MLB Player News

Alvarez has left the Astros on paternity leave, Jake Kaplan of The Athleticreports.

The 24-year-old can miss up to three days, but players don't always use the full length of the paternity leave. Taylor Jones was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move.

Mercedes was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.

Mercedes was held out of the lineup in five of the past eight games and will now head to the minors. The 28-year-old broke out with an 1.113 OPS, five homers and 16 RBI in April but he's struggled over the past two months, slashing .196/.264/.272 with only two long balls in 47 games. Mercedes could rejoin Chicago later in the year if he can get back on track in the minors, but for now he'll head to Charlotte. Jake Burger, one of the organization's top prospects, was promoted as part of Friday's transactions and likely will see time as the designated hitter with Mercedes optioned.

Ramirez went 1-for-2 with a double, an RBI, a run scored and two walks in Thursday's loss against the Astros.

Ramirez plated Cleveland's second run of the game with an RBI double that drove Jose Ramirez home, but he would remain silent the rest of the way. He's hitting .282 with a .801 OPS on the season, and both figures would be career-best numbers for the 26-year-old if he's able to sustain them through the rest of the campaign.

Brantley went 3-for-5 with a home run and a double in Thursday's win over Cleveland.

Brantley launched his fifth homer of the season in the seventh inning off reliever Justin Garza, and the outfielder has been seeing the ball extremely well of late. Brantley is currently riding a four-game hitting streak and has recorded at least one knock in all but one of his previous 12 contests, slashing .385/.418/.558 in that span over 55 plate appearances.

Alvarez went 1-for-2 with two walks and a solo home run in Thursday's 7-2 win over Cleveland.

After the Astros were swept by the Orioles to start the week, Houston's offense was dormant through the first three innings before Alvarez crushed a J.C. Mejia sinker for a 446-foot homer that left the bat at 116.4 mph. That ignited a comeback that included homers from Jose Altuve (grand slam) and Michael Brantley. Alvarez is batting .300/.370/.531 with 14 home runs and 51 RBI over 292 plate appearances.

Collins went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI, a stolen base and a walk Thursday against the Twins.

Collins took Jorge Alcala yard in the sixth inning to record his third home run of the season. He also chipped in the first stolen base of his career -- something that should not be counted on moving forward. While Collins is typically buried on the depth chart, he could see some increased opportunities given the number of injuries the White Sox have suffered and the continued dip in playing time for Yermin Mercedes.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, three runs scored, a double and a walk Thursday against the Royals.

Martinez took Kris Bubic yard in the fourth inning to record his 17th home run of the season and second in as many games. His power has disappeared for large stretches of the season, as he recorded only seven home runs combined between May and June after hitting nine in April. However, he's now gone deep four times in his last 12 starts. Overall, Martinez has a maintained a very strong .305/.372/.563 line across 331 plate appearances.

Athletics manager Bob Melvin said Thursday that it's "probably a stretch right now" for Canha (hip) to return from the 10-day injured list before the All-Star break begins July 12, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Canha landed on the IL last weekend with a left hip strain, and since he previously required surgery on the same hip in 2016, the Athletics could be inclined to take a cautious approach with the outfielder. Fortunately for Canha, he doesn't appear to be dealing with any structural problems related to that previous surgery, and the Athletics are hopeful that he'll be feeling fresh for the second half after he received platelet-rich plasma injections in both hips earlier this week to address any lingering pain. Ramon Laureano and Tony Kemp have been deployed as Oakland's leadoff men since Canha was shut down with the injury.

Cabrera went 4-for-8 with a home run, two additional runs and two RBI between both halves of Wednesday's doubleheader win over Cleveland.

The veteran first baseman/designated hitter provided exactly two hits in all three games of the series, and he closed June with eight multi-hit efforts over his final 12 starts. The hot streak has helped Cabrera lift his season average to a more palatable .240, but he doesn't hit for enough power at this stage of his career to make for a desirable fantasy option outside of deeper mixed leagues or AL-only formats. Cabrera's .122 ISO is only six points better than the career-worst mark he posted in 2019.

Mercedes will not start Thursday's game against the Twins.

Mercedes has now been on the bench five times in Chicago's last eight games. Jose Abreu will rest his legs as the designated hitter in his absence.