MLB Player News

Torkelson went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's win over the Twins.

Torkelson extended his hitting streak to five games and he's batting .381 during the stretch. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick has yet to truly break out at the MLB level, but the talent is there for him to string together more games like this one. Torkelson has pushed his OPS to .711, which is a significant improvement from the .604 mark he posted last year as a rookie.

Raley went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored in Thursday's win over the Athletics.

Raley got the offense going for the Rays on Thursday, beginning with a single to right in the top of the second to advance Harold Ramirez to third. Both would then come around to score to put the Rays up 2-0 early. The right fielder went on to crush a solo homer off Austin Pruitt in the eighth to help Tampa Bay jump back in front 3-2. With the two-hit performance, Raley is now batting .343 in June with two homers, six RBI and nine runs scored.

Cronenworth is absent from the lineup Thursday against the Guardians.

Brandon Dixon will take a turn at first base and Ha-Seong Kim is at second. This appears to be a planned day of rest for Cronenworth, who's turned it on offensively over the last few weeks but holds a relatively underwhelming .216/.322/.377 overall slash line for the year.

The Cubs optioned Mervis to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

There was a lot of hype around Mervis when he got the call to Chicago in early May, but he'll head back to the farm after posting a brutal .167/.242/.289 batting line with three home runs and 32 strikeouts across his first 99 big-league plate appearances. Cody Bellinger (knee) has been activated off the injured list in a corresponding roster move and is expected to factor in at first base moving forward.

Olson is batting fifth for Atlanta on Thursday versus the Rockies.

Olson exclusively hit second in his first 68 games this year, but Ozzie Albies will jump up to that spot Thursday with the Rockies throwing left-hander Kyle Freeland. Olson has slashed just .189/.265/.324 this season against southpaws. He holds a .243/.378/.546 slash line against righties.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game in Oakland.

Diaz appears to be receiving a routine maintenance day in the series finale after he reached base four times in Wednesday's win. Luke Raley will play first base in place of Diaz.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Astros.

After doubling to lead off the fifth inning, Smith tied the game with an RBI triple off Ryan Pressly in the ninth, his first three-bagger of the season. The 28-year-old Smith has gone 4-for-11 (.364) over his last three games, with a double, a triple and a home run in that span. While he still hasn't hit for much power overall (two home runs), Smith is slashing a respectable .267/.345/.328 with 27 runs scored and 17 RBI through 261 plate appearances this season.

Santana went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Wednesday's 10-6 loss to the Cubs.

Santana extended Pittsburgh's lead to 3-0 in the first inning with a two-run shot off Drew Smyly. It's Santana's fifth homer of the year and his second in five games. The 37-year-old first baseman had cooled off after a quick start to the year -- he's batting just .188 (22-for-117) in 33 games since the beginning of May. Overall, Santana is slashing .228/.319/.367 with 32 RBI, 26 runs scored and five stolen bases.

Dalbec went 4-for-6 with a triple, two home runs, four RBI and two additional runs scored for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.

Dalbec broke out of a mini slump -- 3-for-21 over the previous six games -- in a big way Wednesday. He continues to rake at Triple-A with 16 home runs and 40 RBI over 47 games for the WooSox. It seems like there would be a home for his bat in Boston, but the team remains committed to fixing Triston Casas at first base and won't have Dalbec at third base ahead of Rafael Devers. It appears the organization is content having him light up the minors and improve his trade value.

Casas started at first base and went 1-for-3 in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Rockies.

Casas was back on the field after serving as the designated hitter Tuesday, when manager Alex Cora told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com that Casas will play fewer games at first base for the immediate future amid fielding woes. The manager discussed adding "a series of drills" to make Casas a quicker and better infielder, per Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. Most notably, Casas' pre-pitch movements need adjustments. "He was stepping back instead of going forward. We've been noticing this," Cora said. The Red Sox are also working on his pre-game preparation, according to Chad Jennings of The Athletic.