. Abreu signed a three-year, $58.5 million contract with the Astros last November.