MLB Player News

Happ went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 10-2 win over the Royals.

A day after hitting his 19th home run of the season, Happ followed that up with long ball No. 20. The veteran outfielder has now reached the 20-homer plateau in each of the last four years. Happ's career high in home runs is 25, which he recorded on two different occasions across his 10 years in the majors. With a strong finish to the 2026 campaign, he could be in line to surpass that figure.

LaViolette was promoted to Double-A Akron on Sunday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

LaViolette will make the jump to the Double-A level after posting a .238 average with 19 home runs, 69 RBI, 67 runs scored and 11 stolen bases over 332 at-bats in 83 contests with High-A Lake County this season. The 22-year-old was selected 27th overall by Cleveland in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft, and he'll now have the chance to prove himself against tougher competition.

Klein underwent an MRI that revealed bone chips in his elbow, and the Dodgers are now deciding the next steps for his recovery, with surgery being an option, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander landed on the injured list Aug. 1 after surrendering 13 runs (eight earned) over his six previous outings, and his availability for the rest of the season could hang in the balance. If Klein needs to undergo surgery, he'll probably miss the rest of the campaign, so the Dodgers will likely be exploring all recovery options over the next few days.

Smith is out of the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Smith will head to the bench after he went 3-for-7 with two solo home runs, a walk and three runs scored over the first two games of the series. Taylor Trammell will slot in as Houston's right fielder while LaMonte Wade will enter the lineup in left field in the series finale in San Diego.

Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said that Kilian suffered a right side injury during his relief appearance in Sunday's 7-6 victory over the Blue Jays in 12 innings, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports. Kilian allowed an unearned run on one hit over an inning of relief en route to earning his fourth win of the season.

Kilian entered the contest with the game tied 5-5 heading into the top of the 12th inning. The automatic runner came around to score when Blue Jays center fielder Brett Bateman led off the frame with an RBI single, but Kilian was then able to induce a double play off the bat of Jesus Sanchez before getting Alejandro Kirk to pop out to end the inning. The Phillies would go on to score two runs in the bottom of the 12th to reward Kilian with a win, but the side injury he suffered on his final pitch of the contest could put the right-hander at risk of landing on the injured list. Mattingly said that Kilian's injury "didn't look good," but the Phillies won't known the full extent of the issue until he undergoes further imaging Monday, per MLB.com.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Sunday that Williams, who was activated from Triple-A Nashville's 7-day injured list Saturday, is headed to Arizona to visit a specialist after aggravating his wrist injury, Hunter Baumgardt of Fox Sports 920 Milwaukee reports.

The young infielder struck out in his lone plate appearance Saturday before departing the contest due to continued wrist soreness. Williams spent a month on the shelf due to injury, which was originally considered a minor issue. Since he's already stepping away from the club to be evaluated, a return trip to the IL wouldn't be surprising.

Alexander (undisclosed) has struck out eight and allowed four earned runs on eight hits and three walks over eight innings between two appearances for Triple-A Sugar Land since being reinstated from the 7-day injured list July 30.

The 33-year-old righty was stuck on Sugar Land's IL for about six weeks due to an unspecified injury. Alexander possesses a spot on the Astros' 40-man roster, but he's unlikely to get a look in the big leagues in the near future unless Houston loses multiple starters or long relievers to injury.

Kimbrel agreed to a one-year contract with the Royals on Sunday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Kimbrel elected to become a free agent Thursday after being designated for assignment by the Rays earlier in the week, and he has now found a new home in Kansas City. The veteran right-handed reliever has appeared in 33 major-league contests with the Mets and Tampa Bay this season, posting a 4.81 ERA and 1.34 WHIP with 32 punchouts over 33.2 innings. He'll likely begin his time with the Royals in a low-leverage role.

Campusano is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

The Padres will go with Freddy Fermin behind the dish Sunday after Campusano picked up starts at catcher in the first two contests of the series. Since the All-Star break, Campusano has gotten on base at an excellent .396 clip over 15 games, but he's provided limited counting statistics (no home runs or stolen bases, five RBI and one run).

Littell agreed to a one-year contract with the Diamondbacks on Sunday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

The veteran right-hander was let go by the Nationals on Friday after posting a 4.97 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 70:35 K:BB across 112.1 innings on the season. Arizona's rotation depth has been thinned out in recent weeks, but with Michael Soroka (glute) poised to come off the injured list Monday, the Diamondbacks may not have a spot available for Littell. With that in mind, Littell could have to settle for a long-relief role to begin his time in Arizona.