MLB Player News

Abreu went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Twins.

Abreu has been excellent across his last 24 games, as he's tallied at least one hit on 22 occasions and multiple hits 14 times. In that span, he's maintained a .406 batting average with two home runs, 13 RBI and 16 runs scored. As a result of the hot stretch, Abreu has compiled a 146 wRC+ and .373 wOBA across 382 plate appearances for the season.

Vaughn went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Thursday's 12-2 victory versus Minnesota.

Vaughn drove in a run with a single in the first inning and launched a 444-foot solo shot to center field in the seventh. The 24-year-old had been in a 3-for-20 slide prior to Thursday, but he capitalized on a big offensive performance by Chicago. Vaughn has shown improvement at the plate in his second big-league campaign, as he is on pace to exceed nearly all of his offensive numbers from last season. He's also managed to lower his strikeout rate to 16.7 percent in comparison to his 21.5 percent mark from 2021.

Naylor went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Tigers.

Naylor has gone deep three times in July, and he's up to 12 homers on the campaign. His second-inning blast was ultimately all the Guardians needed in this victory. Since the start of June, he's batting .261 (30-for-115), and he's seen fairly steady playing time at first base, though he occasionally sits in favor of Owen Miller. Naylor has a .273/.328/.500 slash line with 44 RBI, 27 runs scored, one stolen base and 13 doubles in 60 contests this year.

Alonso went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run, a hit-by-pitch and an additional run scored in Thursday's 8-0 win over the Cubs.

His eighth-inning long ball Thursday was just his second homer in his last 17 games. He's added four doubles during that stretch, but Alonso's overall production has cooled off a bit -- he's batting .215 (14-for-65) with five walks and 15 strikeouts in that span. For the season, the first baseman still has a hearty .268/.344/.527 slash line with 24 homers, 74 RBI, 50 runs scored and two stolen bases through 89 contests.

Flores was scratched from Thursday's lineup against the Brewers due to right calf tightness, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Flores was originally slated to start at third base and hit third in the order. There's no word on the severity of the issue, but David Villar will enter the lineup to hit sixth and man the hot corner.

O'Hearn will start in right field and bat fifth in Thursday's game against the Blue Jays.

With six of the Royals' options in the outfield (Andrew Benintendi, Michael Taylor, Whit Merrifield, Kyle Isbel, Hunter Dozier and MJ Melendez) all landing on the restricted list Thursday and ineligible to play in the four-game series in Toronto due to their vaccination statuses, O'Hearn should be a fixture in the lineup this weekend. Toronto is expected to bring four right-handed starting pitchers to the hill, which should lessen the possibility of the lefty-hitting O'Hearn exiting the starting nine. Despite having held down a spot on the active roster all season, O'Hearn has logged just 71 plate appearances through 88 games and is slashing .182/.225/.242.

The Royals recalled Pratto from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday. He'll start at first base and bat sixth in the series opener at Toronto.

Of the minor-league players that the Royals called up for their four-game series in Toronto after 10 players on the 26-man active roster were placed on the restricted list due to their vaccination statuses, Pratto is one of the more prominent names. The 24-year-old will reach the big leagues for the first time after slashing .240/.374/.484 with 17 home runs and eight stolen bases across 337 plate appearances for Omaha. With the Blue Jays set to bring four right-handed starting pitchers to the hill this weekend, the lefty-hitting Pratto should find himself in the lineup each time, but he may need a big series at the plate to ensure he sticks around with Kansas City following the All-Star break.

Dalbec is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Thanks to the Red Sox facing a few lefties of late in addition to Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez and Trevor Story having all missed games with minor injuries, Dalbec had started in each of the past six contests. Story (hand) remains out Thursday, but with Devers and Martinez healthy and right-hander Drew Rasmussen on the bump for Tampa Bay, manager Alex Cora won't have room in the lineup for Dalbec.

Cron (wrist) is starting Thursday against the Padres.

Cron was out of the lineup for four of the last five games while dealing with a wrist injury, but he appeared off the bench in Wednesday's win and went 1-for-1 with a run. He's starting at first base and batting cleanup Thursday.

Montero was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Montero will head back to Triple-A after he spent a little over three weeks with the big-league club. While in the majors, the 23-year-old went 4-for-21 with two doubles and three runs scored over seven games. Kris Bryant was activated from the paternity list Thursday and will take Montero's spot on the active roster.