MLB Player News

The Red Sox released Thaiss on Friday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Thaiss has spent the entire season at Triple-A Worcester, where he's slashed an ugly .201/.314/.313 with three homers, 24 RBI, 17 runs scored, one stolen base and a 20:26 BB:K across 170 plate appearances. The 31-year-old will look for an opportunity elsewhere after appearing in 60 games with the White Sox and Rays last season.

D'Arnaud (foot) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

D'Arnaud hasn't played since May 6 due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He's been running the bases for the past week -- the last step in his recovery before he begins a rehab assignment. The veteran backstop has a .614 OPS across 40 plate appearances this season.

The Nationals recalled Ford from Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

Ford's promotion was reported earlier this week and is now official, as he'll absorb the roster spot vacated by the injured Drew Millas (finger). The 23-year-old has slashed a disappointing .223/.370/.335 with four homers, zero stolen bases and a 45:65 BB:K across 257 plate appearances at Rochester. Ford should operate primarily as the backup catcher behind Keibert Ruiz.

Briceno (wrist) was activated from the 60-day injured list at Double-A Erie on Friday, Emily Waldon of Baseball America reports.

Briceno had surgery to repair a tendon in his right wrist back in March and began a rehab assignment late last month. The Tigers' top catching prospect, Briceno slashed .266/.383/.500 with 20 homers, 76 RBI, 60 runs scored and a 66:87 BB:K across 441 trips to the plate between High-A and Double-A as a 20-year-old last season.

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a pair of solo home runs and a walk in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Phillies.

It was the first multi-homer game of the season for Alvarez and the seventh of his career. The slugging backstop has fared well at the dish since returning from the injured list with a torn meniscus in early June, batting .280 with seven long balls, two doubles and 14 RBI over his last 100 at-bats (28 games). For the campaign (236 plate appearances), Alvarez is slashing .259/.325/.448 with 11 big flies, seven doubles and 24 RBI.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said recently that while he "certainly" expects Smith (neck) to play again this season, he has "no idea" when it will happen, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith has been sidelined for more than a month with a lingering neck issue. He has been hitting and throwing but seems unable to get over the hump with the injury, as there's no timeline for when he will be ready for a rehab assignment. The Dodgers will enter the second half with an 11.5-game lead in the National League West, so they can afford to take their time with Smith.

Oliveto (toe) has gone 3-for-13 with a triple, five walks, two RBI and two runs in five games since being assigned to the rookie-level Florida Complex League after being reinstated from Single-A Lakeland's injured list.

Oliveto had already been on a rehab assignment in the FCL prior to being activated from the IL, going 8-for-37 (.216 average) with an 8:6 BB:K over 12 games. The 19-year-old catcher has shown a discerning eye at the plate through 17 total FCL games with a 20.6 percent walk rate across 63 plate appearances. He could get the chance to debut for Lakeland later on this season.

The Athletics optioned Serven to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.

After coming up from Triple-A to bolster the Athletics' bench depth for the final weekend before the All-Star break, Serven will now return to Las Vegas to begin the second half. The 31-year-old backstop is likely to spend most of what's left of the season in the minors, where he's slashing .308/.403/.525 across 236 plate appearances.

The Nationals will recall Ford from Triple-A Rochester ahead of Friday's series opener with the Athletics, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.

After the Nationals placed Drew Millas on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a fractured left index finger, the team will need another catcher to complement Keibert Ruiz. Ford was acquired from the Mariners last winter and has slashed .223/.370/.335 with four homers, 22 RBI, 34 runs scored and a 45:65 BB:K across 257 plate appearances at Rochester. The 23-year-old was the 12th overall pick in the 2021 draft.

The Nationals placed Millas on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a fractured left index finger.

The move is retroactive to July 12. Millas was removed from Washington's July 11 game in the ninth inning, when he presumably suffered the injury. Millas has slashed .185/.277/.262 with two homers, 11 RBI, 18 runs scored and a 14:37 BB:K across 152 plate appearances as the Nationals' No. 2 catcher.