MLB Player News

The Guardians optioned Naylor to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Naylor has slashed just .143/.200/.238 through 90 plate appearances this season, so Cleveland will send him back down to the minors to get him back on track. The Guardians traded for Patrick Bailey to replace Naylor on the active roster and provide defensive help at catcher. Austin Hedges is also likely to continue making starts behind the plate, given Bailey's recent offensive struggles.

The Guardians acquired Bailey from the Giants on Saturday in exchange for left-hander Matt Wilkinson and the 29th pick in the 2026 First-Year Player Draft, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Bailey was starting to see his playing time with the Giants trend down after beginning the season with just a .396 OPS through 89 plate appearances. The Guardians have also been fighting to get consistent production out of the catcher spot, as Bo Naylor has struggled to the tune of a .438 OPS over his first 28 games and will now head down to Triple-A following Cleveland's acquisition of Bailey. Although he hasn't produced much at the plate, Bailey's elite defense should allow him to at least work in a timeshare behind the dish with Austin Hedges.

Abreu went 1-for-2 with two walks and a solo home run in Friday's 2-0 win over the Rays.

Abreu's third-inning home run was all the Red Sox needed in a pitcher's duel at Fenway Park. It was the second homer in the last four games and sixth of the season for Abreu, who has knocked in runs in five of the last seven contests. He's been a steady producer since Opening Day and is slashing .303/.387/.486 over 163 plate appearances.

Slaten (oblique) is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list Saturday or Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Slaten made two strong rehab appearances for Triple-A Worcester and was seemingly available to be activated Friday after Boston optioned Jake Bennett following his start Thursday. Instead, the team recalled Jack Anderson for Friday's game against the Rays. "I think you'll see Slaten this weekend at some point active," interim manager Chad Tracy told Christopher Smith of MassLive.com before Friday's game. The manager believed that Anderson could provide length if needed. Slaten, who hasn't pitched since April 8, recently threw for the WooSox on Wednesday.

Nimmo started in right field and went 0-for-3 in Friday's 7-1 loss to the Cubs.

Nimmo was back defending in the outfield after a hamstring issue cost him a couple of games and limited him to designated hitter in three others. He continues to be a bright light in the Rangers' lineup and is slashing .291/.373/.440 with four home runs, 12 RBI, one steal and 17 runs over 36 games, all as the team's leadoff batter.

Alonso went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-3 loss to the A's.

The slugging first baseman smashed a Jacob Lopez changeup the other way in the fourth inning to open the scoring. Alonso's blast extended his hitting streak to eight games, a stretch in which he's batting .333 (11-for-33) with four doubles, four homers, 10 RBI and 11 runs to account for half his long balls on the season.

Gibson gave up one run on three hits and one walk over two innings of relief in Friday's 4-3 loss to the A's. He struck out two.

Called back up from Triple-A Norfolk earlier in the day, Gibson was immediately deployed by manager Craig Albernaz in a long-relief role. It's a vote of confidence in Brandon Young's ability to hold down a spot in the rotation as injuries pile up on Baltimore's staff, but Gibson also hasn't done much to push for a bigger role. The 23-year-old right-hander has a 4.01 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 25:12 K:BB over 24.2 innings for Norfolk, and in two big-league appearances (one start) he's managed a 5.40 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 4:3 K:BB in 6.2 frames.

Bradish (1-5) took the loss Friday, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk over seven innings as the Orioles fell 4-3 to the A's. He struck out a season-high 10.

With injuries beginning to pile up in the Baltimore rotation, Bradish came through with his second quality start of the season on 96 pitches, with 34 called or swinging strikes. It wasn't enough to get into the win column, however, as the A's scratched across three runs in the fifth inning thanks largely to a Nick Kurtz triple to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish. It was only the second time in eight starts this season that Bradish avoided issuing multiple free passes, and through 41 innings he's managed a 4.83 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 45:22 K:BB. He'll try to build on this performance in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Yankees.

Hedges went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's 6-4 win over Minnesota.

Hedges was in the starting lineup as usual for starter Parker Messick, but the backup catcher has caught four of Cleveland's last seven games, going 5-for-14 with three extra-base hits, two RBI and four runs scored over that stretch. In addition to his role as the personal catcher for Messick, the right-handed-hitting Hedges appears to have become the choice whenever the Guardians face a lefty starter, per Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Hedges' production (123 wRC+, .801 OPS) dwarfs that of Bo Naylor (22, .438).

Perkins recorded his first hold of the season in Friday's 4-3 win over the Orioles, giving up one run on one hit and one walk over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out two.

Entering the game in the ninth inning to protect a 4-2 lead, Perkins couldn't get the job done, tossing just 13 of 25 pitches for strikes and getting the hook with the tying run aboard. Hogan Harris picked up the final out to get the save. Perkins is the preferred closing option for A's manager Mark Kotsay, but the 26-year-old righty is still in his probationary period and has been scored upon in back-to-back appearances. On the season, Perkins sports a 4.11 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 21:5 K:BB through 15.1 innings while converting three of four save chances.