MLB Player News

Taylor went 2-for-4 with two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Wednesday's 9-3 win over the Rockies.

Taylor has gone 10-for-37 (.270) over 12 games since he returned from an oblique injury at the end of August. He has added four steals in that span, providing a boost of speed from the lower half of the lineup. The outfielder has a career-high 10 steals on 12 attempts while batting .312 with a .770 OPS, one home run, 13 RBI, 21 runs scored, two doubles and two triples across 143 plate appearances this year.

Salas went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBI in Wednesday's 9-3 win over the Rockies.

Salas went yard in the second and fifth innings for the first two homers of his big-league career. All three of his hits so far have gone for extra bases -- his first career knock was a triple on Sunday in San Francisco. Salas is batting .143 with seven strikeouts over his first 21 plate appearances in the majors, so he still has some adjustments to make to hold his own against big-league pitchers.

Ray (13-8) allowed three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings to earn the win over the Rockies on Wednesday.

After giving up five runs in back-to-back starts to begin September, Ray responded with his 13th quality start of the season Wednesday, though he was trending even better before giving up a two-run home run to Kyle Karros in the sixth inning. The southpaw has a 3.60 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 138:83 K:BB across 162.1 innings over 30 games (29 starts) on the year. Ray is projected to make his next start on the road versus the Dodgers.

Alexander will serve as the Rangers' opening pitcher during Thursday's game against the Red Sox.

Alexander will draw his fifth opening assignment of the season after beginning September by allowing three earned runs across 7.1 innings. He'll likely remain in the game for an inning or two before Cody Bradford presumably takes over in bulk relief.

Massey went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Astros.

Massey crushed a solo shot in the eighth inning off the right-field foul pole to bring the lead to 3-0 for the Royals. This was Massey's first home run since coming off the 7-day concussion injured list in early September. Since returning from the injury, Massey is slashing .326/.354/.435 with two doubles, a homer and a steal in 12 games.

Javier (2-6) allowed two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out two over 5.1 innings to take the loss versus the Royals on Wednesday.

Javier dealt with a lot of traffic on the basepaths, but all the damage against him came via a John Rave two-run homer in the fourth inning. This start continued a strong September for Javier, who has a 2.20 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB across 16.1 innings through three starts this month. A matchup with the Mariners in Seattle is likely up next for the right-hander.

Lynch (6-5) picked up the win in Wednesday's 5-2 victory over the Astros, allowing two hits and one walk with three strikeouts over five scoreless innings.

Lynch delivered his first scoreless outing since joining the Kansas City rotation on August 7. It's the second consecutive victory for the 29-year-old, who has pitched exactly five frames in each of his past three outings while giving up seven runs with a 6:4 K:BB. As a starter this season, he has a 5.28 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 17:11 K:BB over 30.2 innings across eight starts. The left-hander next lines up to take the mound against the White Sox.

Ullola will serve as the Astros' opening pitcher during Thursday's game against the Royals, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Ullola pitched a shutout inning while working as an opener during his last outing Friday, and he'll look to replicate that performance Thursday. Ethan Pecko is expected to handle bulk-relief duties once Ullola exits the game.

Manager Skip Schumaker said after Wednesday's game against the Red Sox that Gore is dealing with spasms in his back/shoulder, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Gore gave up three earned runs over four innings on just 69 pitches during his start Wednesday, and his spasms help to explain why his outing was cut short. It's unclear whether the left-hander will be able to make his next start -- tentatively scheduled for Tuesday against the Mets -- but the Rangers will likely have a better idea of his availability after monitoring him for a few days.

Basallo went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in the win versus the Mets on Wednesday.

One pitch after Christian Encarnacion-Strand crushed a two-run homer in the third inning, Basallo launched his 18th long ball of the campaign. It was the first homer of September for the rookie backstop, who ended a 17-game power drought. The 22-year-old entered Wednesday's contest with a .493 OPS in 25 contests since the All-Star break.