MLB Player News

Smith (glute/wrist/illness) took live batting practice Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

This marked the first batting practice session for Smith since landing on the injured list May 3 with the glute issue. Since then, the infielder has been bothered by wrist inflammation and a bout of viral meningitis that kept him away from baseball activity. Smith could begin a rehab assignment next week.

Montgomery (elbow) threw a 20-pitch live batting practice session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Montgomery continues to grind away at his rehab from left UCL surgery. He's looking at an early August return.

Hoskins went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Yankees.

The Guardians got major contributions from the middle of the order with cleanup batter Kyle Manzardo and Hoskins behind him combining to go 5-for-8 with two doubles, two homers and four RBI. The clout was the sixth for Hoskins, who has spent a good portion of the season hovering around a .200 batting average. Hoskins is slashing .203/.349/.414 over 49 games.

Ramirez went 3-for-4 with a stolen base, a solo home run and three total runs scored in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Yankees.

It's been a minute in terms of leaving the yard for Ramirez, who endured a 13-game stretch without a home run. The blast was his ninth in 63 games. He also extended a hit streak to five games, which is part of a longer stretch in which Ramirez has emerged from a season-opening slump. He was batting just .207 on May 14 but has gone 23-for-69 (.333) with 12 extra-base hits and 16 RBI over 18 games since. The 33-year-old is up to a season high .245 average.

Manzardo went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Yankees.

Manzardo clubbed his seventh home run of the season to give Cleveland an early lead in the second inning. It was the second straight game with a home run for Manzardo, who is 5-for-8 with four extra-base hits and three RBI in the first two games of the series. He's feasted on New York pitching during his brief time in the majors, going 8-for-21 (.381) with seven extra-base hits (four HR) and six RBI over seven contests.

Durbin went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Wednesday's 8-1 win over Baltimore.

It's still in the small-sample-size zone, but Durbin appears to be emerging from a season-opening slump. Wednesday's double extended his streak of games with an extra-base hit to six, and the third baseman is 9-for-24 with seven RBI, one steal and three runs scored over that stretch. With Wednesday's production, Durbin raised his average to a season-high .193.

Contreras went 3-for-4 with a walk, two doubles and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Orioles.

Contreras stretched a single into a double to lead off the fifth inning to spark a five-run rally and seal the win for the Red Sox, which entered the day just 9-20 at Fenway Park. He's been swinging a productive stick of late, going 23-for-56 (.411) with eight extra-base hits (three HR) and 10 RBI over the last 16 contests.

Gasper went 1-for-4 with a walk, a triple, two RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-1 win over Baltimore.

Gasper took advantage of Orioles outfielder Blaze Alexander losing a ball in the twilight and reached third base for his first MLB triple and his first three-base hit at any level since 2022. He started at catcher for the fifth time in the last eight games and extended a hit streak to six consecutive contests. Gasper's been elevated to the primary backstop against right-handers and is 17-for-48 (.354) against them this season.

Witt went 1-for-4 with a run scored, a stolen base and a walk in Wednesday's 5-2 win over Cincinnati.

Witt wasn't a major factor with the bat in Kansas City's win, though he was able to swipe his 20th base of the season, making him one of four players in MLB to reach the mark this year. The shortstop has been particularly active on the bases of late, tallying five steals across the past four contests. It's been a stellar season for the young star, who's slashing .283/.356/.467 with 26 extra-base hits (nine home runs), 26 RBI, 31 runs and an MLB-best 3.7 fWAR among position players through 62 games.

Pasquantino went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 5-2 win over Cincinnati.

Pasquantino opened the scoring early, turning on an elevated fastball from Chase Burns in the first inning for a two-run homer. With a single added in the eighth frame, Wednesday marked the first baseman's fourth multi-hit effort over the past six games. Pasquantino is looking to turn the corner in what has been a disappointing 2026 campaign, as he's hitting .214 with a .648 OPS, six homers, seven doubles, two triples, 28 RBI, 22 runs and two stolen bases across 59 games.