MLB Player News

Tawa started at first base and went 0-for-3 in a 7-2 loss to the Giants.

Tawa filled in for Josh Naylor, who was held out against San Francisco lefty Robbie Ray. Naylor, who recently experienced neck stiffness, had just returned to the starting lineup Wednesday as the designated hitter, and the decision to sit him Thursday does not appear to be injury related. Tawa has gone hitless over his last 24 at-bats while striking 10 times (41.7 percent strikeout rate).

The Nationals optioned Millas to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

The 27-year-old will head back to Rochester since Keibert Ruiz has recovered from his concussion. Millas appeared in three games during his week-plus in the majors and went 1-for-7 with a double, an RBI and two runs.

Washington recalled Loutos from Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

The right-hander was optioned to Rochester on Thursday but will end up sticking with the Nationals as Trevor Williams (elbow) heads to the injured list. Loutos has given up six earned runs with a 2:5 K:BB over 4.1 frames in six outings with Washington this year.

The Nationals placed Williams (elbow) on the 15-day injured list Friday due to a right elbow sprain.

It's unclear when the injury first surfaced for the right-hander, but he surrendered a season-high seven runs during his start against the Tigers on Wednesday. Williams will be eligible to return right after the All-Star break, though a longer absence wouldn't be surprising given the nature of the injury.

The Nationals reinstated Ruiz (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Friday.

The 26-year-old landed on the concussion IL on June 24 after being struck by a foul ball while in the dugout, but he's back on the active roster after missing little more than a week. Prior to the injury, Ruiz was scuffling at the plate through 15 games in June with a .167/.164/.204 slash line and just two extra-base hits.

Flexen (5-0) tossed a scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout to earn the win in Thursday's 1-0, 10-inning victory over the Guardians.

Flexen continued his strong season for the Cubs, as he has a 0.62 ERA and 0.83 WHIP along with a perfect 5-0 record across 29 innings out of the bullpen. It's the most wins for the former starter since he went 8-9 in 33 appearances (22 starts) for Seattle back in 2022. Flexen doesn't provide a ton of strikeouts, as he only has 15 of them this year, but he's otherwise been a valuable long reliever for Chicago.

Horton didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Guardians, giving up five hits and two walks in seven scoreless innings. He struck out five.

Thursday marked the longest outing of the season for the rookie right-hander, who scattered five singles en route to his second scoreless start of the year. It was also a resounding bounce-back showing after Horton yielded a season-high seven runs his last time out. Horton will bring a 4.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 38:16 K:BB over 52 innings into his next scheduled start against the struggling Twins, who are batting just .217 across their last 20 games.

Elder (2-6) was charged with the loss Thursday against the Angels, giving up four runs on eight hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out five.

Elder's rough stretch dragged on, as he allowed at least four runs and seven hits in his fourth straight outing. His ERA once stood at a palatable 4.08 for the season following a brilliant 12-strikeout performance June 7, but that figure has since ballooned to 5.92. The right-hander has a disastrous 12.64 ERA, 2.81 WHIP and 13:11 K:BB over his last four appearances (15.2 frames), so he doesn't shape up as a particularly appealing fantasy option against the Athletics at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park his next time out.

Freeman went 2-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and one run scored in Thursday's 6-2 win over the White Sox.

Freeman opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning and plated the Dodgers' next two runs with another two-bagger in the third. This was Freeman's third multi-hit effort over his last four games. The first baseman is at a .312/.382/.507 slash line with 10 home runs, 47 RBI, 45 runs scored and no stolen bases over 75 games this season. He's also collected 23 doubles, which has him tied for third in the majors through Thursday's action.

Conforto went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 6-2 win over the White Sox.

Conforto's bat has improved lately, as he's gone 8-for-29 (.276) with three homers over his last seven games. He capped a four-run rally for the Dodgers with his third-inning blast Thursday. Overall, Conforto is at a .177/.297/.312 slash line with seven homers, 21 RBI, 32 runs scored and one stolen base over 74 contests in a strong-side platoon role.