MLB Player News

The Tigers signed DeJong to a minor-league contract Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

DeJong opted out of his minor-league deal with the Yankees last week after slashing .203/.361/.516 with six home runs and a 16:18 BB:K in 23 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. With Javier Baez (ankle) on the injured list and Gleyber Torres (side) also banged up, DeJong could get a look with the big club sooner rather than later.

Gray (hamstring) threw a bullpen session Monday that went well, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Gray's right hamstring has responded well to multiple throwing sessions over the past week, which likely sets the right-hander up to return from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday's series finale in Detroit. Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy plans to meet with Gray and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow before confirming Wednesday's scheduled starter. If the Red Sox elect to wait a little bit longer before activating Gray, Jake Bennett would likely be the top alternative to start Wednesday.

Slaten (oblique) allowed one hit and struck out two over a scoreless inning for Double-A Portland on Sunday.

Slaten opened the rehab assignment by serving as a game opener for the Sea Dogs. The right-hander's next outing will be Tuesday or Wednesday at Triple-A Worcester, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. It's uncertain if Slaten will require more rehab outings beyond what's coming up in the next two days. He last pitched for Boston on April 4.

Fry served as the designated hitter and went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Monday's 6-2 loss to the Royals.

Fry put Cleveland on the board early with a two-run homer in the second inning, but that's all the team could do against Kansas City pitching. It was Fry's third time going deep in his last six games. He doesn't get nearly the number of opportunities as others on the team, but Fry is second on the Guardians with an .892 OPS over 51 plate appearances.

Crawford went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a pair of walks in Monday's 5-4 win over Atlanta.

Crawford put the Mariners ahead for good Monday with his two-run blast off Tyler Kinley in the sixth inning, his third homer of the year. The long ball extended Crawford's hitting streak to six games -- he's gone 7-for-23 (.304) with a pair of home runs and a 1.013 OPS in that span, boosting his slash line to .208/.367/.333 across 120 plate appearances this season.

Cole went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 8-3 loss to the Dodgers.

Making his first major-league appearance this season, Cole provided the Astros with one of their few bright spots Monday with his fifth-inning homer off Yoshinobu Yamamoto. With Taylor Trammell (groin), Joey Loperfido (quadriceps) and Jake Meyers (oblique) all on the IL, the left-handed hitting Cole is poised to see regular playing time in Houston's outfield, particularly against right-handed pitching. Cole impressed in a 15-game stint with the Astros last season, where he slashed .255/.327/.553 with four homers, 11 RBI, nine runs scored and three steals across 52 plate appearances.

Vilade went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in Monday's 5-1 win over the Blue Jays.

After Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero reached base to lead off the game, Vilade provided the early spark, launching a three-run homer off Eric Lauer. The blast was his first of the season and just the second of his MLB career. Vilade has been swinging a hot bat lately, slashing .357/.400/.536 over his last 12 games with two doubles, eight RBI and five runs scored.

Baker earned the save Monday against the Blue Jays, recording the final out of the ninth inning.

Baker entered the ninth with two outs and runners on the corners and induced a flyout from Kazuma Okamoto to seal the win. The quick appearance secured his ninth save of the season, tying him for the American League lead, and he now has five saves in his last six appearances. Baker has been highly effective this season, posting a 2.63 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 15:3 K:BB across 13.2 innings. After a two-pitch workload, he should be fully available for Tampa Bay's next save scenario.

Lauer (1-4) took the loss Monday against the Rays, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two over 4.1 innings.

Lauer struggled out of the gate, giving up all three of his runs in the first inning before recording an out, via a three-run homer from Ryan Vilade. He settled in nicely after that, retiring 13 of the next 16 batters, but the early damage proved too much for Toronto to overcome. Lauer has yet to pitch deep into games this season, topping 90 pitches just once and still without a start of six innings or more. He now owns a 6.03 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and a 22:14 K:BB across 31.1 innings and is scheduled to face the Angels next.

Martinez (3-1) earned the win Monday against the Blue Jays, allowing one run on five hits and one walk while striking out four over five innings.

Martinez continued his efficient run, throwing 51 of 71 pitches for strikes and consistently working ahead in counts. The right-hander has now held opponents to two runs or fewer in all seven of his starts this season, resulting in a strong 1.71 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. The one drawback has been his lack of swing-and-miss, as he's recorded just 28 strikeouts over 42 innings, his lowest strikeout rate since 2017. Martinez is set to take the mound against Boston in his next outing.