MLB Player News

Rice went 2-for-3 with a solo home run during Friday's 5-3 loss to the Red Sox.

Rice got the Yankees on the board early with a solo home run off Sonny Gray in the first inning. It was Rice's 18th homer of the season, which is tied for Byron Buxton for third-most in the American League. The Yankees will need all of Rice's power as the team navigates the absence of Aaron Judge, who was placed on the 10-day IL prior to Friday's game due to a stress fracture in his right rib that will sideline him for at least 4-for-6 weeks. Rice has done all he can at the plate, especially over his last nine games, when he has gone 16-for-36 (.444) with 11 RBI and nine extra-base hits.

Duran went 1-for-4 with a steal and a run scored during the Red Sox's 5-3 win over the Yankees on Friday.

Duran logged his 11th steal of the season in the third inning and was brought home three batters later on an infield single by Willson Contreras. Duran has struggled for most of the season but has been far better at the plate as of late. Over his last 15 games, he has gone 20-for-66 (.303) with two steals, six home runs and 14 RBI.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI during the Red Sox's 5-3 win over the Yankees on Friday.

Contreras drove in his first run in the third inning on an infield single before giving the Red Sox a 5-2 lead in the fifth with a two-run home run off Ryan Weathers. Contreras has logged at least two hits in each of his last three games and has gone deep in back-to-back games, which has him at 13 home runs on the season. He has a .934 OPS across over 249 plate appearances, which is fifth-best in the American League.

Gray (7-1) earned the win against the Yankees on Friday, allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three across 6.1 innings.

Friday's outing was far from Gray's best outing of the season, with his eight hits being his most allowed in a game since April 14 against the Twins (nine). He gave up a solo home run to Ben Rice in the first inning before yielding another solo shot in the fifth to Trent Grisham, but Gray managed to limit the damage to three runs and came away with his sixth quality start of the season (and fourth over his last five starts) while tossing only 79 pitches. The veteran right-hander sits at a 3.20 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 44:16 K:BB across 56.1 innings this season, and his seven wins are tied for third-most in the American League behind Gavin Williams (nine) and Davis Martin (eight). Gray's next start is slated for next week on the road against the Rays.

Chapman earned the save in Friday's 5-3 win over the Yankees, allowing two walks while striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning. He did not allow a hit.

Chapman walked two of the first three batters he faced in the ninth inning, but he came away with his 13th save of the season after getting Jose Caballero to fly out right field and Trent Grisham to ground out to first base. Chapman has not allowed a run over his last 15.2 innings, striking out 23 batters while logging 11 saves in that span. Chapman has been dealing with a hamstring issue recently, interim manager Chad Tracy told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com after the game, but the veteran closer seems intent on pitching through the injury.

Grissom was scratched from the lineup for Friday's game against the Dodgers with left side tightness, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The Angels are labeling Grissom as day-to-day, so although he won't be able to start Friday's contest, he doesn't seem to be dealing with anything too severe. Oswald Peraza will shift to first base while Grissom rests, opening up second base for Nick Madrigal.

Basallo was removed from Friday's game against Toronto with right abdominal discomfort, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.

Basallo went 0-for-2 at the plate before exiting the game in the sixth inning. It's unknown whether his injury will force him to miss additional starts, though the Orioles could provide some clarity after the game.

Varsho was removed from Friday's game against the Orioles with left wrist discomfort, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

The severity of Varsho's injury is still unknown, but the Jays should provide more information in the near future. If the 29-year-old ends up needing to miss time, Myles Straw and Yohendrick Pinango would be the leading candidates to pick up starts in the outfield.

Simpson was removed from Friday's game against the Marlins with left thumb discomfort, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The severity of Simpson's injury remains unclear, but the Rays may provide an update on his status shortly after Friday's contest. Ryan Vilade and Victor Mesa would likely operate as Tampa Bay's corner outfielders if Simpson needs to miss additional time.

The Angels signed Porter to a minor-league contract Friday, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.

Porter was designated for assignment by the Giants on Monday. He elected free agency after being outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento, and he'll get a new opportunity with the Angels and report to Triple-A Salt Lake. Porter has spent the entire 2026 season in the minors, where he is slashing .241/.292/.362 with 10 RBI and four extra-base hits across 65 plate appearances.