MLB Player News

Herrera went 0-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Reds.

Herrera received his first day off Thursday. Since the All-Star break, he's been held hitless five times in seven games, part of a larger downward trend that has him batting just .192 (15-for-78) in July. The catcher is batting .239 with a .735 OPS, 11 home runs, six steals, 41 RBI, 63 runs scored, 14 doubles and a triple over 102 contests. He's five games shy of matching his career-high workload from last year, and while he's primarily worked as a designated hitter, he may need more frequent off days to stay fresh.

Suarez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Friday's 4-2 win over the Cardinals.

Suarez's seventh-inning blast put the Reds ahead for good. It was his fifth homer in his last eight games, and he's also logged a trio of multi-hit efforts in that span. For the season, the veteran slugger is batting .213 with a .699 OPS, 14 homers, 39 RBI, 27 runs scored, 11 doubles and no stolen bases over 73 games.

The Cubs optioned Alcantara to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday.

Alcantara's stint with the big club lasted more than three weeks, but he received just 11 plate appearances, going 3-for-11 with three RBI. The outfielder has put up a .936 OPS with 17 home runs for Iowa this season.

Springer went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Rays.

After drawing a walk in his first plate appearance, Springer gave Toronto the lead with an RBI single in the third inning before adding a double in the sixth. The veteran outfielder has come out of the All-Star break swinging a hot bat, going 8-for-22 (.364) with five RBI and a 1.008 OPS through six games.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Padres.

Making just his second start in six games, Smith put Atlanta ahead in the fourth inning by taking Griffin Canning deep for his seventh homer this season and first since June 6. Smith had gone just 3-for-19 with five walks and no extra-base hits in nine games prior to Thursday. Overall, he's slashing .264/.318/.395 with 39 RBI and 35 runs scored across 246 plate appearances this season.

The Orioles claimed Pozo off waivers from the Cardinals on Thursday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Pozo will supplement Baltimore's catching depth as it navigates the losses of Adley Rutschman (wrist) and Samuel Basallo (shoulder). The 29-year-old catcher has slashed .247/.273/.363 across parts of three big-league seasons and has a 641 OPS in the minors this season. Pozo will report to Triple-A Norfolk for the time being.

Herrera is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Diamondbacks.

It's the first day off this season for Herrera, who has made 63 starts at designated hitter and 38 starts at catcher for the Cardinals this season. The 26-year-old is just 7-for-48 at the plate over his last 12 games. Alec Burleson is getting a start at DH, and Jimmy Crooks will do the catching for St. Louis.

Benintendi went 2-for-4 with two RBI on Wednesday against the Rangers.

Benintendi delivered RBI singles in the fourth and sixth innings to help the White Sox to a win. Though that was his first multi-hit game in six starts since the All-Star break, Benintendi has six RBI and two runs scored in that span. He remains on pace to deliver his best season since joining Chicago, and he has a strong chance to top 70 runs driven in for the first time since 2021.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Marlins.

Alvarez has hit safely in nine straight games, seven of which have been multi-hit efforts. He has gone 17-for-33 (.515) with five homers and 10 RBI in that span. The star slugger has been excellent throughout the campaign, batting .328 with a 1.089 OPS, 34 homers, 77 RBI, 69 runs scored, 20 doubles and one stolen base through 102 contests. If he stays healthy, he is tracking toward career-best marks in homers and RBI and should receive plenty of MVP buzz.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

The Rangers will keep Pederson on the bench for the second day in a row while the White Sox send another lefty starter (Anthony Kay) to the bump. Wyatt Langford will replace Pederson as the Rangers' designated hitter and leadoff batter.