MLB Player News

Bailey is out of the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Blue Jays.

After starting both of the first two games of the series at catcher, Bailey will exit the lineup for Thursday's matinee. Austin Hedges will step in behind the dish and bat eighth in the series finale.

Bradford (0-4) took the loss Wednesday as the Rangers were downed 9-2 by the A's, surrendering five runs on seven hits -- including three home runs -- and a walk over four innings. He struck out three.

It was the southpaw's worst performance since coming off the IL for his season debut in early August after completing his recovery from an internal brace procedure on his elbow. Bradford has been taken deep only once in his first five starts, but Henry Bolte got to him for a pair of two-run shots in this one, while Zack Gelof also tagged him for a solo homer. Bradford saw his ERA inflate from 3.42 to 4.45 as a result, and through 30.1 innings he carries a 1.58 WHIP and 16:7 K:BB. He'll try to bounce back in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in Seattle.

Bolte went 3-for-4 with a walk, two home runs, four RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 9-2 win over the Rangers.

The rookie outfielder wasn't getting fooled by lefty Cody Bradford, touching him up for two-run blasts in the third and fourth innings as the A's put the game away early. Bolte snapped a 16-game power drought with the performance, but he stayed productive during that span with a .299/.373/.358 slash line. Through his first 375 big-league plate appearances, Bolte is batting .274 with a respectable .739 OPS, eight homers, 15 steals, 30 RBI and 41 runs.

Lopez (6-4) picked up the win in Wednesday's 9-2 victory over the Rangers, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out seven.

The southpaw served up solo shots to Ezequiel Duran in the first inning and Justin Foscue in the second -- the first time Lopez has been taken deep multiple times since May 14 -- but he settled in after that and produced his fourth quality start of the season on 102 pitches (65 strikes). Lopez has been locked in for nearly two months, giving up two runs or fewer in 10 straight outings dating back to July 10 and delivering a 2.28 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 61:18 K:BB in 51.1 innings over that sparkling stretch. He'll look to tie his career high with his seventh win in his next trip to the mound, which is set to come at home early next week against the Blue Jays.

Gasper went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Mariners.

Gasper continued an unexpected power surge that began with his return to the majors Aug. 17 -- he's gone 15-for-38 (.395) with four doubles, seven homers and 14 RBI over 14 games around a very short-lived trip to the minors for one day earlier this week. The versatile Gasper made a third consecutive start at first base in place of the injured Willson Contreras, and the Red Sox will find a spot for Gasper somewhere if he continues to hit like this.

Duran batted leadoff and went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 9-2 loss to the Athletics.

Duran gave the Rangers an early lead when he took Jacob Lopez deep on the third pitch he saw in the bottom of the first inning. It was the 16th home run of the season for Duran, who has found his swing again. Following a two-week run at the beginning of August in which he batted .128 (6-for-47), Duran's posted a .404 average (19-for-47) with three doubles, one triple, three home runs and 11 RBI over the subsequent 13 games. He's now at a career-high 507 plate appearances with a career-high .791 OPS.

Perez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 9-6 loss to the Marlins.

Perez got in on the action of a five-run first inning, crushing a two-run homer off Eury Perez. Over his past 15 games, the veteran slugger is slashing .271/.306/.441 with two homers, 12 RBI and six runs. He's been better of late, but his overall numbers are among the worst of his career, as Perez is hitting .221/.266/.375 with 18 homers, 64 RBI and 47 runs across 130 contests.

Garcia (shoulder) is likely to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday, Drew Davison of MLB.com reports.

Garcia had a positive live-throwing session Wednesday and is ready for the next step. "Honestly, it felt good to be back. It felt normal," Garcia said. The left-hander's been on the injured list since April 23 due to left rotator cuff inflammation. The Rangers plan for him to make two or three appearances for the Express before being activated.

Crawford went 3-for-3 with two run scored in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Red Sox.

Crawford has now gone 6-for-8 in his last three contests after going just 2-for-16 in his first five games following a month-long stint on the IL. With Colt Emerson (wrist) out for the year, Crawford should remain Seattle's everyday shortstop down the stretch. The veteran is slashing .221/.338/.347 with 10 homers, 31 RBI, 42 runs scored and one steal across 394 plate appearances this season.

Ballesteros went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 6-3, extra-inning loss to the Yankees.

Ballesteros went deep in the 10th inning, but the Angels weren't able to get closer than a three-run deficit. The long ball was his first in the majors since May 3 when he was still with the Cubs, a span of 54 contests without a homer for the 22-year-old. He's hitting .207 with a .594 OPS, seven homers, 29 RBI, 22 runs scored, nine doubles and one stolen base over 85 contests between the Angels and the Cubs this year.