MLB Player News

Torkelson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 10-2 win over the Phillies.

Torkelson hit his second home run over his last three games, and he's now up to 16 long balls on the season. The 26-year-old matched his career best with 31 homers in 155 regular-season contests last year. He's sitting at his current total after 93 games, so he'll need to finish on a torrid pace if he wants to set a new career high in 2026, though Torkelson is plenty capable of going on power binges.

Kurtz will likely be placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right thumb capsule strain, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Kurtz was removed from Wednesday's game against the White Sox with what was diagnosed as an illness at the time. However, he appeared to jam his right hand while attempting to field a throw in the first inning of that game, and more tests have revealed a right thumb strain. It's unclear whether the injury is severe enough for Kurtz to warrant a stint on the IL beyond the 10-day minimum. However, assuming he's placed on the IL, it means that the young first baseman would no longer represent the American League in the All-Star Game on Tuesday. An extended absence means there will be more reps at first base available for Joey Meneses and Jeff McNeil.

Kurtz is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the White Sox.

It's unclear if Kurtz's absence is related to the illness he dealt with earlier this week that caused him to be removed from Wednesday's contest. Kurtz started Thursday but went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. With Kurtz idle, Joey Meneses is batting sixth and making the start at first base against right-hander Sean Burke.

Pasquantino (hand) is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Orioles.

Despite being activated from the 10-day injured list earlier in the day, Pasquantino will not be in the starting nine against Baltimore for Friday's series opener. Instead, Salvador Perez will man first base and bat sixth with Nick Loftin hitting eighth and handling DH duties.

The Royals activated Pasquantino (hand) from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Pasquantino suffered a broken right hamate bone last month and missed just 23 games with the injury. He's returning in just under four weeks, beating the typical recovery timeline significantly as Pasquantino was initially expected to be sidelined through the All-Star break. He appeared in three games with Triple-A Omaha on a rehab assignment, going 4-for-11 with three walks. At the time of his injury, Pasquantino had slashed an impressive .309/.397/.436 over his previous 14 games. He'll look to recapture that form during a weekend series against the Orioles.

The White Sox optioned Gonzalez to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.

Gonzalez was recalled for his major-league debut last month after Munetaka Murakami (hamstring) was sent to the injured list. Across 97 trips to the plate, Gonzalez slashed .244/.323/.360 with two homers, 17 RBI, 11 runs scored and an 8:22 BB:K. With Murakami back from the IL, Gonzalez will head back to Charlotte.

The White Sox activated Murakami (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Murakami suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain May 29 and ended up missing 35 games for Chicago. He appeared in two games with Triple-A Charlotte on a rehab assignment and went 2-for-7 at the plate with an RBI and a walk. Prior to his injury, Murakami was one of the hottest sluggers in the sport, blasting 20 homers with 41 RBI, 43 runs scored, 44 walks and a .938 OPS through his first 57 MLB games. The White Sox optioned Jacob Gonzalez to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Naylor went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and a run scored in Thursday's 8-4 loss to the Marlins.

Naylor, who extended his hitting streak to five games Thursday, now has three stolen bases in his last two games. He's up to 18 steals in 21 attempts this year, putting him well in range to pass his career-high of 30 set last season. At the plate, Naylor's managed a .251/.312/.353 slash line with eight homers, 36 RBI and 34 runs scored across 375 plate appearances.

Schanuel went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, a run and two RBI in a loss to the Rangers on Thursday.

Schanuel was the star of the Angels offense Thursday, posting four of the team's 10 total hits, including both of the club's extra-base knocks. His seventh-inning single plated two runs as part of a five-run rally that resulted in a tie game, but Texas ultimately came away with a walk-off win. Schanuel was in need of a big performance -- he entered Thursday having gone just 1-for-11 over his previous three games and was batting a meager .211 across his past 10 contests.

Rice went 2-for-4 with two home runs, five RBI, a walk and an additional run scored in Thursday's 12-4 win over the Rays.

Rice delivered his first multi-homer game of the year Thursday and the fourth of his career, amassing a season-high five RBI in the process. Following a dreadful month of June, when he hit .196 with just seven extra-base hits over 102 at-bats, the All-Star slugger is returning to form in July. Rice has gone deep five times while collecting 11 RBI in only 29 at-bats during July thus far, now slashing .275/.366/.590 with 28 long balls, 15 doubles, 65 RBI and 63 runs scored across 377 trips to the plate overall.