MLB Player News

Edman went 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk, two total runs and two total RBI against the Padres in a 7-0 victory Tuesday.

Edman kicked off the scoring in the contest when he walked with the bases loaded in the second inning. The utility man drove in another run in the sixth when he slugged a solo shot to left-center field. Edman has gone deep in each of his past two contests following an ice-cold 12-game stretch during which he went 2-for-39. He's slashing .245/.330/.386 with eight homers, 43 runs, 40 RBI and six stolen bases through 80 games this season.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Tuesday in a 7-0 win against the Padres.

Smith put the finishing touch on a dominant Dodgers win with his solo blast to left field in the seventh inning. The backstop has gone deep in each of his past three starts. Smith missed nearly three months due to a neck issue, and he initially struggled upon returning to action Sept. 1. However, he's perked up with the bat of late, going 7-for-18 with three homers, a double, four runs and five RBI across his past five games.

The Cardinals believe Bernal can be "an everyday, workhorse catcher," per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and are giving him a heavy workload down the stretch to prepare him to be the everyday catcher in 2027.

Bernal has started all 19 games since being promoted Sept. 1, including 13 starts at catcher. The 22-year-old rookie has slashed .299/.341/.494 with four home runs and 17 RBI and has also drawn rave reviews for his work with the pitching staff. St. Louis is overloaded with catching depth, but it's become clear that it sees Bernal opening 2027 at the top of the depth chart at the position. Ivan Herrera, Pedro Pages, Jimmy Crooks and eventually Rainiel Rodriguez are also in the mix at catcher for the Cardinals, though they could move Herrera off the position permanently at some point.

Sasaki allowed two hits and struck out two batters over one scoreless relief inning against San Diego on Tuesday.

Sasaki logged his first game action since landing on the IL due to a finger blister in late August. The right-hander entered in the fourth inning and worked around a pair of two-out singles to work a scoreless frame. Sasaki twice hit triple-digits with his fastball and seemed to have no lingering issues from the blister. The outing was his first out of the bullpen this season, and that could be his role in the playoffs as well, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. While Sasaki has had a mostly promising second MLB campaign, Los Angeles' postseason rotation may not have room for him if Blake Snell (groin) is ready to go, and Sasaki has already demonstrated he can be successful as a late-inning reliever based on his performance during the team's championship run last year.

Cox went 0-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Twins.

Cox drew a walk in the first inning before recording his team-leading 15th stolen base of the season, and he also logged an RBI on a fielder's choice in the ninth. The 25-year-old has racked up seven stolen bases in September while batting .260 with 13 runs scored and seven RBI in 83 plate appearances. Overall, he's slashing .272/.317/.412 with 25 runs scored, 16 RBI and four long balls across 152 plate appearances this season.

Atlanta optioned Murphy to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

Murphy allowed three runs over three innings out of the bullpen for Atlanta in Tuesday's loss to the Reds. His roster spot will be absorbed by Robert Suarez (elbow), who is back from the 60-day injured list.

Atlanta activated Suarez (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Suarez is finally ready to rejoin the Atlanta bullpen after missing more than three months of action with right elbow inflammation. The 35-year-old reliever made just one rehab appearance, striking out one in a scoreless inning for Gwinnett on Sunday. Atlanta might hold off on using Suarez on back-to-back days initially, but if he can stay healthy he'll give the bullpen a big boost. Suarez has yielded just two runs with a 26:6 K:BB over 32 innings this season.

Burns (groin) worked on adding a sinker in his September outings before getting placed on the 15-day injured list to end his season, Charlie Goldsmith of FOX19 reports.

Burns used the sinker nine times in his last start against the Cubs, with the purpose of giving his fastball another look. "It was moving a lot," Burns said. "Why not? My normal fastball is a cut-carry. This looks different to them. Having two fastballs is the big new thing. You look at Cam Schlittler. He has a cutter, a fastball and a sinker."

Lile is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Detroit.

The left-handed-hitting Lile will get a break as the Tigers send southpaw Framber Valdez to the bump. Dylan Crews, Jacob Young and James Wood will be in the outfield, and Andres Chaparro will be the designated hitter for the Nationals.

The Nationals recalled Varland from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.

He's taking the roster spot of Jackson Kent, who was sent back to Rochester following Tuesday's bulk-relief outing versus the Tigers. Varland spent time in the Nationals' closer role earlier this season, but he's been rocked for 14 runs (13 earned) over his last seven innings in the big leagues.