MLB Player News

The Red Sox will option Dalbec to Triple-A Worcester on Friday, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

The 28-year-old no longer had a path to clear playing time after the Red Sox signed Dominic Smith to split time at first base with Garrett Cooper, so Dalbec will head to the minors to serve as an organizational depth piece. He slashed just .137/.200/.176 across 56 plate appearances with Boston this season.

Smith is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

After he was granted his release from his minor-league deal with the Rays earlier Wednesday, Smith quickly landed with the Red Sox on a one-year contract and was included in the lineup upon joining the team. He started at first base in Wednesday's 6-2 win, going 1-for-4 with an RBI. While Masataka Yoshida (thumb) is on the shelf along with Triston Casas (ribs), the Red Sox could have room in the lineup at designated hitter and first base for both Smith and Garrett Cooper (wrist), though the lefty-hitting Smith will still likely sit against most left-handed pitchers. Smith finds himself on the bench Thursday with the Giants bringing southpaw Kyle Harrison to the hill.

Cooper (wrist) will bat sixth as the Red Sox's designated hitter in Thursday's game against the Giants, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Cooper didn't play in Wednesday's 6-2 win while tending to a bruised right wrist, but he'll be back in action for the series finale. Given that he's serving as the Red Sox's DH rather than manning first base, it's possible that the bruised wrist is still presenting some complications with his throwing. With Masataka Yoshida (thumb) going on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, the Red Sox can give Cooper as much time as he needs at DH to heal up from the wrist issue before he's reintegrated at first base.

Smith started at first base and went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Giants.

Smith is the latest through the revolving door that is first base on Boston's roster. He was signed earlier in the day and made his debut for the Red Sox. With Triston Casas (ribs) on the 60-day injured list, the Red Sox have added two new first baseman over the last week -- Smith and Garrett Cooper (wrist). Once the righty-hitting Cooper is ready, a job share between him Smith (a lefty) seems likely. Bobby Dalbec is also around.

The Athletics optioned Noda to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Noda's 0-for-3 performance during Wednesday's win over Pittsburgh extended his hitless streak to 28 at-bats across 11 games and gives him a putrid .128 batting average through 83 at-bats on the year. Abraham Toro will likely fill in as Oakland's everyday first baseman while Noda attempts to rediscover his swing in the minors.

Smith signed a one-year contract with the Red Sox on Wednesday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Smith slashed .263/.337/.375 across 89 plate appearances with the Rays' Triple-A affiliate while on a minor-league deal. He was released by Tampa Bay earlier on Wednesday and will now join the Red Sox on a major-league deal to help make up for the loss of Triston Casas (ribs). Smith will likely end up splitting time with Garrett Cooper (wrist) at first base, replacing Bobby Dalbec.

Singleton went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run, a walk and two runs scored in Tuesday's 10-9 win over the Guardians.

Singleton was somewhat surprisingly in the lineup and starting at first base despite the promotion of Joey Loperfido. Singleton began his day with a walk before coming around to score in the third inning, and he followed that up one plate appearance with his first home run of the campaign. He has the chance to see additional at-bats at first base with Jose Abreu demoted to the minors and Loperfido picking up at least some starts in the outfield. However, for Singleton to log regular plate appearances, he'll need to improve upon his .239/.327/.348 line.

Loperfido went 1-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored Tuesday against the Guardians.

Loperfido was officially called up Tuesday for his big-league debut and started in left field in place of Chas McCormick (hamstring). Loperfido flew out in his first plate appearance, but he delivered a two-RBI single with the bases loaded in the fourth inning for his first big-league hit. The Astros have been somewhat unclear on their plan to use him in the short term, but there are regular plate appearances available with Jose Abreu away from the team.

Naylor went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored during Tuesday's 10-9 loss to the Astros.

Naylor launched his seventh home run of the campaign and scored multiple times for the second time this season. Even with Naylor's long ball, he's batting 3-for-22 (.136) over his last six games. However, he's added a pair of stolen bases and has struck out four times to three walks during that stretch.

Dalbec entered Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Giants in the bottom of the fifth inning after Garrett Cooper was hit by a pitch on the wrist. Dalbec was hit by a pitch and subsequently stole a base in his lone plate appearance.

The early word on Cooper's injury is a wrist contusion, and it's unclear how much time he'll need to make a full recovery. The development puts Dalbec back in the mix for more playing time; he had been the primary first baseman prior to Boston acquiring Cooper last week.