MLB Player News

Dezenzo is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.

The Astros will go with Zach Cole and Cam Smith as their corner outfielders for the series opener, ending Dezenzo's streak of six consecutive starts in left field during which the 26-year-old went 5-for-19 with a double, a walk and run. Though the Astros recently lost Jose Alutve (oblique) to the injured list, the returns of Jake Meyers and Jeremy Pena from the IL has left five players competing for three spots in the Houston lineup. Dezenzo, Cole, Smith and Brice Matthews are all in the mix for starts in the corner outfield, although Matthews is also battling Braden Shewmake for starts at second base.

The Mariners activated Robles (pectoral) from the 10-day injured list Friday.

In a corresponding move, Seattle optioned Connor Joe to Triple-A Tacoma. Robles hasn't played at the big-league level since April 6 due to a strained right pec. He appeared in 12 games with Tacoma on a rehab assignment and slashed .256/.389/.349 with four doubles, seven RBI, 10 runs scored, two stolen bases and a 9:13 BB:K across 54 plate appearances. He's likely to see most of his at-bats against lefties with the Mariners.

The Astros selected Santa's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday.

To make room for the 23-year-old on the big-league roster, Jayden Murray was optioned to Triple-A. Santa will be looking to make his MLB debut during the Astros' weekend series at Wrigley Field. In 18 games with Sugar Land this season, he logged a 2.37 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 24:7 K:BB across 19 innings.

The Rangers signed Ross to a minor-league contract Friday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Ross was released from his minor-league deal with the Diamondbacks earlier this week after he'd posted an ugly 19.64 ERA across three MLB games. In 12 games with Triple-A Reno, the veteran right-hander logged a 4.29 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 12:5 K:BB across 21 innings. Ross will provide organizational depth with Texas.

Kuhnel (1-1) earned the win in Thursday's 3-2 victory over the Angels. He allowed a hit and a walk with no strikeouts over a scoreless inning.

Kuhnel entered with the game tied in the ninth inning and allowed two Angels to reach base, but he was able to work out of the jam and send the contest to an extra inning, before the Athletics pushed across the winning run in the 10th. The right-hander has been solid this season and has put himself in the high-leverage mix, though he hasn't been given a save situation since April 20. Overall, Kuhnel owns a 2.41 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 10:5 K:BB with four saves and three holds across 18.2 innings.

Macko (1-0) gave up a hit and struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings of relief Thursday to record the win over the Yankees.

Braydon Fisher worked 1.1 scoreless frames as the opener before passing the torch to Macko in what ended up being a 2-0 combined shutout for the Blue Jays staff. It was the 25-year-old southpaw's first win in his third MLB appearance, and through three innings Macko has yet to give up a run while posting a 3:0 K:BB.

Clement went 3-for-4 with three doubles in Thursday's win over the Yankees.

The Blue Jays managed only seven hits in total in a 2-0 victory, but Clement stayed hot with two-baggers off three different pitchers. The 30-year-old infielder is slashing .375/.405/.600 over his last 12 games with five total extra-base hits, six RBI and eight runs.

Springer went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's win over the Yankees.

The veteran hitter took Camilo Doval deep in the seventh inning, giving the Blue Jays a valuable insurance run in an eventual 2-0 victory. Springer has a modest four-game hit streak going in which he's launched two of his four homers on the season, but since returning from a fractured toe in late April he's slashing just .212/.268/.318 over 17 games with four RBI and seven runs.

Miles is viewed as purely a short-term option for the rotation by the Blue Jays, and manager John Schneider said after Thursday's game that the organization has "off ramps" in mind to return the right-hander to the bullpen, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Toronto appears to have found a gem in the Rule 5 pick, as Miles has a 2.17 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 29:8 K:BB over his first 29 MLB innings. That's already more than double his prior career innings total as a professional, however, as the 25-year-old has struggled to stay healthy since being a fourth-round pick of the Giants in 2022. Miles is plugging a hole in the rotation for now, but the organization doesn't want to over-extend him, and the projected June returns of Max Scherzer (forearm/thumb/ankle) and Shane Bieber (elbow) would provide those "off ramps" to get the rookie back to a sheltered long-relief role.

The Twins recalled Gonzalez from Triple-A St. Paul on Friday.

Gonzalez was added to the 40-man roster over the offseason and is receiving his first big-league promotion. His stint in the majors could be brief, however, as there's a good chance he'll be sent back down in a few days when Tristan Gray returns from paternity leave. Gonzalez has slashed only .216/.294/.392 with eight home runs in 44 games this season with St. Paul.