MLB Player News

Casas went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the Rays.

Casas gave Boston an early lead with his ninth home run of the season in the second inning. It was the first homer in 59 at-bats for Casas, who last went deep Aug. 25, when he was Boston's regular cleanup hitter. These days, Casas is batting down in the order -- sixth, seventh or eighth over the last 11 contests -- and he routinely sits against left-handers.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed that Houck (shoulder) will start Wednesday against the Rays, MLB.com reports.

The right-hander will be making his first start since Sept. 4 after he had been dealing with fatigue in his right shoulder. Before his recent absence, Houck had gone 0-4 with a 4.78 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 38:21 K:BB in 52.2 innings in nine starts since the All-Star break.

Heim went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 13-8 win over Toronto.

Heim's two-run single in the sixth inning was the go-ahead hit in a wild back-and-forth game. Similar to years past, the second half of the season hasn't been kind to Heim (career .570 OPS post All-Star break). He entered the game 1-for-32 during September, and the lack of second-half production has cost him at-bats, as Carson Kelly has cut into Heim's playing time since being acquired at the trade deadline. Heim has 101 plate appearances since the beginning of August compared to Kelly's 88.

Garcia went 2-for-4 with two walks, three RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 13-8 win over the Blue Jays.

Garcia delivered a pair of runs in the Rangers' five-run fourth inning and then walked with the bases loaded in the eighth to produce the final run. He's batting just .192 (10-for-52) with seven walks during September. However, Garcia's hits have been timely with runners on base; he's knocked in 14 runs over 14 games, his most in any month since April when he had 21 RBI in 26 contests.

Thomas went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Twins.

Thomas provided the Guardians' lone run when he went deep in the fourth inning. He's surged in September, going 19-for-60 (.317) with five homers and 16 RBI across 16 contests this month. That has helped improve his slash line to .243/.315/.404 with 13 homers, 32 stolen bases, 59 RBI and 61 runs scored over 121 games between Cleveland and Washington for the year. Thomas is the Guardians' top option in center field and seems likely to hold that job into the postseason.

Mullins went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 10-0 loss to the Giants.

Mullins was hitless for the fifth time in the last seven games, but he still managed to post his third steal in that span. The outfielder is up to 29 steals on 35 attempts this year. If he can swipe one more bag, he'll have his third 30-steal campaign in four years. He's added a .231/.305/.408 slash line with 17 home runs, 51 RBI, 62 runs scored and 15 doubles over 138 contests, and his playing time has been more consistent for much of the second half.

Guerrero went 3-for-5 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 13-8 loss to the Rangers.

Guerrero has hit safely in nine of his 12 games in September, but this was just his second multi-hit effort of the month. He had seven such games over the last 11 contests of August. The first baseman is slashing .322/.397/.545 with 28 home runs, 97 RBI, 94 runs scored and two stolen bases over 148 games this season, and he still has time to chase down his third 30-homer campaign.

Schneider went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 13-8 loss to the Rangers.

Schneider has now posted multiple hits in three straight games, and each of those contests has seen him homer. This power surge comes after he went 54 games without a long ball. The 25-year-old is up to 13 homers, 46 RBI, 46 runs scored, six stolen bases and a .203/.291/.366 slash line through 125 contests this season. Schneider figures to be part of a group of players who will help cover for the absence of Daulton Varsho (shoulder) over the remainder of the campaign.

Bassitt allowed seven runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out two over 3.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers on Tuesday.

A pair of Toronto errors, including one by Bassitt himself, helped minimize the damage to his ERA. The Blue Jays would recover from the deficit Bassitt created, which helped him avoid taking the loss. Still, he wasn't very sharp with just 48 of his 80 pitches landing for strikes. Since the All-Star break, he's been charged with four or more runs in six of his 11 outings, alternating between decent and poor performances the whole time. The right-hander is now at a 4.16 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 166:63 K:BB through 166.2 innings over 30 starts this season. Bassitt's next start is projected to be on the road versus the Rays.

Altuve was ejected in the ninth inning of Tuesday's game against the Padres after arguing that he fouled a pitch off his foot.

Altuve went as far as taking off his shoe and sock in an effort to prove to home-plate umpire Brennan Miller that he hit a foul ball off his foot rather than a grounder in fair territory. However, Miller didn't seem to appreciate being presented with Altuve's bare foot, so the veteran second baseman was immediately tossed from the game. He had gone 1-for-5 with two strikeouts before being ejected.