MLB Player News

Rave went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Rave generated a run with his speed in the second inning, stealing third and forcing a throwing error that bought him the time to score. The outfielder has hit safely in all six of his games in September, going 6-for-20 (.300) with three extra-base hits this month. Rave has been getting a boost in playing time while Jac Caglianone (elbow) is banged up and would benefit further if an IL stint is deemed necessary. Rave is hitting .233 with a .763 OPS, six steals, five home runs, 11 RBI, 20 runs scored, six doubles and one triple over 116 plate appearances this season.

Jensen went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Jensen has contributed six homers over his last 12 games, going 13-for-44 (.295) in that span. The catcher is thriving out of the leadoff spot with his recent power surge. Overall this year, he's batting .229 with a .761 OPS, 23 homers, 69 RBI, 70 runs scored, 29 doubles, two triples and two stolen bases over 136 contests.

Witt went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Arizona had just clawed back from a two-run deficit in the top of the fifth inning, but Witt answered with a big homer to put the Royals ahead for good. In September, the shortstop has gone 8-for-33 (.242) with two homers and five RBI over nine contests. Witt has had a bit of a down year in the power department with 18 homers through 128 contests. He's batting .282 with an .814 OPS, 54 RBI, 84 runs scored, 30 doubles, one triple and 39 stolen bases.

Pearson allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Pearson wasn't all that sharp, but he was still able to protect the three-run lead. He's riding an 11.1-inning scoreless streak, a span in which he has earned two saves and four holds while working as part of the Royals' closing committee. On the year, Pearson has a 2.03 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 35:19 K:BB through 40 innings between the Royals and the Astros. He has added four saves and five holds.

Lynch (5-5) allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three over five innings to earn the win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

This was Lynch's first win since moving into the rotation after the trade deadline. He has seen mixed results as a starter, allowing 19 runs (18 earned) over 25.2 innings across his seven starts so far, though he has gone five frames in each of his last two outings. For the season, he's at a 3.52 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 49:22 K:BB across 71.2 innings. He's projected to make his next start at Houston.

Jax (7-10) picked up the win Wednesday over Atlanta, allowing one run off two hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out two.

Jax was still a bit limited in his second start back from an elbow issue, as he only threw 66 pitches (45 strikes) but still got through five innings with the only damage against him coming via a Drake Baldwin solo homer. The righty improved his ERA to 3.99 and WHIP to 1.24 over 99.1 innings with the efficient performance. The 31-year-old Jax is slated to pitch next week against the Athletics at home, presumably still with a limited workload.

Smith will start Thursday's game against the Pirates, James Fegan of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

All 10 of Smith's major-league appearances have come out of the bullpen, during which the 23-year-old lefty has allowed just one earned run in 16 innings while striking out 23 batters. His strong performance will now buy him the chance to make his first career start in the big leagues, though he may not work deep into Thursday's contest after throwing fewer than 40 pitches in each of his last three outings.

Murakami went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Pirates.

Murakami homered off of Luke Weaver in the eighth inning to bring him up to 31 long balls, which is tied for fifth in the American League. The Japanese slugger had a rough August during which he hit only .147 with five home runs in 28 contests, but he's already homered twice through eight games in September. On the season, the 26-year-old is slashing .210/.349/.480 with 63 RBI and 74 runs scored, but he also has 169 strikeouts in 482 plate appearances.

Martin (9-7) took the loss Wednesday against the Pirates, allowing one run on four hits and two walks across five innings. He struck out one.

Martin threw only 68 pitches in his second game back from a blister on his right middle finger, which is an interesting workload given his effectiveness and the fact he threw 80 pitches in his first start back from the IL last week. The right-hander still went five innings and has allowed just one earned run over 10.2 innings since returning from the blister. The 29-year-old is scheduled to make his next start in Cleveland next week.

Neto went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 6-4 win over Boston.

Fresh off ripping four hits in Tuesday's victory over the Red Sox, Neto struck again at Fenway Park on Wednesday. That makes it back-to-back games with a homer for the slugging shortstop, who already has four multi-hit efforts in eight September games thus far. Through 630 trips to the plate, Neto is slashing .244/.324/.443 with 25 long balls, 72 RBI, 19 stolen bases and 91 runs scored.