MLB Player News

Casas will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Dodgers, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Casas will hit the bench against lefty Julio Urias. He sat against the majority of the lefties the Red Sox faced over the first four months of the season but was in the lineup against all six southpaws the team faced in August prior to Saturday's absence. Justin Turner will start at first base.

Noda went 3-for-5 with an RBI single, a two-run home run, a walk and an additional run scored in a win over the White Sox on Friday.

Noda continued the hot hitting that's been his trademark since returning from the injured list, authoring his first multi-hit effort and slugging his first homer since July 18 in the process. The rookie's .813 OPS is also at its highest point since June 21, and he's encouragingly struck out just twice in his first 20 plate appearances since returning from the IL (34.0 percent strikeout rate going into the sample).

Guerrero went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Guardians.

The first baseman snapped a 16-game power outage, a stretch in which Guerrero has slashed .279/.353/.328 with only four RBI. After slugging a combined 80 homers over the prior two seasons, the second-generation star has only 19 in 125 games in 2023, and the Jays will likely need Guerrero to heat up in September if they're going to make the playoffs.

Diaz went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Friday against the Yankees.

Diaz was one of the few bright spots for the Rays as he blasted his 17th homer of the season. He's tallied six multi-hit efforts across his last eight games, and he's also racked up six RBI across the first four games of the Rays' current homestead. Diaz's power production has slowed considerably after the first two months of the season, but he remains an excellent source of batting average and counting stats.

Mountcastle went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's win over the Rockies.

Mountcastle hit his 18th homer in the first inning off Kyle Freeland to kick off the scoring for the Orioles. Following a series with Toronto that saw him collect just one hit, Mountcastle picked up where he had previous left off in August with his seventh multi-hit effort of the month. He's now hitting .366 with 30 hits in 82 August at-bats including five home runs, 16 RBI and 16 runs scored.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Friday that Pratto (groin) suffered a "minor setback" on his rehab assignment, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Pratto has returned to Kansas City and will be reevaluated Monday. While the setback has been deemed minor, it could still push Pratto's return back into early September. He's been on the shelf since late July with a left groin strain.

Rizzo (concussion) took batting practice on the field both Wednesday and Thursday, Max Goodman of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Rizzo reported Wednesday that he was feeling good about his progress after being diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome in early August. The veteran slugger is working toward a return, though his status is still considered week-to-week. The Yankees have lost 10 of 11 contests to fall 10 games out of a wild-card spot, but the organization appears willing to be patient with Rizzo and not rush his return.

Raley isn't in the Rays' lineup Friday against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After going 2-for-3 with a homer and two runs scored Thursday, Raley will get a breather to begin Tampa Bay's series with the Yankees. Randy Arozarena, Jose Siri and Josh Lowe will start in the Rays' outfield while Harold Ramirez serves as the DH.

Noda went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and a run in a win over the White Sox on Thursday.

The rookie slugger led off for only the fifth time this season and crossed the plate with the go-ahead run in the seventh inning on Zack Gelof's two-run home run. Noda has reached safely in each of his first four games back from a stint on the injured list due to a jaw fracture, although he's still searching for his first extra-base hit since July 18.

Arias went 3-for-4 with a solo homer, two runs scored and a stolen base in Thursday's loss against the Dodgers.

Arias singled in his first at-bat and stole home later in the inning to give the Guardians their first run of the game. He then added a 425-foot leadoff home run in the bottom of the eighth, marking his fourth long ball this month. It was also just his second multi-hit game in August and his second three-hit game of the season. The utility player has hit safely in three straight and in five of his last six.