Singleton went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, an additional run and an additional RBI in Thursday's 8-2 win against the Guardians.

Singleton gave Houston its first lead with a two-run blast in the sixth inning and plated the team's final run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. The first baseman has gone deep in two of his past three games, driving in six runs over that span. Though Joey Loperfido was called up Tuesday in correspondence with Jose Abreu being demoted to the minors Wednesday, the rookie has made both of his starts thus far in left field. As such, Singleton could have a path to near-everyday playing time at first base moving forward.

Encarnacion-Strand (hand) and teammate Tyler Stephenson are expected to return Friday when the Reds host the Orioles, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds' bats went quiet on their 2-4 road trip against the Rangers and Padres, hitting .201 as a team while averaging 10 strikeouts per game on the trip. Of course, Encarnacion-Strand has been struggling this year in both aspects, hitting .196 with a troubling 3:31 BB:K ratio in 108 plate appearances. Perhaps with better health and better weather he will come close to displaying the form he showed in 2023, when he hit .270/.328/.477 in 241 plate appearances at the big-league level.

Mountcastle went 2-for-4 with a home run, two total RBI and an additional run scored in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Yankees.

Mountcastle got the Orioles on the board in the third inning with a solo shot off Carlos Rodon, tying the game 1-1. He'd add a second RBI with a base hit in the fifth, extending the lead to 4-1, before scoring on a Jordan Westburg triple. It was a nice finish to the series for the 27-year-old Mountcastle, who'd gone 0-for-12 in the first three games against New York. The first baseman boosted his slash line to .290/.345/.495 with five homers, 16 RBI and 18 runs scored through 28 games this season.

The Red Sox will option Dalbec to Triple-A Worcester on Friday, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

The 28-year-old no longer had a path to clear playing time after the Red Sox signed Dominic Smith to split time at first base with Garrett Cooper, so Dalbec will head to the minors to serve as an organizational depth piece. He slashed just .137/.200/.176 across 56 plate appearances with Boston this season.

Wade is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Wade went 0-for-6 with three walks and an RBI while starting at first base in each of the last three games, but he'll get a day off as the Giants and Red Sox wrap up their series with an afternoon contest. Wilmer Flores will join the San Francisco infield as a replacement for Wade.

Smith is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

After he was granted his release from his minor-league deal with the Rays earlier Wednesday, Smith quickly landed with the Red Sox on a one-year contract and was included in the lineup upon joining the team. He started at first base in Wednesday's 6-2 win, going 1-for-4 with an RBI. While Masataka Yoshida (thumb) is on the shelf along with Triston Casas (ribs), the Red Sox could have room in the lineup at designated hitter and first base for both Smith and Garrett Cooper (wrist), though the lefty-hitting Smith will still likely sit against most left-handed pitchers. Smith finds himself on the bench Thursday with the Giants bringing southpaw Kyle Harrison to the hill.

Cooper (wrist) will bat sixth as the Red Sox's designated hitter in Thursday's game against the Giants, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Cooper didn't play in Wednesday's 6-2 win while tending to a bruised right wrist, but he'll be back in action for the series finale. Given that he's serving as the Red Sox's DH rather than manning first base, it's possible that the bruised wrist is still presenting some complications with his throwing. With Masataka Yoshida (thumb) going on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, the Red Sox can give Cooper as much time as he needs at DH to heal up from the wrist issue before he's reintegrated at first base.

Smith started at first base and went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Giants.

Smith is the latest through the revolving door that is first base on Boston's roster. He was signed earlier in the day and made his debut for the Red Sox. With Triston Casas (ribs) on the 60-day injured list, the Red Sox have added two new first baseman over the last week -- Smith and Garrett Cooper (wrist). Once the righty-hitting Cooper is ready, a job share between him Smith (a lefty) seems likely. Bobby Dalbec is also around.

Cronenworth went 1-for-4 with a grand slam during Wednesday's 6-2 win over Cincinnati.

Cronenworth swatted his third career grand slam in the seventh inning off reliever Fernando Cruz, breaking the 2-2 tie and giving the Padres the eventual win. The first baseman has generated a hit in six straight games with five extra-base hits and nine total RBI during that stretch.

The Athletics optioned Noda to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Noda's 0-for-3 performance during Wednesday's win over Pittsburgh extended his hitless streak to 28 at-bats across 11 games and gives him a putrid .128 batting average through 83 at-bats on the year. Abraham Toro will likely fill in as Oakland's everyday first baseman while Noda attempts to rediscover his swing in the minors.