MLB Player News

Smith-Shawver (elbow) is slated to make the first start of his rehab assignment Tuesday with Single-A Augusta, Barrett Sallee of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

After completing a series of bullpen sessions and live batting practice sessions as he works his way back from June 2025 Tommy John surgery, Smith-Shawver threw a two-inning simulated game at Atlanta's spring training facility in Florida as a final step before embarking on a rehab assignment. He'll likely build on that two-inning workload during Tuesday's outing and will presumably need at least three or four more rehab starts beyond that before Atlanta brings him back from the 60-day injured list. Smith-Shawver still has a minor-league option remaining, but if his velocity and command looks good during his rehab assignment, Atlanta may have room for him in the big-league rotation. Before undergoing elbow surgery last summer, Smith-Shawver posted a 3.86 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 42:21 K:BB In 44.1 innings over nine starts with Atlanta.

Junk (shin) allowed one run over 2.2 innings in his first rehab start with Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday before exiting after being struck on the left wrist by a comebacker, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

X-rays came back clean, and Junk will make his next scheduled rehab start. Working his way back from right shin bone inflammation, Junk threw 42 pitches Sunday and could require at least a couple more rehab outings before the Marlins decide whether to reinsert him into their rotation. The right-hander collected a 4.80 ERA and 43:13 K:BB over 60 frames covering 11 starts before getting hurt.

Robles went 2-for-5 with three stolen bases and a run scored in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Guardians.

Robles doubled his stolen-base count for the season with his three steals Sunday -- he swiped just one bag over 12 games coming into the day while going 4-for-27 (.148). Robles has been limited to the short side of a platoon since returning from the IL in late May, though he could see more playing time in the short term with both Luke Raley (elbow) and Dominic Canzone (hamstring) dealing with injuries. Overall, Robles is slashing .242/.275/.273 with no home runs, two RBI and five runs scored across 69 plate appearances this year.

Delgado went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 7-5 win over the Tigers.

Making his first start in four games with Jose Altuve getting the day off, Delgado put the Astros on the board in the seventh inning with his two-run blast off lefty Tyler Holton, cutting the deficit to 3-2. It's the first home run for Delgado in his first 27 major-league plate appearances. The 26-year-old infielder has gone 7-for-25 (.280) with a .708 OPS, four RBI and two runs scored in 13 games with Houston.

Walker went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Sunday's 7-5 win over the Tigers in 10 innings.

Walker gave Houston some breathing room in the top of the 10th inning with his three-run blast off Kenley Jansen, his 19th homer of the year. In his last two games, Walker's gone 5-for-9 with three extra-base hits after going just 2-for-27 over his prior seven contests. The veteran first baseman is now slashing .240/.311/.476 with 56 RBI and 45 runs scored across 351 plate appearances this season.

Butler went 2-for-4 in Sunday's loss to the Angels.

Butler was the only Athletics player to tally multiple hits, depositing a pair of singles in the second and ninth innings. The 25-year-old has been trending in the right direction during June, slashing .300/.364/.467 with two homers, four doubles, seven RBI, 12 runs and two stolen bases across 23 appearances. Overall, the outfielder is hitting .204/.290/.311 with five homers, seven doubles, 21 RBI, 29 runs and six stolen bases across 76 games this season.

Lowe went 1-for-2 with a grand slam in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Athletics.

Lowe came through with the bases loaded in the second inning, crushing a grand slam to right field to provide all the offense the Angels needed in the victory. The 28-year-old was demoted to Triple-A Salt Lake on May 22 due to poor performance, but he was recalled Wednesday and has gone 5-for-12 (.417) in four games since returning. While Mike Trout (hamstring) is sidelined, Lowe figures to split time in center field with the right-handed-hitting Jose Siri, who replaced him as a pinch hitter against left-hander Jose Suarez in the seventh inning Sunday.

Natera picked up the save Sunday against the Athletics. He allowed a hit and no walks while striking out two over 1.1 scoreless innings.

Natera entered with two outs in the eighth inning and finished off the game with little resistance, earning the first save of his big-league career. Since having his contract selected June 5, the 26-year-old has posted a 0.96 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB across 9.1 innings. Natera could continue to see high-leverage opportunities in a suspect Angels bullpen that lacks a defined closer, with Ryan Zeferjahn, Kirby Yates and Sam Bachman combining for five saves as part of an informal closer committee.

Duno was promoted to Double-A Chattanooga on Sunday.

Duno will make the leap to the Double-A level after producing a .250 batting average with 16 home runs, 47 RBI, 46 runs scored and two stolen bases over 242 at-bats in 65 contests with High-A Dayton so far this season. The 20-year-old is considered to the the Reds' top overall prospect, and he could be on track to make his major-league debut during the 2027 campaign.

Civale (5-5) took the loss Sunday, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings against the Angels. He struck out two.

Civale's lone mistake was a costly one, as he surrendered a towering grand slam to Josh Lowe in the second inning. The right-hander has struggled in three starts since returning from a stint on the injured list due to right shoulder tendinitis, allowing 12 runs on 22 hits across 12 innings with a 9:3 K:BB. Civale's first season with the Athletics has largely been ineffective, as he owns a 5.05 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 48:20 K:BB across 67.2 innings (14 starts). The 31-year-old's next outing is tentatively scheduled for Saturday against the Marlins.