MLB Player News

Higashioka went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Astros.

Higashioka didn't do much Saturday, but he delivered a game-tying homer in the ninth inning off Josh Hader to force extras. Higashioka has warmed up at the plate in July, going 9-for-27 (.333) with three homers and nine RBI over seven games this month. That's earning him more playing time behind the dish while Jonah Heim has been able to rest his legs more often as the designated hitter. Based on his career performance, this surge is likely to be temporary for Higashioka. He's now at a .235/.290/.358 slash line with four homers, 25 RBI, 15 runs scored and one stolen base through 176 plate appearances this season.

Semien went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Astros.

Semien has a pair of multi-hit efforts over his last three games, and he's popped four homers over his last 12 contests. The second baseman helped the Rangers make a late-innings comeback Saturday with his eighth-inning blast to pull them within a run. On the year, he's up to a .239/.317/.371 slash line with 11 homers, 48 RBI, 47 runs scored and seven stolen bases across 95 games.

DeGrom allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out eight over six innings in a no-decision versus the Astros on Saturday.

DeGrom closed out the first half by logging quality starts in seven of his last eight outings, going 5-0 with 12 runs allowed over 49 innings in that span. He was a bit unfortunate Saturday, serving up solo home runs to Jose Altuve and Yainer Diaz, which makes this deGrom's fourth outing with multiple homers allowed. He's still been otherwise dominant -- and more importantly, healthy -- in 2025, posting a 2.32 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 113:24 K:BB across 112.1 innings over 19 starts. He's already at his heaviest workload since 2019, so it'll be something to keep an eye on with how he holds up after the All-Star break.

Dubon went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings win over the Rangers.

Dubon saw a nine-game hitting streak end Friday, but he responded in a big way with a seventh-inning homer Saturday. That blast ended his power drought at 15 games, during which he hit .260 with five doubles and one RBI. Dubon is getting a chance to play regularly at shortstop while Jeremy Pena (ribs) remains out, though Zack Short is also in the mix at that position. Second base is unlikely to be available to Dubon while top prospect Brice Matthews is up with the big club. In a utility role this year, Dubon is slashing .259/.297/.421 with six homers, 20 RBI, 26 runs scored, 14 doubles and two stolen bases over 211 plate appearances.

Rutschman (oblique) is scheduled to catch in Florida next Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Rutschman is expected to continue his rehab following the All-Star break, which effectively rules out a potential return to the Orioles for Friday's second-half opener in Tampa Bay. That said, the star backstop should be able to rejoin the major-league roster early in the second half of the season. Before going down with an oblique strain, Rutschman was slashing a weak .227/.319/.372 with eight home runs, nine doubles, 20 RBI and 31 runs scored.

Hader allowed a run on two hits and struck out two in one inning to take a blown save in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings win over the Rangers.

Hader served up a game-tying home run to Kyle Higashioka in the ninth inning, which stuck the Houston closer with his first blown save of the year. He's also showing some struggles -- after allowing four runs (three earned) across 13.2 innings in June, he's been charged with six runs (five earned) through five frames in July. The long ball remains a problem, as Hader has given up eight homers in 42.2 innings this season, though he's largely been successful by converting 25 of 26 save chances. He's added a 2.53 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 65:9 K:BB, ratios that are better than last year across the board.

Diaz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings win over the Rangers.

Diaz has hit .275 (11-for-40) with three homers, four RBI and a stolen base across 11 games in July. The catcher was limited to just two long balls over his first 25 games of the season, but he's since rebounded in the power department. Overall, he has a .688 OPS, 13 homers, 38 RBI, 34 runs scored, 11 doubles, one triple and one steal across 84 contests in 2025.

Altuve went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings win over the Rangers.

The first-inning solo shot was Altuve's fifth homer in his last 12 games. In that span, he's added 18 RBI while batting .370 (17-for-46). The 35-year-old has started the last two games in left field while Brice Matthews gets a chance to play second base following his call-up Friday. Altuve has split his time between left field, second base and designated hitter this year. He's now batting .275 with a .799 OPS, 17 homers, 52 RBI, 50 runs scored and six stolen bases over 92 contests.

Valdez allowed an unearned run on four hits and struck out 10 without walking a batter over six innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers on Saturday.

Valdez's own wild pitch allowed Sam Haggerty to score in the first inning, but that was the southpaw's lone mistake. It wouldn't be the only blunder for his team, however, as closer Josh Hader blew his first save of the year, denying Valdez the win. Valdez has racked up all three of his double-digit strikeout performances over his last seven starts, a span in which he's given up a total of 11 runs (10 earned) over 43 innings. For the season, he's at a 2.75 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 125:41 K:BB through 121 innings across 19 starts.

Baz (8-5) completed 6.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out three batters in a loss to Boston on Saturday.

Baz was very effective Saturday, allowing just a fourth-inning run despite notching only one 1-2-3 frame. However, opposing hurler Garrett Crochet fired a complete-game shutout, resulting in Baz taking a second consecutive loss. Despite the defeat, this was another strong performance by the right-hander, who has recorded four straight quality starts. He'll head into the All-Star break with a 4.17 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 107:40 K:BB over 110 innings spanning 19 outings.