MLB Player News

Arraez (thumb) will DH and bat leadoff for Friday's game against the Guardians.

Arraez has been nursing a jammed left thumb and opted to sit out the All-Star Game to let the injury heal. However, the issue won't require him to miss any time for the Padres, and he'll fill his regular leadoff spot during Friday's series opener against Cleveland. The 27-year-old is slashing .310/.342/.378 across 416 plate appearances this season.

The Yankees activated Davis (illness) from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Davis had battled a stomach bug prior to the All-Star break but is feeling well enough to suit up for the start of the second half. Ben Rice has been great against righties (.887 OPS) but hasn't done much versus lefties (.593 OPS), so the 31-year-old Davis will provide the Yankees with another option at first base against left-handed pitching.

The White Sox released Walsh on Tuesday.

Walsh inked a minor-league contract with the White Sox in late April and slashed just .185/.289/.415 in 41 games with Triple-A Charlotte. The 30-year-old saw actoin in the majors with the Rangers earlier this season, producing a .637 OPS across 17 contests.

Casas (rib) could be cleared to start hitting in the batting cage within the next week and may be ready to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment before the end of the month, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

After landing on the injured list April 21 with a strain and torn cartilage in his left rib, Casas had previously expressed optimism that he would be ready to return to the Boston lineup at the start of July. That prediction ultimately proved to be too ambitious, as Casas wasn't even cleared to resume swinging a bat until the final week of June. Casas hasn't seemed to experience any setbacks since he started taking swings again, but facing off against high-velocity pitching in the batting cage or in live batting practice will provide a better test of the first baseman's health. Given that Casas will eventually need at least a few rehab games to get his timing back at the plate, he might not be a realistic option to return from the IL until early August, at least.

Arraez will attend All-Star festivities in Texas but won't play for the National League in Tuesday's game due to a jammed left thumb, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Arraez first hurt the thumb while sliding into third base June 25. He has played in all but two of San Diego's games since then, most recently sitting out Sunday's 6-3 loss to Atlanta. While Arraez has mostly been able to remain in the lineup despite the injury, he admitted that the thumb hurts "a lot" when he swings and catches the ball. The issue probably won't be anything that causes him to miss much, if any, additional time in games that count, but he'll use the All-Star break to rest the jammed thumb rather than risking further injury in the exhibition contest.

Rice went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in a loss to the Orioles on Sunday.

Rice was hitless through four at-bats but came through when it mattered most, swatting a three-run homer in the ninth inning off Baltimore closer Craig Kimbrel to give New York a 5-3 lead. That result didn't hold, as the Orioles plated three runs in the bottom of the frame to pull out the victory, but Rice's heroics still stand out. While the rookie is batting just .228 on the campaign, he's shown a flair for the big moment, batting .280 with runners in scoring position and already adding a three-homer game to his big-league resume.

Guerrero went 3-for-5 with a solo homer, a double and two runs scored in Sunday's 8-7 win over the Diamondbacks.

After surrendering a 7-0 lead in the fifth, Guerrero swung the momentum back in the Blue Jays direction with a monstrous solo home run to center field in the seventh to put his team back up 8-7 and the score would hold there. The home run was his first this month and his eighth three-hit performance of the year. After a blistering end to June, Guerrero has cooled off a bit in July and is slashing .229/.250/.354 with his one homer, eight RBI and seven runs scored in 50 plate appearances. He'll head into the break slashing .288/.359/.456 and leads the Blue Jays in home runs (14), RBI (55) and runs scored (47) among other batting categories.

Alonso went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's loss to the Rockies.

He got the Mets on the board in the fourth inning by crushing a German Marquez two-seamer deep to left field. Alonso snapped an 11-game homer drought with the blast, and he heads into the All-Star break -- and an appearance in the Home Run Derby -- slashing .240/.319/.454 with 19 homers and 51 RBI in 95 contests.

Mountcastle went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Yankees.

Mountcastle's steal was his third of the year, putting him one shy of matching his career high. The first baseman's speed isn't notable, but he's been steady at the plate, going 10-for-40 (.250) over 10 contests in July. Overall, he's slashing .271/.311.,447 with 12 home runs, 43 RBI, 44 runs scored, 22 doubles and a triple through 88 games this season.

Smith went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and three RBI Sunday against the Royals.

Smith's second-inning two-run blast off Brady Singer gave the Red Sox an early three-run lead. He then provided insurance with an RBI single in the seventh that turned out to provide the game-winning run. It was the third multi-hit game in a week for Smith, who has added five RBI over the past two games. However, his days as the regular starter at first base appear to be numbered as Triston Casas (ribs) is beginning to prepare for a rehab assignment and is hoping to return to the Red Sox lineup by the end of the month.