MLB Player News

Stephenson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Athletics.

Stephenson's homer in the bottom of the fourth inning tied the game at 3-3 after the A's took a lead in the top half of the frame. It was the fourth home run in the last 13 contests and 10th of the season for the pending free agent catcher, who has burnished his market value since the break. In 14 second-half games, Stephenson has slashed .319/.418/.702 with seven walks, four homers, six doubles, nine RBI and nine runs scored.

De La Cruz went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Athletics.

De La Cruz jumped on the second pitch he saw to give the Reds an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. It was the 19th homer of the season for De La Cruz, who's seeking a third consecutive 20-homer campaign. He's slashing a career-best .276/.356/.501 for the season along with 18 doubles, five triples, 19 homers and 53 RBI through 95 games.

Bleday went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Athletics. He was also caught stealing.

Bleday's seventh-inning homer was the last of Cincinnati's four solo homers on the day and turned out to be the game-deciding run. It was the 20th home run of the season for Bleday, who whacked 20 while with the Athletics in 2024 before dropping to 14 last season. He has a .230/.344/.470 slash line this year, numbers that have been squelched by a persistent low BABIP (.236).

Manager Pat Murphy said that Bauers (abdomen) was available to come off the bench in an emergency Thursday versus the Pirates, and the team is hopeful that he'll play Friday against the Twins, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Bauers missed the final three games of Milwaukee's four-game set against Pittsburgh after suffering an abdominal injury Monday, but it appears his time on the sidelines is nearing its end. The 30-year-old has continued to be one of the Brewers' most productive bats during the second half, slashing .286/.386/.469 with two homers, five RBI, 12 runs scored and two steals in 16 games since the break.

McLean (8-7) earned the win against the Guardians on Thursday, allowing five runs on eight hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out eight.

McLean certainly wasn't in peak form Thursday, but the Mets gave him plenty of run support to get the hurler credited with the win. It was a rare misstep for the right-hander, who entered Thursday on an outstanding six-start streak with at least six innings while conceding two runs or fewer. McLean will bring what's still an excellent 3.51 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 156:48 K:BB over 130.2 innings into his next scheduled appearance in Atlanta.

Mlodzinski will start Friday's game against the Mets, Jose Negron of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Mlodzinski is getting another opportunity to start for the Pirates after Mitch Keller (arm) went down with a season-ending injury. Although each of Mlodzinski's last 14 appearances have come in relief, he has covered multiple innings in all of those outings, including going three shutout frames in each of his last two trips to the hill. He threw 47 pitches in his last appearance Aug. 1, so Mlodzinski should be handle around 60 pitches Friday.

The Cardinals outrighted Hence to the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Thursday.

It's a bit of a surprise that the former top prospect passed through waivers unclaimed, even after holding a 6.64 ERA and 1.84 WHIP through 20.1 innings this season at Triple-A Memphis. Hence is likely being sent to the FCL in order to work on his mechanics in a less pressurized setting.

Ray is listed as the Padres' probable pitcher for Friday's game against the Astros in Houston.

Ray will be taking the hill on seven days' rest as he makes his debut for the Padres, who acquired him Monday in a deal that sent right-hander Miguel Mendez and shortstop Joniel Hernandez to the Giants. The 34-year-old southpaw was one of two additions to the rotation at the deadline, as the Padres also brought aboard Casey Mize from the Tigers. Ray will look to aid the Friars' playoff push over the next seven and a half weeks before heading into free agency this winter.

The Cardinals claimed Pereira off waivers from the White Sox on Thursday.

He's out of minor-league options, so Pereira will report directly to the big club. Pereira has slashed .225/.284/.438 with four home runs and a 5:30 BB:K across 88 plate appearances in the big leagues this season. The 25-year-old is sporting a .790 OPS against left-handed pitching and could slot into a short-side platoon role in center field with Nathan Church.

The Nationals paused Early's (elbow) throwing program Thursday after he felt forearm tightness during his latest live BP session, Danielle Allentuck of The Washington Post reports.

Early has been sidelined by elbow inflammation since the beginning of July. He was aiming to return from the IL to make his Nationals debut sometime in late August, but the latest setback is likely to extend his time on the shelf. Manager Blake Butera noted that the left-hander's forearm issue isn't too concerning, per Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com, but the team is still going to be "ultra cautious" with Early going forward and give him some time off to rest before reevaluating and determining next steps.