MLB Player News

Manager Kevin Cash said Mesa aggravated his left hamstring injury Tuesday and could require a trip to the 10-day injured list, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

Mesa was back in the lineup Tuesday after missing the previous three contests. He was hit by a pitch in the second inning against Toronto and was lifted for a pinch hitter ahead of his second plate appearance in the fourth. Mesa is slashing .214/.288/.447 across 179 trips to the plate this season and has three multi-hit games this month.

Griffin (14-4) earned the win against the Giants on Tuesday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out six across six innings.

The Guardians' offense supplied seven runs through the the first four innings of Tuesday's game, which was plenty of cushion for Griffin. The 31-year-old southpaw gave up a solo homer to Bryce Eldridge in the second inning, but that turned out to be the only blemish on Griffin's line, as he logged his 12th game of six or more strikeouts and his 13th quality start of the season. Griffin's 14 wins are tied with Chase Burns for third most in the majors behind Cristopher Sanchez (16) and Sonny Gray (15). Griffin will take a 3.18 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 144.1 innings into his next start, tentatively slated for this weekend on the road against the Rockies.

Adell went 3-for-4 with a home run and six RBI during the Guardians' 8-1 win over the Giants on Tuesday.

Adell entered the night having gone 7-for-50 (.167) with two home runs and five RBI through his first 12 games for the Guardians. Tuesday's story was different, with Adell setting the tone early with a 455-foot, three-run homer in the first inning. He proceeded to drive in three more runs on singles in the second and fourth to set a career high with six RBI. The 27-year-old outfielder is one long ball shy of hitting the 20-homer mark for a third consecutive year, and he has a .695 OPS with three steals, 73 RBI and 40 extra-base hits across 510 plate appearances this season.

Callahan went 2-for-3 with a solo home run during the Tigers' 4-1 loss to the Pirates on Tuesday.

The Tigers didn't have much of an answer for Braxton Ashcraft, but Callahan was responsible for two of Detroit's five hits off the right-hander, one which was a solo homer in the fifth inning. The home run was the first of Callahan's career, and the 24-year-old outfielder has gone 4-for-9 with five RBI and two extra-base hits while starting in three straight games since being promoted from Triple-A Toledo on Sunday.

Montero (9-8) took the loss against the Pirates on Tuesday, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out three across five innings.

Montero looked to be in complete control of Tuesday's game after retiring the first 12 batters he faced. That momentum quickly shifted in the fifth, when he opened the inning with a walk before yielding a two-run homer to Oneil Cruz. Montero gave up another run in the frame and didn't come back out for the sixth, ultimately taking the loss as his Tigers teammates provided little offense against Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft. Montero will take a 3.30 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over 133.2 innings into his next start, slated for next week at home against the Rays in what projects to be a two-start week.

Montgomery earned the save in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Tigers, striking out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning.

Braxton Ashcraft took care of business through the first eight innings on just 80 pitches, but the Pirates turned to Montgomery to keep the team's lead safe. The first batter reached base safely on a throwing error, but Montgomery proceeded to strike out the next two hitters he faced before closing the game with a groundout. He's earned the save in three of his last five outings and has not yielded a run over his last eight appearances. Montgomery has a 3.47 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across 49.1 innings this season.

Cruz went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run during the Pirates' 4-1 win over the Tigers on Tuesday.

Cruz was activated from the 60-day injured list Monday, but he had to wait until Tuesday to make his return to the lineup. He made an immediate impact in his return with a two-run long ball in the fifth to put the Pirates up for good. It's a great sign for Cruz, who had been working his way back from a fractured left hand that he suffered in early June. His return is a significant boost for a Pirates team attempting to make a late surge to reach the postseason.

Ashcraft (13-5) came away with the win against the Tigers on Tuesday, allowing one run on five hits while striking out four across eight innings. He did not issue a walk.

Ashcraft set the tone Tuesday by retiring the first 10 batters he faced. He gave up a solo homer to Brett Callahan in the fifth, but that was the only blemish to Ashcraft's excellent night, with the latter tossing only 80 pitches (61 strikes) through eight innings while generating seven whiffs and 12 groundouts. It was a spectacular encore to his complete game this past Thursday against the Marlins, and Ashcraft sits at a 3.68 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over 149.1 innings this season. He's lined up to face the Padres on the road next week in what projects to be a two-start week for the 27-year-old right-hander.

Smith-Shawver is expected to remain in the Atlanta rotation beyond Wednesday's start against Minnesota, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Smith-Shawver has been limited to one major-league start so far this season, as he missed extended time at the start of the campaign while completing his recovery from Tommy John surgery. However, he will return to a big-league mound Wednesday, and Atlanta will move to a six-man rotation for the time being to accommodate the 23-year-old right-hander. Smith-Shawver had been pitching brilliantly for Triple-A prior to his promotion Tuesday, allowing just two earned runs with a 23:6 K:BB over his last 19.1 innings spanning four starts for Gwinnett.

Ohtani (knee) threw a scheduled bullpen session Tuesday, which appeared to go well, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Ohtani threw another bullpen following his last session Friday. The 32-year-old said Friday that his left knee did not bother him during that day's activity, and he gave manager Dave Roberts a thumbs-up following his session Tuesday. Considering his recent progress, facing live hitters may be on the horizon.