MLB Player News

Casas was named the Offensive Player of the Year in the Red Sox minor-league system, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Casas, the team's first-round in 2018, slashed .256/.350/.480 with 20 homers, 26 doubles, five triples and 81 RBI in 118 games at Low-A Greenville and two games at High-A Salem this season. He entered the organization as a third baseman but was used primarily at first base in 2019. With Rafael Devers locked in at the hot corner for the next few seasons, Casas moved across the diamond to a position of need within the organization.

Calhoun went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Yankees.

Calhoun accounted for the Angels' only run with a 410-foot blast to right center field in the fourth inning. The 32-year-old continues to build upon his single-season career high in homers with four long balls in his last seven games. He is slashing .235/.328/.478 with 32 home runs and 72 RBI in 143 games this season.

Manager Joe Maddon is unsure if Rizzo (ankle) will be able to play Friday against the Cardinals, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Rizzo was a surprising addition to Thursday night's lineup, and while he did contribute with a solo home run, the slugger obviously wasn't close to 100 percent. His availability for the remainder of the series should become more clear after he's re-evaluated Friday. Victor Caratini figures to take over at first base if Rizzo is unable to go.

Rizzo (ankle) was added to the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

It was thought that Rizzo was still a few days away from being ready to play, but he worked out prior to Thursday's game without issue, so the Cubs felt comfortable getting him back in the lineup right away. Rizzo will lead off and play first base in his return.

Guerrero (ribs) is starting at third base and hitting cleanup Thursday against the Orioles.

He left Wednesday's game with a left rib issue after colliding with Jonathan Villar at second base, but the injury was apparently minor. Guerrero is hitting .212 with zero home runs in 13 games this month.

O'Hearn is not in Thursday's lineup against the Twins.

He heads to the bench even with the Royals facing a righty (Kyle Gibson) in this one. Ryan McBroom will start at first base and hit sixth.

Naylor is not in Thursday's lineup against the Brewers.

He will sit for the second time in the last three games. Now that Hunter Renfroe is fully healthy, Naylor will likely split time with him in right field over the rest of the season. Naylor is hitting .250/.365/.386 with one home run in 44 at-bats this month.

Gurriel went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and two RBI in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Rangers.

With three home runs in as many games, Gurriel is now up to 30 on the season, becoming the third Astros player to reach that mark. The 35-year-old has enjoyed one of the more notable power spikes of any player in the majors in 2019, as he's now just four homers shy of matching his output from the previous three seasons combined.

Hiura went 1-for-4 with a home run in Wednesday's loss to the Padres.

Padres starter Dinelson Lamet carved up the Brewers on Wednesday, outside of Hiura's sixth-inning solo shot that brought his team within a run. Hiura has not finished a game since rejoining the lineup a couple days ago, but he still received seven at-bats over the last two games and is 3-of-9 since returning to action Sept. 14 after missing just over two weeks with a hamstring injury. Hiura figures to play regularly the rest of the way, and it should not be much longer before he is ready to play a full nine innings again.

Alonso went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two runs and a walk during a 7-4 victory against the Rockies on Wednesday.

With another long ball, Alonso sits one shy of 50 homers as a rookie. He's taken full advantage of the hitter-friendly conditions of Coors Field, as he went 6-for-11 (.545) with two homers and a double during the three-game series against the Rockies. Alonso leads the majors with 49 home runs and also has a .266 average, 113 RBI, 95 runs and one steal in 556 at-bats this year.