MLB Player News

Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Phillies.

Smith led off the fourth inning with a 418-foot shot off Andrew Painter, his 18th of the year, extending Houston's lead to 5-0. The homer was Smith's first since Aug. 18, though he's still managed to post an .891 OPS over his last eight games. Overall, Smith is slashing .214/.280/.394 across 504 plate appearances this season with 59 runs scored, 51 RBI and 10 steals.

Jansen went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Tuesday's 10-5 win over the Mariners.

Jansen helped put the game out of reach with a three-run homer in the fifth inning to extend Texas' lead to 9-3. Since returning from the injured list Aug. 18, the catcher is batting .206 with three home runs, one double and eight RBI over 12 games.

Montes went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Tuesday's 10-5 loss to the Rangers.

Making his return to the lineup after missing Seattle's previous two games with a hip injury, Montes cut the M's deficit to 4-3 in the fourth inning with a three-run blast off Cal Quantrill that traveled 474 feet, tied for the longest homer in the majors this season. After going 2-for-4 with a home run in his major-league debut Sept. 1, Montes had gone just 1-for-10 in his subsequent four contests. Still, the rookie should see regular playing time down the stretch in a strong-side platoon role.

Hader picked up the save in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Phillies, allowing a run on two hits in the ninth inning. He did not record a strikeout or a walk.

Bryson Stott led off the ninth inning with a single before Edmundo Sosa drove him in with a double, the first run charged to Hader in 22 innings. The star closer would settle in, however, retiring the next three Phillies to strand the tying run in scoring position and lock down his 24th save this season. It's been another dominant year for Hader, who sports a pristine 0.89 ERA with a 0.67 WHIP and 53:11 K:BB across 40.1 innings.

Walker went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Phillies.

Walker opened the scoring in the second inning with a three-run, 440-foot blast off Andrew Painter, his 25th long ball this season. The homer was Walker's first in 11 games -- he'd gone just 5-for-34 with a .363 OPS across 10 contests coming into the day. Overall, the veteran first baseman is slashing .230/.305/.429 across 571 plate appearances this year with 80 RBI and 65 runs scored.

Jung (calf) went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI for Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.

Jung opened a rehab assignment with the Express and played all nine innings as the designated hitter. Rangers manager Skip Schumaker told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com that there's a plan for Jung's rehab but that could change depending on how quickly he responds to activity. With 17 games left in the regular season and Texas 1.5 games back of a wild-card spot, the Rangers might be best served to activate Jung sooner rather than later.

Varsho went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Phillies.

Varsho extended Houston's lead to 6-3 in the seventh inning with his 11th homer of the year, a 406-foot blast off lefty Brooks Raley. The outfielder also logged his first multi-hit game since Aug. 26 -- Varsho had gone just 3-for-28 (.107) in eight contests prior to Tuesday. Since joining the Astros at the trade deadline, Varsho is slashing .191/.256/.348 with four homers, 13 RBI, 10 runs scored and three steals across 31 games.

Martinez started in right field and went 2-for-5 with a triple and two runs scored in Tuesday's 9-5 win over Baltimore.

Martinez tripled and scored in the second inning and then singled and scored in the seventh. He made a fourth consecutive start, as Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt navigates around an injury to Chase DeLauter (wrist), who has missed the last four contests. Martinez has rebounded nicely from a three-month slumber that saw him slash .193/.228/.360 over 43 games between May and July. The outfielder is batting .303 (30-for-99) with seven doubles, one triple, three home runs and 17 RBI over 30 games since Aug. 1.

Bazzana went 1-for-3 with a walk and a three-run home run in Tuesday's 9-5 win over the Orioles.

Bazzana launched a three-run shot in the second inning as the Guardians raced to a 6-0 lead after three innings. The rookie has hit safely in four consecutive games, going 7-for-14 with two doubles, two homers and eight RBI during that run. Bazzana's bat is showing life once again after a languid August (.566 OPS).

Nelson (elbow) struck out two and hit a batter over a scoreless inning for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.

Nelson threw 11 pitches (eight strikes) in his second rehab appearance and has struck out four over two scoreless and hitless innings. The one-time starter will operate as a reliever once he's activated from the injured list.