MLB Player News

Ramirez went 0-for-4 in Thursday's 1-0 loss to the Cubs.

Ramirez continued a hitless streak that reached 21 at-bats Thursday. Twenty of those at-bats occurred after he was hit by a pitch on the forearm and forced to miss one game. The slump dropped Ramirez's season batting average to .297, the first time it's been below .300 since May 19.

Barger went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run and two RBI in Thursday's 8-5 win over the Yankees.

Barger opened the scoring in the first inning with a two-out, RBI double before extending the lead to 6-3 in the fifth with a 401-foot solo blast off Clayton Beeter, his 11th this season. The 25-year-old Barger has been red hot at the plate recently, going 7-for-17 with three homers in his last five games. Overall, he's slashing an impressive .272/.332/.521 with 34 runs scored and 32 RBI across 233 plate appearances.

Paredes went 2-for-5 with an RBI double and a run scored in Thursday's 7-6 loss to Colorado.

Paredes gave the Astros a one-run lead in the second inning after his double to center field brought Cooper Hummel home. Paredes has four multi-hit games over his last six starts and has gone 9-for-26 (.346) with one home run and two RBI over that span.

The Yankees signed Lopez to a minor-league contract Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The Yankees have one of the worst defensive infields in baseball, so signing the light-hitting but slick-fielding Lopez as a depth addition is sensible. Lopez has gone 1-for-24 at the plate during stints this season between the Angels and Cubs and will report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Triple-A St. Paul placed Fitzgerald on its 7-day injured list Saturday due to a right hamstring strain.

Fitzgerald missed about two weeks of action earlier in June due to a right ankle sprain, and after returning to action June 20, the infielder lasted just five games before going down with another injury to the same leg. The 31-year-old is slashing .287/.378/.473 with six home runs and five stolen bases in 217 plate appearances for St. Paul this season.

Barger went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, four RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 11-9 win over the Yankees.

Barger crushed a three-run homer in the first inning and later added an insurance run with an RBI single in the ninth. The 25-year-old has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, a stretch that includes four extra-base hits, six RBI and eight runs scored. For the season, he's slashing .263/.325/.493 with 10 home runs, 30 RBI, 33 runs scored and two steals across 229 plate appearances.

Schuemann went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay.

It's the second time this season that Schuemann has recorded three hits in a game, which was highlighted by his solo homer off Ryan Pepiot in the second frame. Schuemann has started in just 11 games since the beginning of June, but he could see some additional playing time in the short term if Luis Urias (hamstring) and Jacob Wilson (hamstring) remain sidelined.

Urias will start at third base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Urias will cover third base for the fifth consecutive game while Jordan Westburg remains on the bench as he continues to recover from a left index finger sprain. Westburg is hopeful to rejoin the lineup for the Orioles' series in Atlanta this weekend, but Urias could still see steady playing time if Baltimore elects to use Westburg as a designated hitter to aid in his recovery.

The Astros placed Guillorme on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a right hamstring strain, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Guillorme has struggled since joining the big club in mid-June, going just 3-for-20 at the plate across 12 games. He'll now be forced to miss at least the next 10 days while his hamstring heals, and the Astros will bring up Zack Short to fill the open spot in the infield unit.

Westburg (finger) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Westburg will miss out on a fifth straight start due to a left index finger sprain. The infielder has conceded that his finger is unlikely to heal without extended rest, but his intention is to get the digit feeling well enough to play through a bit of discomfort. He will try to return to the lineup Friday in Atlanta following the Orioles' scheduled off day Thursday. Ramon Urias will receive another start at the hot corner for the Orioles in Wednesday's series finale.