MLB Player News

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Boston's 5-3 win over Tampa Bay in the second game of Friday's doubleheader.

Contreras was in the lineup for the second game of Friday's twin bill after serving his five-game suspension. He didn't take long to make an impact, smacking a solo homer off Mason Englert in the first inning to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead. It was the 21st long ball of the season for Contreras, which leads the Red Sox and is tied for seventh-most in the American League. He's also up to a .925 OPS (over 368 plate appearances), which ranks fourth in the AL.

The Orioles recalled Encarnacion-Strand from Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Encarnacion-Strand will fill the 26-man roster spot vacated by Blaze Alexander, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a broken left hand. Acquired from the Reds back in April, Encarnacion-Strand has slashed .273/.309/.555 with 17 homers, 48 RBI, 35 runs scored, two stolen bases and a 12:77 BB:K across 257 plate appearances with Norfolk this season. He mostly played first base during his time with Cincinnati the previous three campaigns but has seen more action at the hot corner this year at Triple-A.

Aranda went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and was hit by a pitch in Sunday's 8-2 loss to the Mariners.

Aranda's lone hit produced the only scoring of the night for Tampa Bay, as he launched a two-run homer off Eduard Bazardo in the eighth inning. The long ball was his 14th of the year to match his career high from last season. The first baseman heads into the All-Star break swinging a hot bat, going 11-for-19 (.579) with six RBI over his last five games. Through 93 games, Aranda is slashing .297/.394/.471 with 14 home runs, 17 doubles, 64 RBI and 48 runs scored.

Grissom is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.

Though he'll be giving way to Oswald Peraza at second base in the series finale, Grissom may have inched ahead of him on the depth chart after a strong finish to the Angels' first-half schedule. Grissom had started the previous four games, going 7-for-17 with a home run, a double, a walk, six RBI and three runs during that span. The 25-year-old now maintains a .708 OPS on the season, placing him slightly ahead of Peraza's .663 mark.

Guerrero went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 8-7 loss to the Padres.

Guerrero has now homered twice over his last three contests following a 17-game power drought. This was also his first multi-hit effort since June 26 versus the Rangers. The first baseman is enduring a down year, batting .265 with a .709 OPS, six homers, 41 RBI, 51 runs scored and 14 doubles over 90 contests, though he's also at seven steals, one shy of matching his career high from 2022.

Alonso went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, an additional run and a double in a 6-1 win against the Royals on Saturday.

Alonso hit one of four Baltimore homers in the contest, though his fourth-inning, two-run blast was the only one that wasn't a solo shot. The slugger also smacked a double to tally multiple extra-base hits in the same game for the first time since June 13. Alonso has enjoyed a strong first half in his first campaign with the Orioles, slashing .253/.348/.478 with 21 home runs -- tied for 12th-most in the majors -- 59 runs, 64 RBI and two stolen bases through 96 contests.

Aranda went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored during the Rays' 6-1 win over the Mariners on Saturday.

Aranda gave the Rays a 2-1 lead in the third inning after his double brought Chandler Simpson home. Aranda has four multi-hit performances over his last four games and 29 for the season. He has gone 11-for-27 (.407) with four RBI over his last seven contests.

Pasquantino (hand) will start at first base and bat fifth Saturday against the Orioles.

Pasquantino was activated from the injured list Friday after spending nearly a month on the shelf with a hamate fracture, but Saturday will mark his return to the starting nine. The 28-year-old was slashing .298/.365/.426 across his last 12 games before getting injured, and he went 4-for-11 with three walks, an RBI and a run during his three-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha.

The Red Sox optioned Harris to Triple-A Worcester on Saturday.

Harris will lose his place on the active roster to make room for Eduardo Rivera, who is expected to start Saturday's game against the Mets. Harris went 0-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch during his lone appearance after getting called up to Boston on Thursday and has gone just 3-for-18 at Worcester since joining the organization June 30. He will likely spend most of what's left of the year in the minors.

The Athletics placed Kurtz on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a right thumb capsule sprain.

Kurtz jammed his right hand while attempting to field a throw in the first inning of Wednesday's game against the Tigers, with that injury along with an illness contributing to his removal from the game. Now that he's been moved to the IL, Kurtz will sit out Tuesday's All-Star Game, in addition to the Athletics' final two games of the first half versus the White Sox and the club's first series of the second half against the Nationals. Joey Meneses and Jonah Heim will likely be in store for reps at first base while Kurtz is out.