MLB Player News

Guerrero (hamstring) returned to action Saturday evening against the Phillies and homered in his first at-bat against Aaron Nola.

Guerrero has been nursing hamstring and back issues in the midst of a terribly disappointing season. The homer Saturday night was his seventh of the season -- all on the road. With two hits in his first four plate appearances Saturday night, his slugging percentage remains paltry at .359.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Pasquantino (wrist) may begin a minor-league rehab assignment Tuesday, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.

Pasquantino landed on the IL due to right wrist soreness July 29. The first baseman underwent surgery in mid-June to remove a fractured hamate bone, and the soreness was presumably related to that procedure. However, Pasquantino appears to be doing better with some time off, and if he does indeed begin a rehab stint Tuesday, he could be back with Kansas City shortly thereafter.

Contreras (illness) will start at first base and bat fourth against the Athletics on Saturday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Contreras missed the Red Sox's last two games while fighting off an illness, but he appears to be feeling well enough to return to action Saturday. The 34-year-old has remained hot since the All-Star break, slashing .306/.485/.531 with three homers, nine RBI and 11 runs scored over his last 17 games.

Contreras (illness) returned to Fenway Park on Friday and participated in baseball activities, MLB.com reports.

Contreras was removed from Wednesday's game with dizziness and high temperatures. He could possibly return to the lineup Saturday.

Torkelson went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Giants.

This was Torkelson's sixth multi-hit effort over his last 11 games, a span in which he's hitting .378 (17-for-45). The first baseman has added just two extra-base hits and eight RBI in that span. For the year, he's batting .224 with a .733 OPS, 20 home runs, 58 RBI, 52 runs scored, 19 doubles and no stolen bases over 115 games.

Aranda went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-1 win over the Mariners.

Aranda's third-inning blast ended up being the difference in this contest. It was his first homer of the second half, as the infielder struggled a bit by hitting .230 with a .257 slugging percentage over his previous 18 games. He's turned a corner in August, hitting safely in all five of his games this month. For the season, Aranda is batting .287 with an .815 OPS, 15 homers, 72 RBI, 56 runs scored and 19 doubles across 112 contests.

Schanuel went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run during the Angels' 4-3 win over the Marlins on Friday.

Schanuel put the Angels up for good in the seventh inning with a two-run long ball off Josh Ekness. It was the seventh home run of the season for Schanuel but first since since June 23 against the Orioles. He's gone 8-for-37 with four RBI and five extra-base hits over his last 10 outings.

Murakami went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and two strikeouts during an 8-2 loss to Cleveland on Friday.

Murakami stepped to the plate in the bottom of the sixth and swatted his 25th long ball of the season. His solo shot tied Colson Montgomery for the most on the club this season. The home run extended his on-base streak to 23 games, dating back to July 10. The 26-year-old has slashed .236/.369/.531 with 25 home runs and 52 RBI in 350 plate appearances this season.

Contreras (illness) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Athletics.

Contreras will miss a second straight start after he was removed from Wednesday's game with an illness. Nick Sogard is making the start at first base and batting leadoff against Athletics righty Jack Perkins.

Guerrero (hamstring) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies.

Guerrero will miss a third straight start due to hamstring tightness and general fatigue. Kazuma Okamoto is starting at first base again and batting fifth against Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler.