MLB Player News

Vargas went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run Friday against the Cubs.

Vargas led off the sixth inning with his 10th home run of the season, which also extended his hitting streak to seven games. In that span, he's gone 10-for-24 with three home runs, six RBI and eight runs scored. Vargas is quietly having a breakout season, as he's also chipped in six steals while maintaining an .870 OPS across 189 plate appearances.

Mayer went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run during the Red Sox's 3-2 extra-inning loss to Atlanta on Friday.

Friday's contest was a low-scoring affair, and Meyer ended up tying things at 2-2 in the seventh inning with a solo homer. It was his second home run of the season and first since April 3. Meyer has struggled at the plate as of late, but perhaps Friday's performance was a sign of things to come for the 23-year-old second baseman.

Westburg (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Andrew Golden of TheBanner.com reports.

Westburg's procedure will keep him out for the remainder of the 2026 campaign, but general manager Mike Elias said Friday that the 27-year-old infielder has a good chance to return to playing in the field full time by early 2027. Until then, Coby Mayo will likely take over as Baltimore's primary third baseman, though Jeremiah Jackson, Blaze Alexander and Weston Wilson are also candidates to make starts at the hot corner.

Altuve is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

With Altuve getting a breather against right-hander Jack Leiter, Brice Matthews will lead off and play second base for Houston. Altuve hasn't homered since April 17 and doesn't have an extra-base hit over his last six games. On the season, the 36-year-old is slashing .245/.328/.365 with three home runs, 11 RBI, 26 runs scored, one stolen base and a 19:34 BB:K across 181 trips to the dish.

Manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Torres (oblique) is "trending toward" beginning a rehab assignment, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Torres is eligible to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list as of Friday, but it sounds like he's going to go out on a short rehab stint prior to rejoining the Detroit lineup. Torres has slashed .259/.389/.328 with two home runs, 11 RBI, 18 runs scored and a 25:22 BB:K across 144 plate appearances this season. Hao-Yu Lee is manning second base for the Tigers on Friday.

Westburg will undergo season-ending elbow surgery, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.

Westburg suffered a partially torn UCL in his right elbow during spring training and had been attempting to rehab the injury without surgery. He began a throwing program in April but was shut down earlier this month. The 27-year-old will now miss the entirety of the 2026 campaign, leaving Coby Mayo, Jeremiah Jackson, Blaze Alexander and Weston Wilson as candidates for playing time at third base the remainder of the season. Baltimore will hope to get Jackson Holliday (hand) back at some point in the relatively near future, and he's been getting reps at third base as well during his latest rehab assignment, perhaps signaling he'll be an option at the hot corner for the big-league club.

Gelof went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 5-4 loss to St. Louis.

Gelof got a center-cut fastball from Ryne Stanek in the seventh inning and sent it over the left-center field wall for his second long ball in as many games. It has been a scorching start to May for Gelof, who is slashing .308/.372/.692 with four homers, nine RBI and eight runs across 11 games this month. The 26-year-old is valued for his ability to play multiple positions around the diamond, but with Max Muncy (hand) sidelined, Gelof has seized regular playing time at third base.

Gelof went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Cardinals.

Gelof saw a nine-game hitting streak snapped in Tuesday's series opener against St. Louis, but he bounced back Wednesday. He took Gordon Graceffo deep in the eighth inning to tack on the Athletics' last run of the game. Gelof is batting .257 with a .793 OPS, four homers, 12 RBI, 13 runs scored and two stolen bases over 26 contests this season, which saw him start the year at Triple-A Las Vegas. A natural second baseman, he's currently occupying a starting role at third base in the absence of Max Muncy (hand). Gelof may settle into a utility role once the Athletics are healthier, but his current production should help him maintain a place in the lineup regardless of where he fits in defensively.

Donovan is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Astros.

Since returning from the injured list Friday, Donovan hasn't experienced any reported setbacks with the strained groin that forced him to the shelf April 20. Consider his absence from the lineup Wednesday a maintenance day, as the Mariners are presumably aiming to ease Donovan back into an everyday role coming off the injury. Leo Rivas will step in at third base in place of Donovan, who has gone 2-for-18 with a walk and a run scored since being reinstated from the IL.

Grissom will start at first base and bat leadoff in Wednesday's game versus the Guardians.

Zach Neto, who batted leadoff in each of the Angels' first 43 games this season, has been slumping and will bat sixth Wednesday. Grissom hit his second home run of the season in Tuesday's loss to Cleveland and sports a .922 OPS over his last five contests. It remains to be seen if this new arrangement will stick versus right-handed pitching -- the Angels are facing lefty Parker Messick on Wednesday -- but Grissom might get a chance to stake claim of the leadoff spot while Neto tries to snap out of his funk.