MLB Player News

Ramirez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-2 win over St. Louis.

With three homers and a triple in his last four games, the third baseman has gotten on a bit of a surge lately. Ramirez is up to 22 long balls, 60 RBI, 66 runs scored and 10 stolen bases through 373 plate appearances overall. He'll typically hit in the heart of Cleveland's order when he's in the lineup. Manager Terry Francona utilized Ramirez as the designated hitter Wednesday, but he should be back at third base when Cleveland opens its series in Chicago on Friday.

Castro went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBI in Wednesday's 7-3 loss to Milwaukee.

It's been boom or bust for Castro -- he has just five hits in 23 plate appearances, but all five have left the yard. The 22-year-old second baseman has added seven RBI and six runs scored across nine games this season. He appears set to fill the void at the keystone left by Pittsburgh's trade of Adam Frazier to San Diego.

Riley went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Mets.

His sixth-inning blast off Tylor Megill gave Riley five homers in the last six games and 20 on the season, but it was the only offense Atlanta could produce on the night. The 24-year-old also has a seven-game hitting streak going, and the surge has boosted his slash line on the season to .287/.368/.513.

Candelario went 2-for-5 with a walk, two doubles, two runs scored and three RBI in Wednesday's win over the Twins.

Candelario drove in three of Detroit's 17 runs in the series-clinching win. The 27-year-old infielder is now up to 34 RBI this season, and fantasy managers would certainly like to see more in that category the rest of the way. Candelario is batting a solid .268 and usually occupies a spot in the middle of the team's order, so he's certainly capable of boosting his counting stats, especially if his teammates are locked in like they were Wednesday.

Devers exited the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Toronto with tightness in his left quadricep, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports. He went 4-for-7 with two doubles and a run scored between the two contests before leaving the nightcap.

Manager Alex Cora said he and the team are hopeful that Devers will be able to return to the lineup Friday, when the Red Sox kick off a series at Tampa Bay. Devers was already in line for a scheduled day off in Thursday's series finale with the Blue Jays, so the injury doesn't seem to be a major concern at the moment.

Devers exited the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Toronto with what appeared to be a leg injury, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Devers was seen rubbing his right hamstring as he pulled into second base. There's been no official reason given for his departure, but more details should emerge shortly. Prior to his exit, Devers had gone 4-for-7 with two doubles and an RBI during the twin bill.

Escobar was acquired by the Brewers from the Diamondbacks on Wednesday in exchange for minor-leaguers Cooper Hummel and Alberto Ciprian, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.

Escobar was an obvious trade chip with Arizona dwelling in the NL West cellar all season, and he'll make his way to Milwaukee ahead of the trade deadline. The switch-hitting infielder has seen most of his action at third base and second base this season and over the past few years, but the Brewers biggest hole in the infield is at first. According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, Escobar is expected to work at first base against left-hander starters, and he could otherwise split time at third base with Luis Urias.

Castro will start at second base and bat seventh Wednesday against the Brewers.

Rather than Wilmer Difo, the 22-year-old Castro has picked up the first two starts at second base for the Pirates since the team dealt All-Star Adam Frazier to the Padres. Though Castro has never played at the Triple-A level and has only 19 career MLB plate appearances to his name, the non-contending Pirates appear eager to give the infield prospect an extended trial in the big leagues. He profiles as more of a longer-term solution in the infield than Difo, a 29-year-old who was already outrighted off the 40-man roster once this season and looks like a utility option at this stage of his career.

The Cardinals announced that Arenado was removed in the fifth inning of Wednesday's game against Cleveland due to a bruised right forearm, Jim Hayes of Bally Sports Midwest reports. He went 1-for-1 with a walk before exiting the contest.

Preliminary evaluations of Arenado's forearm seemingly didn't reveal anything serious after he was struck by a pitch in the top of the fifth inning. The Cardinals were trailing by five runs at the time Arenado picked up the injury, so the team may just have been taking extra caution by pulling him from the game. Arenado will have Thursday's team off day to heal up before St. Louis hosts the Twins on Friday.

Arenado was removed in the bottom of the fifth inning of Wednesday's game against Cleveland with an apparent elbow injury, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports. He went 1-for-1 with a base hit and a walk before departing.

The injury in question occurred in the top of the fifth, when Arenado was in obvious pain after being struck in the elbow by a pitch. He was able to take his base and briefly stay in the game, but after getting checked out by trainers before the bottom of the inning, he was ultimately pulled from the contest. Expect the Cardinals to provide an update on Arenado's condition after the game.