MLB Player News

Flores went 1-for-4 on Thursday against Atlanta.

He was recalled Wednesday with Endy Rodriguez (lower body) on the injured list. Thursday marked Flores' third big-league game of the season and his second start, though he could have the chance to play a relatively even split with Henry Davis so long as Rodriguez is sidelined.

Smith was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks on Thursday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

After going 0-for-4 with a strikeout Wednesday in San Diego, Smith has been cut loose from Arizona's 26-man and 40-man rosters. The 30-year-old has slashed just .141/.236/.192 with one homer and six RBI in 89 appearances this year. Smith had slowly been losing time at first base to Ildemaro Vargas and Tim Tawa. The Diamondbacks recalled Ryan Waldschmidt from Triple-A Reno to replace Smith on the active roster.

Reynolds went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk Thursday against Atlanta.

Reynolds went back-to-back with Esmerlyn Valdez in the third inning to tally his 14th home run of the season. Reynolds has hit particularly well early in July, with this being his third long ball in eight contests, going 9-for-33 with seven runs scored, five RBI and two stolen bases. He now has a .196 ISO across 410 plate appearances, in line with his marks from 2022 and 2023, which are some of the more productive seasons of his career.

Kittredge earned the save Thursday against the Cubs, allowing one hit with no strikeouts or walks in a scoreless ninth inning.

With multiple Baltimore relievers having worked Wednesday, Kittredge was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the ninth. After Nico Hoerner reached on an error to begin the inning, Kittredge caught a break when Hoerner was thrown out attempting to steal second one batter later. The right-hander would finish off the frame to secure his second save of the season. He enters the All-Star break owning a 4.70 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with four holds in 23 innings.

Valdez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk Thursday against Atlanta.

Valdez took Bryce Elder deep in the third inning for his seventh home run of the season. Though his power production has fallen since he homered in four straight games to end June, he has still looked plenty capable of handling big-league pitching. In Valdez's last nine games, he's gone 11-for-37 with one homer, six RBI and six runs scored. He's also started 10 straight contests.

Acuna went 1-for-2 with a run scored and a stolen base Thursday against the Red Sox.

Acuna continues to mostly work in a short-side platoon, though he's seen an uptick in playing time with the White Sox facing four lefties in the last five games. He's gone 4-for-8 in that span, with his only counting stats coming Thursday. Acuna now has 15 steals in 18 attempts this year.

Rogers did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Cubs, allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out four over six innings.

Rogers turned in another strong outing, with his lone blemish coming on a sixth-inning solo homer by Seiya Suzuki. It was the first home run he had allowed in four starts. After opening the season with a 6.54 ERA through his first 10 outings, the left-hander has been one of baseball's hottest pitchers, posting a 1.73 ERA over his last seven starts. Rogers heads into the All-Star break sporting a 4.48 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 69:31 K:BB across 90.1 innings.

Rodriguez (back) will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list and start Friday against Minnesota, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

After completing 5.1 strong innings on 78 pitches in his second rehab start last Saturday, Rodriguez will officially rejoin the big-league club on Friday and make his first appearance since June 14. This will wrap up the right-hander's second stint on the IL this season after missing over a month to start the year due to a shoulder injury. In six starts this season, the 26-year-old has posted an 8.06 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 24:15 K:BB through 25.2 innings.

Lopez will serve as the Athletics' opening pitcher for Friday's game against the White Sox, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Lopez was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday and pitched in relief later that night, surrendering four runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four over three innings in a loss to the Tigers. He'll pick up his 11th start of the season three days' later, but Lopez will most likely be capped around 1-to-3 innings before exiting the game. Friday had been Aaron Civale's turn in the rotation, so he's the most likely pitcher to work in bulk relief once Lopez exits the contest.

Jansen worked around a hit and a walk to secure the save in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Athletics. He struck out one.

Jansen wasn't his sharpest as he allowed a few baserunners and needed 19 pitches to get through the ninth inning, but he still managed to lock down his 11th save in 15 chances this season. The veteran hasn't been his typical dominant self with a 4.76 ERA across 22.2 innings, which is up from 2.59 last year and his career ERA of 2.62. Despite some struggles, Jansen seems locked in as Detroit's closer, and his impressive MLB track record suggests he could pitch better as the season rolls along.