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.

Lowe went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI in Friday's 11-9 extra-inning loss to the Phillies.

The second baseman launched a two-run homer off Aaron Nola in the third inning before adding a solo shot off Tim Mayza in the fifth, but Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies' offense took control from there. It was Lowe's third multi-homer game of the season, and through his first 39 contests with Pittsburgh he's slashing .252/.352/.563 with 12 long balls, 26 runs and 31 RBI.

Arraez went 4-for-5 with a solo home run and a double in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Athletics.

Arraez has three multi-hit efforts over his last five games. He also picked up a pair of extra-base hits Friday, doing so for the first time since he had a pair of doubles May 4 versus the Padres. The infielder's homer was his first of the year to go with 15 RBI, 17 runs scored, eight doubles, two triples and four stolen bases over 42 contests. He's batting .317 with a .759 OPS and continues to avoid whiffing, having struck out just 3.8 percent of the time this year.

Ibanez cleared waivers Friday and was sent outright to Triple-A Syracuse, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Ibanez was jettisoned off the 40-man roster to make room for top prospect A.J. Ewing, but the former will stay put with the Mets after clearing waivers and work as organizational depth. The 33-year-old went 0-for-6 during his time with the Mets and owns just a .202 OPS in the majors this season.

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.

Norby went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during the Marlins' 7-2 loss to the Rays on Friday.

Norby got the Marlins on the board early with a solo homer off Ian Seymour in the second inning. It was Norby's first home run since April 24 and his fourth of the season. He is slashing .234/.336/.391 with five steals, 13 RBI and 12 runs scored across 149 plate appearances this season.

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.

Gonzales is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies.

After starting 21 games in a 22-game stretch, Gonzales has now been on the bench for two straight for the first time since mid-April. It will be Jared Triolo handling the hot corner again for the Pirates.