MLB Player News

Ozuna isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Detroit.

Ozuna will retreat to the dugout Saturday after going 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Friday's series opener. Drake Baldwin will replace him as Atlanta's designated hitter, allowing Sandy Leon to start at catcher.

Bregman went 1-for-3 with two walks and a solo home run in Friday's 11-7 win over the Rays.

Bregman homered for the second time this week, but he's struggled at the plate over the last several weeks. He has a .597 OPS with two homers and 10 RBI over the last 33 games.

Helman started in center field and went 0-for-4 in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Marlins.

Helman entered the starting lineup with Wyatt Langford (side) was unable to play. The Rangers are evaluating Langford and haven't established a timeline. Helman's lost playing time since Adolis Garcia returned to the active roster but could regain opportunities should Langford's injury force him to miss more games.

Semien (foot) took live batting practice and did some running Friday, MLB.com reports.

Semien ramped up his activity this week and is hoping to get on the field with the limited time left in the regular season. The Rangers have lost five consecutive games and sit five games back of the final wild-card spot with eight left to play. Ultimately, whether Semien returns to the active roster may depend on the team's slim playoff hopes.

Kurtz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-3 win over the Pirates.

The rookie slugger took Mitch Keller deep in the fourth inning to kick off a rally from an early 3-0 deficit. Kurtz is up to 33 homers on the season, tying him with Jose Canseco for the second-most in franchise history by a rookie behind Mark McGwire's legendary 1987 season, when he set a then-MLB record with 49. Like those two former A's stars, Kurtz seems like a lock for the AL Rookie of the Year Award given his .293/.387/.620 slash line through his first 109 games.

Williams went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Friday against the Red Sox.

Williams took Garrett Crochet deep for a solo home run in the fourth inning, his second long ball in as many games. He has struggled for long portions of his first stint in the majors, fueled primarily by a 36.7 percent strikeout rate across 79 plate appearances. However, Williams has a modest three-game hitting streak and has struck out only twice across his last 11 plate appearances.

Pereira went 1-for-5 with a grand slam Friday against the Red Sox.

The Rays rolled out a unique lineup with lefty Garrett Crochet on the mound, with Pereira hitting leadoff for the first time this season. He struck out in three of his first four plate appearances, but he smacked the first grand slam and second homer of his career in the ninth inning. Pereira is being used sparingly, starting only six games in September.

Kelly recorded his second save of the season in Friday's 4-3 win over the Pirates, giving up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning without striking out a batter.

The right-hander made things interesting, giving up a leadoff double and then escaping a one-out jam with runners on the corners by getting Tommy Pham to ground into a double play. Kelly has two of the A's four saves this week, with Hogan Harris collecting the other two, and the two arms appear to be manager Mark Kotsay's top ninth-inning options as the season draws to a close, depending on matchups. Over 7.1 innings in September, Kelly sports a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 7:3 K:BB.

Means (elbow) allowed three runs on four hits while striking out four over 5.1 innings for Triple-A Columbus on Friday.

Means threw 84 pitches (52 strikes) in his seventh rehab start and fifth at Triple-A. The outing is expected to be his final rehab outing, and the left-hander could join the Guardians next week as they vie for a playoff spot. Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt told Patrick Donnelly of MLB.com on Friday that he's considering adding Means to the roster but will wait to see how the pitcher responds. The Guardians are already working with a six-man rotation, but Means could offer length out of the bullpen.

Severino (7-11) picked up the win in Friday's 4-3 victory over the Pirates, giving up three runs (one earned) on seven hits and one walk over five innings. He struck out three.

The right-hander looked like he was headed for another rough outing when Pittsburgh ambushed him for three runs in the first inning and then banged out two hits in the second, but Severino kept his focus and avoided any further damage before being lifted after 97 pitches (64 strikes). Despite getting tagged for three or more runs in three of four September starts, Severino still hasn't taken a loss since the All-Star break. On the month, he's posted a 4.05 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB through 20 innings. He'll look to play spoiler in the race for the AL West title in his final trip to the mound this season, which lines up to come at home next week against the Astros.