MLB Player News

Perez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Giants.

The future Hall of Famer sparked a five-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning when he took Landen Roupp deep for his 14th homer of the season. Perez is up to 317 long balls for his career, tying George Brett for the all-time Royals record. Per Anne Rogers of MLB.com, he's the third active player to hold his team's franchise HR record, along with the Angels' Mike Trout and the Padres' Manny Machado. Perez could soon take sole possession of first place in the Kansas City record book -- he's gone yard three times in the last five games, and through 15 contests in July he's produced a .273/.349/.564 slash line with four doubles, four homers, seven runs and 13 RBI.

Cruz struck out one and served up a solo home run in the ninth inning Wednesday to record his first career save in a 5-4 win over the Giants.

With Alex Lange having worked the prior two days, Cruz got the call in the ninth and got the job done, although he was taken deep by Casey Schmitt to make things interesting. Cruz has been scored upon just twice in his last 13 appearances, both times on solo shots, and over that stretch the right-hander has a 1.38 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB in 13 innings.

Lugo (4-6) picked up the win Wednesday, giving up three runs on three hits and two walks over seven innings in a 5-4 victory over the Giants. He struck out five.

The veteran right-hander delivered his second straight quality start and 12th of the season on 94 pitches (63 strikes), and Lugo got rewarded for his efforts when Kansas City erupted for five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. The win was Lugo's first since June 19, and over five starts and 27.1 innings in July he's managed a 4.94 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 25:8 K:BB. He'll look to build on his recent success in his next outing, which is set to come on the road early next week in Minnesota.

Campusano is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest in Atlanta.

Campusano started behind the dish each of the last two days, so he'll get a break during Thursday's matinee. Freddy Fermin will do the catching and bat seventh for the Padres.

Schmitt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Royals.

The infielder took Steven Cruz deep with two outs in the ninth inning, but the Giants couldn't find an equalizer afterward. Schmitt is up to 20 homers on the season, including four in 17 contests in July, but his .229/.280/.429 slash line on the month is less appealing.

Merrill is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in Atlanta.

Southpaw ace Chris Sale is on the bump for Atlanta, so the left-handed-hitting Merrill will begin the contest on the bench. Jase Bowen will grab a start in center field in the series finale.

Roupp didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Royals, allowing two runs on four hits over six-plus innings. He struck out seven without walking a batter.

The right-hander took a shutout into the seventh inning, but manager Tony Vitello left Roupp in a little too long as he surrendered a double to Vinnie Pasquantino and a homer to Salvador Perez before being lifted. Roupp had to settle for his 10th quality start of the season and his third straight in July -- over 21 innings this month he's produced a 1.29 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Brewers.

The Blue Jays optioned Estrada to Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.

Estrada had thrown 41 pitches over two innings in Tuesday's loss to the Rays, so he was replaced by a fresh bullpen arm. The right-hander has collected a 4.82 ERA and 6:5 K:BB over 9.1 innings with Toronto in 2026.

The Tigers signed Perez to a minor-league contract Wednesday.

Perez has split this season between Triple-A Sugar Land in the Astros organization and the Mexican League. The 35-year-old last appeared in the big leagues in 2023 and is merely a catching depth addition for Detroit.

The Royals signed Lopez to a minor-league contract Wednesday.

Lopez will backfill the Royals' organizational middle-infield depth after Andrew Velazquez was called up to grab Bobby Witt's (back) roster spot. The 30-year-old Lopez had been at Triple-A Tacoma in the Mariners organization, where he slashed .302/.379/.419 with two home runs and a 13:10 BB:K in 43 games. He hasn't played in the majors since 2023.