MLB Player News

Alvarez isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs due to cramps, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez felt cramping in his lower half toward the end of Wednesday's contest, so manager Carlos Mendoza decided to give him a day to recover Thursday. The skipper noted that Alvarez will be available off the bench, but it will be Luis Torrens behind the plate catching for starter Nolan McLean.

Ward isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against Kansas City, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ward has gone 10-for-27 (.370) with five homers during his seven-game hitting streak, and he'll now get a chance to rest his legs while Chris Taylor starts in left field Thursday.

Mahle (6-4) took the loss Thursday against the Twins, allowing one run on five hits and a walk across five innings. He struck out four.

While Byron Buxton's leadoff homer in the first inning proved to be the lone blemish against Mahle, the Rangers failed to provide any support offensively in an eventual 4-0 defeat. Regardless, it was an encouraging showing from Mahle in what will likely be his final outing of the season. In two starts following a three-month absence due to a shoulder strain, the right-hander allowed just one run on nine hits while striking out 11 over 9.2 innings. Across 16 starts (86.2 innings) this year, Mahle posted an impressive 2.18 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 66:29 K:BB.

Buxton went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four total RBI in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Rangers.

Buxton was responsible for all of the offense in Thursday's contest. He led off the game with a solo shot off Tyler Mahle before extending Minnesota's lead with a three-run, 437-foot blast off Chris Martin in the eighth. Buxton has now gone deep three times in his last two games -- he'd gone just 7-for-45 (.156) with no homers and one RBI in his previous 11 contests. Buxton has been one of the Twins' few bright spots overall this season -- he's slashing .265/.328/.551 with a career-best 34 homers, 82 RBI, 96 runs scored and 24 stolen bases across 533 plate appearances.

Ober (6-9) earned the win Thursday over the Rangers, allowing just two hits and a walk over six scoreless innings. He struck out five.

It was an encouraging outing for Ober, who held Texas to a pair of singles after giving up 10 runs across 11 innings in his prior two starts. Still, it was a disappointing campaign overall for Ober. He'll likely finish with a 5.10 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 120:31 K:BB across 27 starts (146.1 innings) after posting a sub-4.00 ERA in each of his previous three seasons.

Marte is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Cubs.

Marte almost always plays versus lefties but will begin this one on the bench as southpaw Shota Imanaga toes the rubber for the Cubs. Mark Vientos will start at designated hitter and Brett Baty will play third base.

McNeil is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Cubs.

The left-handed-hitting McNeil will take a seat as the Cubs send southpaw Shota Imanaga to the hill. Luisangel Acuna will start at second base and bat ninth.

Alvarez is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

After starting and homering in both of the first two games of the series, Alvarez will get a breather for Thursday's finale. Luis Torrens is catching and batting sixth for the Mets.

Ashcraft (4-4) took the loss Thursday against Cincinnati, allowing two runs on eight hits and a walk over 4.1 innings. He struck out five.

Ashcraft was sharp early, holding the Reds scoreless through his first four innings, but he stumbled in the fifth, allowing a pair of runs after giving up four straight hits to open the frame. While it didn't end on a high note, Ashcraft had a strong rookie campaign as a swingman in Pittsburgh, posting a 2.71 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 71:24 K:BB across 69.2 innings. He'll likely be in the mix to claim a rotation spot in 2026.

Pagan turned in a perfect ninth inning in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Pirates to earn his 30th save.

Thanks to Noelvi Marte's home-run robbery in the ninth inning, Pagan has now converted his last four save chances while holding opponents scoreless in his last eight innings -- he's allowed just four hits while striking out eight in that span. The veteran right-hander sports a 2.97 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP and 79 strikeouts across 66.2 innings this season.