MLB Player News

Lowe went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Friday in a loss to the Royals.

Lowe had a big moment when he swatted a solo homer in the sixth inning to break a 5-5 tie, but Kansas City ultimately came back and pulled out the victory. The long ball ended an 18-game stretch without a homer for Lowe, though many of his plate appearances during that span came as a pinch hitter or following entrance as a defensive replacement. With that said, Lowe has started each of the Angels' past three games, and his playing time has ticked up overall since Jo Adell was traded to Cleveland in early August.

Springs (hip) allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits and no walks with four strikeouts over three innings with Single-A Stockton on Friday.

Springs returned to game action for the first time since landing on the injured list Aug. 4 due to right hip discomfort, throwing 41 of 59 pitches for strikes. It remains to be seen if he'll make another rehab appearance before returning to the active roster, though the southpaw's poor results this year make it far from a guarantee that he'll reclaim a spot in the starting rotation. In 22 starts this season, Springs has posted a 3-11 record with a 6.17 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 88:44 K:BB across 108 innings.

Mesa (hamstring) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Baltimore, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mesa was pulled from Friday's contest due to tightness in his left hamstring, and he'll take a day off Saturday to heal. Jonny DeLuca will fill in as Tampa Bay's right fielder and bat sixth.

The Rays optioned Roycroft to Triple-A Durham on Saturday.

After coming up from the minors July 29, Roycroft coughed up six earned runs on eight hits and two walks while fanning two batters in 4.1 innings. His poor performance will now cost him his place in the Rays' bullpen in favor of Joe Boyle.

The Rays recalled Boyle from Triple-A Durham on Saturday.

Boyle last pitched in the majors April 8 and has since accumulated a 9.13 ERA and 2.14 WHIP over 47.1 innings at Triple-A. He'll reclaim a spot in the big-league bullpen despite his poor performance, though he'll almost certainly be limited to low-leverage work. Chris Roycroft was optioned to Durham in a corresponding move.

The Angels claimed Martin off waivers from the Rays on Saturday and optioned him to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Martin was DFA'd by Tampa Bay on Thursday after putting up a 3.97 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in 11.1 innings with the Rays, but he'll now find a new home on the West Coast. The 25-year-old will begin his tenure with the Angels at Triple-A but could be promoted at some point later in the year to give the Halos a fresh bullpen arm.

Witt went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two walks in Friday's 7-6 win over the Angels.

Witt reached base three times, scoring twice as part of a winning effort for the Royals. The star shortstop has reached base safely in all 10 games since recovering from tightness in his lower back, slashing .342/.432/.421 with three doubles, three RBI, 11 runs and two stolen bases over that span. Overall, Witt is hitting .285/.358/.447 with 13 homers, 25 doubles, 42 RBI, 62 runs and 32 stolen bases across 104 contests.

Cortes went 1-for-2 with a double, three RBI and a walk in Friday's 8-3 win over the Rangers.

Cortes came to the plate with the bases loaded in the first inning, lacing a bases-clearing double to give the Athletics an early 3-0 lead. The 29-year-old has racked up seven RBI over the past three games, matching the seven RBI he recorded across his previous 30 contests. Overall, Cortes is slashing .260/.337/.415 with seven homers, 35 RBI, 23 runs and two stolen bases across 91 games this season.

Judge (ribs) began playing catch Friday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

The Yankees have been gradually ramping up Judge's activity level, and his return to throwing represents his latest significant sign of progress. Manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that the star slugger could be cleared to return in about a month but noted that Judge remains without an official timeline, as his fractured rib still hasn't quite fully healed.

The Blue Jays designated Estrada for assignment Saturday, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

After losing his place in Toronto's bullpen Friday, Estrada will now also give up his place on the 40-man roster to make room for Daz Cameron. Estrada has given up eight runs through 13 innings in the majors this season, but teams in need of bullpen depth may be intrigued by his 2.57 ERA in 28 innings at Triple-A.