MLB Player News

Steer has gone 13 straight games without a homer at Triple-A St. Paul, though he's still hit .260 with a .362 OBP and 8:9 BB:K in that span.

He's hit four doubles and a triple in that time, too, so it's not like Steer's extra-base power has dried up altogether even while he's been stuck on 19 home runs since June 24. Even with this power outage, he still has a solid .253/.344/.531 line in Triple-A, and that's with an uncharacteristically low .259 BABIP. Steer's bat ought to write his ticket to the big leagues before too much longer, though the Twins' overcrowded infield remains an impediment.

France went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an RBI single in a 6-2 win over the Rangers on Sunday.

France showed why he was named to the AL All-Star squad with a two-RBI performance that helped the Mariners extend their winning streak to 14 games. His towering home run off Glenn Otto in the fifth was all the offense the Mariners would need to secure the win, and he added an insurance run later in the game. The first baseman is hitting .308 on the season with a 14.8% strikeout rate.

Vaughn went 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, three RBI, a run scored and a walk in an 11-0 victory Sunday in Minnesota.

Vaughn drove in two with a double in the fifth and tacked on a solo homer in the seventh off reliever Joe Smith. It was his fourth straight multi-hit game, and he is 9-for-17 with two homers and nine RBI in those contests. The recent offensive outburst has pushed his batting average over .300 as he heads into the All-Star break with a .301/.350/.470 slash line and 10 homers in 72 games.

The Royals optioned Pratto to Triple-A Omaha following Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Blue Jays.

With its four-game series in Toronto now complete, the Royals are set to add the 10 players currently on the restricted list back to the 26-man active roster in advance of the team's first game out of the All-Star break July 22 against the Rays. Pratto will be one of several replacement players who will head back to the minors as a result, spelling an official end to his first stint in the big leagues. He started at first base in all four games in Toronto, going 4-for-14 with a solo home run, a double and a walk while striking out four times.

Torkelson was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

After initially not being included in Sunday's lineup, Torkelson was demoted to Triple-A. The rookie has spent the entire season to this point in the majors, but since June 20, he's batted .194 with one homer, five RBI and eight runs over 72 at-bats in 22 games. Overall, the first baseman is batting .197 with five homers, 21 RBI and 25 runs over 264 at-bats in 83 contests this year. The demotion may just be temporary until he finds his groove again. Considering that the Tigers are completely out of playoff contention, it doesn't really make sense for Torkelson to be with Toledo for long.

France went 3-for-5 with a double and a run in an extra-inning win over the Rangers on Saturday.

France now has multi-hit efforts in two of the last three games after coming off his stint on the injured list with a cold bat. The 28-year-old has also laced a double in three straight contests, and it appears he's headed into the All-Star break having regained the impressive stroke that's led to a stellar .306/.376/.461 slash line over 78 games to date.

Naylor will sit Sunday against the Tigers.

Naylor will get a breather after he went 3-for-11 with two homers, four RBI and two runs in the first three games of the series. Owen Miller will start at first base and bat sixth in the final game before the All-Star break.

Torkelson is not starting Sunday's contest versus the Guardians.

Torkelson will get a day off after he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Saturday's loss. Harold Castro will take over at first base and bat fifth in Sunday's matchup.

Santana went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in a 3-2 win over the Rangers on Saturday.

Santana went deep off innings-eater Spencer Howard for his eighth long ball of the season and his fourth in 16 games since being traded to the Mariners on June 29. The first baseman had hit only four home runs in 52 games with the Royals before the trade, so the new team environment appears to be to his liking. Santana's third-inning blast helped lift the Mariners to their 13th win in a row. He figures to be an everyday starter over the second half of the season.

Diaz (forearm) is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's contest against the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Diaz was hit by a pitch in the ninth inning of Saturday's game, and although he was reported to be alright, it appears the Rays will give him a day off Sunday ahead of the All-Star break. Isaac Paredes will take over at third base and bat fifth versus the Orioles.