MLB Player News

Rafaela entered as a pinch hitter and belted a two-run home run in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Phillies.

Rafaela was held out of the starting lineup because interim manager Chad Tracy wanted Masataka Yoshida's left-handed bat against Philadelphia starter and right-hander Andrew Painter. Ironically, Rafaela was announced to pinch hit for Yoshida against a lefty in the sixth inning, but Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly countered with righty Orion Kerkering. Rafaela crushed a fastball for the first pinch-hit home run of his career and the game-winning hit. It was Rafaela's third homer to go along with nine RBI in his last seven contests.

Crochet (shoulder) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Crochet pitched off a mound for the first time since hitting the injured list last month with shoulder inflammation. Next up for the left-hander is an expected two-inning bullpen session this weekend in Atlanta. If Crochet feels good coming out of that longer session, then he could face hitters by the middle of next week, putting him on schedule for a potential return during the last week of May. The Red Sox could follow a similar path as the one laid out for Sonny Gray when he dealt with a hamstring injury earlier this season, which could enable Crochet to return to the rotation without going on a rehab assignment beforehand.

Varsho went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Tampa Bay.

After the Rays scored twice to take a 3-1 lead in the top of the 10th inning, Varsho came up with the bases loaded with one out in the bottom half of the frame and launched an opposite-field grand slam off a two-strike pitch from Aaron Brooks, sending Toronto home with a win. It's the fifth homer of the year for Varsho, who's gone 7-for-21 (.333) with an .840 OPS in his last five games. Overall, he's slashing .250/.321/.403 with 13 RBI, 19 runs scored and three steals across 159 plate appearances this season.

Story went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Phillies.

Story opened the scoring in the second inning with a 424-foot blast off Andrew Painter, his third homer this year and first since April 15. Coming into Wednesday, Story had gone just 6-for-32 (.188) with a lone extra-base hit in his prior eight games. Overall, he's slashing .211/.250/.311 with 19 RBI, 16 runs scored and four steals across 172 plate appearances this season.

Hernaiz went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Cardinals.

Hernaiz looked to be losing his grip on a starting role at third base last week, but the absence of Jacob Wilson (shoulder) has opened up shortstop for the foreseeable future. Hernaiz will need to hit his way into keeping the job -- this was just his second multi-hit effort of the campaign. The infielder is batting a passable .250, but he has a .638 OPS with one home run, five RBI, seven runs scored and two stolen bases over 69 plate appearances. He doesn't appear to have much upside unless his bat gets hot.

Gelof went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Cardinals.

Gelof saw a nine-game hitting streak snapped in Tuesday's series opener against St. Louis, but he bounced back Wednesday. He took Gordon Graceffo deep in the eighth inning to tack on the Athletics' last run of the game. Gelof is batting .257 with a .793 OPS, four homers, 12 RBI, 13 runs scored and two stolen bases over 26 contests this season, which saw him start the year at Triple-A Las Vegas. A natural second baseman, he's currently occupying a starting role at third base in the absence of Max Muncy (hand). Gelof may settle into a utility role once the Athletics are healthier, but his current production should help him maintain a place in the lineup regardless of where he fits in defensively.

Kurtz went 2-for-4 with a grand slam, a double and a second run scored in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Cardinals.

Kurtz had been a bit quiet on the power front, going 15 games without a homer despite batting .271 (16-for-59) in that stretch. He ended the drought in a big way Wednesday, taking Matthew Liberatore deep in the fifth inning to give the Athletics all the offense they needed to win. Kurtz is batting .267 with an .871 OPS, six homers, 25 RBI, 26 runs scored, five stolen bases, eight doubles and one triple over 41 contests this season. He hasn't come close to his pace from last year -- 36 homers in 117 games -- but there's still plenty of upside in the 23-year-old's bat.

Ginn (2-1) allowed one unearned run on nine hits and a walk while striking out three over six innings to earn the win over the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Ginn got away with pitching to contact in this outing. He threw 63 of 95 pitches for strikes and came away with his second quality start in a row. The right-hander is now at a 3.12 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 34:16 K:BB through 43.1 innings over 10 appearances (seven starts) this season. Ginn can be useful in fantasy in favorable matchups, and he'll have one of those in his next projected start, which is lined up to be on the road versus the Angels early next week.

Raley went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Astros.

Raley has four homers over his last seven games, accounting for all but one of his hits in that span. He's added 11 RBI during the resurgence at the plate after an ice-cold end to April. Overall, he's batting .262 with a .901 OPS, nine homers, 24 RBI, 17 runs scored, four doubles, one triple and no stolen bases over 38 contests. Raley will likely continue to hold the platoon advantage over Rob Refsnyder for starts in right field.

Crawford went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Astros.

Crawford was back atop the lineup since Brendan Donovan received a day off. The homer was Crawford's fifth of the season, four of which have come over his last 14 games, a stretch in which he's hitting .250 (13-for-52). That's an improvement on his .208 average for the season, which comes with a .713 OPS, 14 RBI, 21 runs scored, one stolen base and three doubles over 36 contests. Crawford isn't a huge threat with power or speed, but his patience at the plate is enough to keep him in a starting role for a team that has struggled to hit this season.