MLB Player News

Happ went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Pirates.

Following a 10-game losing streak for the Cubs, Happ has now powered the team to consecutive wins. On Wednesday, the veteran delivered a season-best five RBI on two hits, and he followed that up Thursday with three more hits and two more RBI on his 12th home run of the season. Happ's career high in long balls is 25, which he did on two occasions, but he could surpass that mark in 2026 if he keeps up his current pace of 12 through 53 games.

Espinal was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Noah Camras of SI.com reports.

Espinal cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Monday, and he'll now head to Oklahoma City. The move to drop Espinal from the 40-man roster was made so that the team could activate Enrique Hernandez from the 60-day injured list, but Hernandez has now landed right back on the IL with an oblique injury. It's possible that Espinal could return to the major-league roster relatively soon.

Gonzales was removed from Thursday's contest against the Cubs due to left knee discomfort.

Gonzales had a limp running out of the box in the second inning, and it is now understood to have been due to residual pain in his left knee from a ball he fouled off his leg in Wednesday's loss to Chicago. He is considered day-to-day for the time being, with Tyler Callihan entering the contest for his Pirates debut in place of Gonzales.

Albies went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, a double and an additional run scored against Boston in a 10-2 win Thursday.

Albies' pair of RBI came in the ninth inning when he closed the scoring with a 416-foot, two-run blast to center field. Albies also had a double in the contest, snapping a 20-game stretch without an extra-base hit that extended back to May 4. The veteran infielder is batting just .216 through 25 games in May, so he'll look to use Thursday's big performance as a catalyst to get back to the .908 OPS he posted across his first 32 contests of the year.

Gonzales exited Thursday's contest against the Cubs in the fourth inning due to an apparent injury, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

Gonzales was spotted limping out of the box on a flyout in the bottom of the second inning, and he was ultimately removed from the game when the Pirates took the field defensively for the top of the fourth. Tyler Callihan replaced him at third base. More information on Gonzales' status will likely be provided in the near future.

Acuna went 1-for-3 with a grand slam, two walks and two stolen bases in a 10-2 win against the Red Sox on Thursday.

Acuna drew a walk in two of his first three plate appearances and swiped a bag after each free pass. He then had the biggest swing of the game in the sixth inning, belting a 417-foot grand slam to expand Atlanta's lead from one run to five. The long ball was his first since April 24 -- a span of 16 contests. While Acuna's power hadn't been present of late, he's been increasingly more active on the basepaths, stealing three bags over his past two games and six total during the aforementioned 16-game stretch. His OPS still stands at an uncharacteristically low .720, but Acuna does have 10 thefts through 43 games after swiping just nine bags across 95 regular-season contests last year.

Sale (8-3) earned the win over Boston on Thursday, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out eight batters over five innings.

Sale labored a bit more than usual, needing 96 pitches to get through five frames. The left-hander had a stretch of seven straight quality starts snapped Thursday, but he was still able to pick up his eighth win of the season, tied for second most in MLB. Sale has had one poor start this year -- he gave up six runs over four innings against the Angels on April 6 -- but he's allowed two or fewer earned runs in his other 10 appearances. Overall, he's posting ace-like numbers, recording a 2.01 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 80:17 K:BB through 67 frames.

Ozuna isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Ozuna will retreat to the bench Thursday after going just 2-for-13 with an RBI and six strikeouts through the first three games of the series. Bryan Reynolds will serve as the Pirates' designated hitter in Ozuna's stead, opening up left field for Jhostynxon Garcia.

The Rockies reinstated Criswell (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Thursday and optioned him to Triple-A Albuquerque, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Criswell has spent the entire season on the injured list while finishing up his recovery from a Tommy John procedure he underwent in March 2025. He's already made a handful of appearances in the minors while on a rehab assignment but has struggled to the tune of a 5.91 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 10.2 innings split between three affiliates. The Rockies will keep him in the minors for the time being, but now that he's back on the organization's 40-man roster, he's a likely candidate to return to the majors at some point once Colorado needs a fresh bullpen arm.

The Rockies transferred Quintana (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Quintana landed on the 15-day IL on Monday with a sprained left elbow. MRI results determined that the southpaw's injury isn't severe enough to require surgery, but he is still set to remain sidelined until at least July 24 now that he's on the 60-day IL. His 40-man roster spot will be given to Jeff Criswell (elbow), who returned from the injured list Thursday and was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.