MLB Player News

Massey went 3-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-0 win over the Twins.

The second baseman took rookie Zebby Matthews deep in the fourth inning, part of Massey's first multi-hit performance since Aug. 24. That brief slump has been the exception for the 26-year-old of late -- since the beginning of August, Massey is slashing .297/.330/.473 over 28 contests with nine extra-base hits, including three of his 12 homers on the year.

Ragans (11-9) picked up the win in Friday's 5-0 victory over the Twins, allowing four hits and a walk over six scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

When Ragans fanned Royce Lewis with a changeup in the third inning, it made him the first left-hander in Kansas City history to record 200 strikeouts in a season. He's only the fifth Royals pitcher to ever reach that mark, joining a group that includes Zack Greinke (2009), Kevin Appier (1996), Dennis Leonard (a franchise-record 244 Ks in 1977) and Bob Johnson (1970). The quality start was the 18th of the season for Ragans, and since the beginning of August he's posted a 3.23 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 51:16 K:BB over 39 innings. His 204 strikeouts on the year put him third in the majors behind Tarik Skubal's 208 and Chris Sale's 206. Ragans is scheduled for a tough road start against the Yankees next week, and his subsequent turn in the rotation could set him up for a dramatic showdown with Skubal in Kansas City on Sept. 17.

Matthews (1-3) took the loss Friday, giving up four runs on nine hits and a walk over five innings as the Twins were downed 5-0 by the Royals. He struck out four.

While his offense gave him no support, Matthews once again left too many hittable pitches over the plate. The rookie right-hander served up his sixth homer in 22 big-league innings, a fourth-inning solo shot by Michael Massey, and while his 22:3 K:BB over that stretch demonstrates that the impeccable control he displayed in the minors remains intact, it comes with a 7.36 ERA and 1.59 WHIP. Matthews lines up to make his next start at home next week against the Angels.

Valdez started at second base and went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in Friday's 3-1 win over the White Sox.

Valdez walked and scored on Ceddanne Rafaela's home run in the seventh inning. Valdez, who's started three of the last four games, may begin losing opportunities going forward. The Red Sox plan to reinstate Trevor Story (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Saturday, and Story will start at shortstop while Rafaela moves to second base.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with two home runs and six RBI in Friday's 8-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

The slugger connected for a three-run shot off Brandon Pfaadt in the fifth inning before launching another one off Jordan Montgomery just one frame later. The multi-homer performance was Alvarez's seventh of the season, tying the Astros' franchise record set by Chris Carter in 2014. Three of those power displays have come in the last nine games, a stretch in which Alvarez is batting .382 (13-for-34) with seven homers and 12 RBI.

Valdez (14-6) picked up the win in Friday's 8-0 rout of the Diamondbacks, allowing two hits and three walks over seven scoreless innings. He struck out seven.

Valdez has now held the opposition scoreless three times in his last four trips to the mound. The southpaw has been nearly untouchable since the beginning of August, giving up only 15 hits in 41 innings over his last six starts en route to a 1.32 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 45:12 K:BB. Valdez will look to stay dominant in his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Athletics.

Rafaela is expected to move to second base Saturday, when shortstop Trevor Story (shoulder) will be activated off the 60-day injured list, MLB.com reports.

Second base has been a revolving door all season for the Red Sox, whose second basemen have combined for league lows in batting average (.196) and OPS (.535). The position had been designated for Vaughn Grissom, but his injuries, setbacks and performance in the minors prevented that plan from being executed. Rafaela, whose two-run home run was the winning blow Friday, has slumped of late, going 5-for-36 (.139) with 14 strikeouts over the last 11 contests.

Bido isn't in line to make a turn through the rotation during this weekend's series versus the Tigers, as Brady Basso and J.T. Ginn have been confirmed to start Saturday and Sunday, respectively, Jessica Kleinschmidt of the Oakland Athletics Radio Network reports.

Bido looked on track for a two-start week after he gave up four runs over 5.1 innings in his outing against the Mariners on Monday, but he'll instead have his next start pushed bak until at least next week following the Athletics' call-up of Basso, who was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday. Manager Mark Kotsay didn't shed much light on why Bido was bypassed for a start Saturday or Sunday, but given how well the right-hander has performed of late, his absence from the rotation this weekend could point to him dealing with a yet-to-be-disclosed injury. Dating back to the beginning of August, Bido had gone 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 32:10 K:BB in 34.1 innings.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said that Basso will start Saturday's game against the Tigers, Jessica Kleinschmidt of the Oakland Athletics Radio Network reports.

Osvaldo Bido would have been lined up to pitch Saturday, but the Athletics look set to skip his turn through the rotation, as Basso will take the hill for the penultimate game of the series, while J.T. Ginn starts Sunday's finale. Basso's previous three appearances with the Athletics came as a reliever from late May through mid-June, but he had been working out of the rotation at Triple-A Las Vegas prior to his call-up Thursday and looks set to operate as a traditional starter Saturday. He covered at least five innings in four of his last five outings with Las Vegas, compiling a 2.84 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 27:4 K:BB in 25.1 innings during that stretch.

Taveras was not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Angels. It was his second straight absence against a left-hander.

Sandro Fabian started in the outfield Friday while Ezequiel Duran filled in Tuesday. It's unclear if sitting Taveras against lefties is the plan going forward, but more should be known Saturday when the Angels have another lefty scheduled. The switch-hitting Taveras is batting .202/.287/.262 over 96 plate appearances against southpaws this season.