MLB Player News

Profar went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 12-3 win over the Nationals.

Profar has gotten back on track after a brief cold spell at the plate around the All-Star break, in which he went 2-for-21 over a five-game span. He's 5-for-14 with two homers and three RBI over his last three contests. The outfielder is up to 16 long balls, 62 RBI, 55 runs scored, five stolen bases and a .300/.388/.478 slash line through 102 games this season.

Higashioka went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and an RBI double in Wednesday's 12-3 win over the Nationals.

Higashioka had gone just 2-for-16 over his previous five contests before getting in on the heavy-hitting fun the Padres' offense enjoyed in this game. The catcher has homered 12 times this season, with six of them coming over his last 14 games. He's up to a .226/.269/.540 slash line with 32 RBI, 17 runs scored, five doubles, one triple and no stolen bases across 145 plate appearances. Higashioka's recent success in the power department has helped him see a majority of the starts at catcher in July, relegating Luis Campusano to the backup role.

Bader rolled his ankle while attempting to steal a base during Tuesday's game against the Yankees, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

MRI results on Bader's ankle came back clean, though he was spotted wearing a walking boot after Wednesday's contest. Manager Carlos Mendoza labeled him as day-to-day, so while the 30-year-old may sit out another game or two, a trip to the injured list doesn't appear necessary.

Waldron (6-9) allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four over six innings to earn the win Wednesday over the Nationals.

Waldron turned in his eighth quality start in 10 outings since the start of June, and the Padres' offense offered plenty of support to back him up. The right-hander snapped a five-start winless stretch. He's maintained a 3.64 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 103:33 K:BB through 118.2 innings over 21 starts this season. Waldron's next appearance is projected to be at home versus the Dodgers.

Gray (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Gray's operation rules him out for the remainder of the 2024 campaign, and he'll likely be forced to miss most of 2025 as well. The 26-year-old righty will finish the season with 13 earned runs allowed over 8.1 innings across two starts.

Tellez went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 5-0 win over the Cardinals.

The first baseman wasn't even supposed to be in the starting lineup with St. Louis sending southpaw Matthew Liberatore to the mound, but Tellez was a late addition after Bryan Reynolds had his back lock up on him earlier in the day, forcing Connor Joe to the outfield. Tellez took advantage of the opportunity, driving in the Bucs' first run with an RBI single in the second inning before launching a solo shot that chased Liberatore from the game to lead off the fourth. The 29-year-old slugger is up to nine homers on the season, but seven of them have come in his last 21 games -- a stretch in which Tellez is batting .308 (20-for-65) with 17 RBI.

Perez (2-5) picked up the win in Wednesday's 5-0 victory over the Cardinals, allowing four hits and five walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out two.

The veteran lefty wasn't exactly sharp as he tossed only 51 of 91 pitches for strikes and set a new season high in walks, but Perez was able to avoid hard contact and keep the Cards off the board. It's his first win since April 4, and it was a much-needed bounce-back effort after he got tagged for 11 runs in 8.1 innings over his prior two outings. Perez will take a 5.20 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 63:32 K:BB through 83 innings on the year into his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in Houston.

Liberatore (2-3) took the loss Wednesday, coughing up five runs on four hits and three walks over three-plus innings as the Cardinals were downed 5-0 by the Pirates. He struck out three.

The southpaw got a spot start at the end of a stretch of six games in five days for St. Louis, but Liberatore hadn't pitched since July 14 and looked rusty as Pittsburgh ambushed him for four runs in the second inning, before he served up a solo shot to Rowdy Tellez to lead off the fourth. Liberatore tossed 69 pitches (43 strikes) before exiting, which will leave him unavailable out of the bullpen for a few more days. Through 55 innings this season, he carries a 4.75 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 44:20 K:BB.

Buehler (hip) said Wednesday that he will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Buehler added that he felt good following his bullpen session Tuesday, so he will now advance to facing minor-league hitters. The plan is for the 29-year-old right-hander to rejoin the Dodgers' rotation once he's made two rehab starts in Triple-A, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, putting Buehler in line to return sometime during the Dodgers' early-August series against the Phillies.

De La Cruz went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, two additional runs scored and two stolen bases in Wednesday's 9-4 win over Atlanta.

After singling and swiping his 50th bag of the season in the first inning, De La Cruz took Allan Winans deep in the third for his 18th long ball. The 22-year-old shortstop did commit two more errors in wet conditions, giving him 20 on the year, but that's about the only blemish on his season so far. In addition to leading the majors with 51 steals, De La Cruz has an 11-game hit streak going in which he's batting .378 (17-for-45) with five doubles, a triple and three homers.