MLB Player News

Kurtz was removed from Friday's game against the Rangers with right oblique soreness, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

After scoring from second base during the third inning, Kurtz was replaced in the field to begin the fourth frame. The severity of his injury remains unknown, though the A's may play it safe and hold the rookie slugger out for a game or two. If that ends up being the case, Tyler Soderstrom and Brett Harris would be in play to start at first base.

Polanco went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Guardians.

Polanco staked the Mariners to a 4-0 lead with a two-run homer in the first inning. The 32-year-old has now hit safely in each of his past seven starts, posting five extra-base hits, seven RBI, six runs scored and a stolen base during that stretch. On the season, he's slashing .255/.318/.465 with 21 homers, 61 RBI, 50 runs scored and six steals across 423 plate appearances.

Perez (6-4) took the loss against the Mets on Friday, allowing five runs on three hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning without recording a strikeout.

Perez entered Friday's contest on the heels of a quality start against the Blue Jays on Sunday. Any momentum from that outing fizzled out immediately Friday, with the 22-year-old right-hander allowing the first five batters he faced on board, which converted into five runs on homers from Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo. Perez was pulled after tossing 39 pitches (21 strikes) and recording just two outs, which is the shortest outing of his major-league career since July 1, 2023 against Atlanta, when he logged just one out while allowing six runs in a loss. He'll look to bounce back in his next outing, tentatively slated for next week on the road against the Nationals.

Allen did not factor into the decision in Friday's 5-4 win over the Mariners, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts over six innings.

Allen was tagged for four runs in the first inning but settled in to blank the Mariners over his final five frames. It was the first time the southpaw completed six innings since July 29, and he'll close August with a 5.96 ERA across five starts. For the year, he owns a 4.42 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 105:57 K:BB over 134.1 innings and lines up for a road matchup with the Red Sox next week.

Rutschman (oblique) has not yet resumed swinging but is hopeful to return before the end of the regular season, MLB.com reports.

The last-place Orioles hope that Rutschman will be recovered from an oblique strain with around 10 days or two weeks before the end of the season, per Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, so fantasy managers shouldn't anticipate the star catcher being a factor until mid-September at the earliest. With Gary Sanchez (knee) also on the injured list, the lefty-hitting Samuel Basallo should continue working on the strong side of a platoon with the righty-hitting Alex Jackson behind the dish.

Alonso went 3-for-6 with a two-run homer and an additional run scored during Friday's 19-9 win over the Marlins.

Alonso gave the Mets a 7-0 lead in the second inning with a two-run blast to right field. He is now up to 31 home runs on the season, which is second on the Mets behind Juan Soto (33) and ninth in the majors. Alonso has logged at least one hit in each of his last five games and has slashed .306/.342/.622 with nine homers and 29 RBI in 120 plate appearances since Aug. 1.

Taylor went 2-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored during the Mets' 19-9 win over the Marlins.

Taylor collected his four RBI on two separate doubles in the second and eighth frames. It was his third multi-RBI game of the season and first since June 17 against Atlanta. Taylor has three multi-hit games in his last seven games and has gone 10-for-21 (.476) with six RBI and six runs scored over that span.

Kirby did not factor into the decision in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Guardians, allowing two runs on six hits and no walks with six strikeouts over seven innings.

Kirby cruised through five scoreless innings before giving up solo homers in the sixth and seventh, throwing 64 of 98 pitches for strikes while generating 10 whiffs. It was the 27-year-old's sixth time posting a quality start with two earned runs or fewer in his last seven outings, the lone blemish being a seven-run blowup Aug. 17. He'll take a 3.94 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 103:26 K:BB across 102.2 innings into a road matchup with the Rays next week.

Nimmo went 3-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI and two additional runs scored during Friday's 19-9 win over the Marlins.

Nimmo helped the Mets jump out to an early lead with a three-run homer off Eury Perez in the first inning before belting a solo shot in the sixth. Nimmo is now up to 22 home runs on the season, which is two off from his career high that he set in 2022. Outside of Aug. 20 to 24 -- when he was dealing with nick stiffness -- Nimmo has collected at least one hit in each of his last 14 games, going 19-for-49 (.388) with 13 runs, three homers and 14 RBI over that span.

Tong (1-0) earned the win against the Marlins on Friday, allowing four runs (one earned) on six hits while striking out six across five innings. He did not issue a walk.

The 22-year-old Tong looked composed in his major-league debut, keeping the Marlins off the board through the first four innings. The Marlins managed to end the scoreless bid by bringing home four runs in the fifth (though only one was charged to Tong due to an error and a wild pitch), but the Mets provided plenty of run support for him to come away with the win in his major-league debut. Per the Mets' official broadcast, Tong's win Friday and Nolan McLean's victory Aug. 16 marked the first time in franchise history that two starting pitchers got a victory in their major-league debut in the same season. Tong isn't cemented in the Mets' rotation for the rest of the regular season, but he is lined up to take on the Reds on the road next weekend, when he'll look to capture his second win in the majors.