MLB Player News

France went 2-for-4 in an extra-innings loss to the Dodgers on Saturday, pushing his average over the last five games to .353 (6-for-17).

All six of France's hits during that span have been singles, but he reached safely in all five contests to push his season on-base percentage to an impressive .340. However, the veteran infielder's current surge still leaves his season average at a middling .252 -- way off the .285 figure he's averaged over the last three seasons -- with the downturn at least partly attributable to a small bump in strikeout rate to 18.1 percent from tallies of 16.3 percent and 15.4 percent in the prior pair of campaigns.

Guerrero went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Saturday's win over the Red Sox. He also walked three times in the contest.

Guerrero walked in each of his first two trips to the plate before crushing a leadoff homer to open the bottom of the seventh to bring the Blue Jays back within one run of Boston. It marked the first baseman's third consecutive game with a home run and his second game in a row with two hits. He's now hit safely in four straight, driving in six runs over that stretch to go along with four runs scored.

Porter went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 10-8 win over the Astros.

Porter began the game on the bench but entered as a result of an injury to Salvador Perez. The veteran catcher left the game in the fifth inning after a Jose Altuve foul tip ricocheted off Perez's facemask, and Porter took over behind the plate one batter later. The 28-year-old took advantage of the opportunity when he ripped a slider from Joel Kuhnel deep to left field for his first career homer in his second MLB game. Perez is thought to have avoided a concussion, but if he misses further action, Porter is the only other healthy backstop on the Royals' roster with MJ Melendez having made a full-time transition to the outfield earlier in the season.

Walsh went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Tigers.

Walsh hit a homer as a pinch hitter Friday and went yard again Saturday in his first two games back since he was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake. He got the start in right field and played there for the full game Saturday. The 30-year-old is slashing a meager .139/.253/.319 with three homers, eight RBI and seven runs scored over 83 major-league plate appearances, so it's unlikely he gets a full-time role over the last two weeks of the season.

Schanuel went 3-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Tigers.

Schanuel got the Angels on the board with a third-inning solo shot, his first career big-league homer. It took him 21 games to check off that milestone, and he had just one extra-base hit, a double, prior to his long ball Saturday. Considering the 21-year-old was fast-tracked to the majors after just 22 minor-league games, in which he hit .370 with a 1.004 OPS, it's a little surprising he hasn't added much power yet, though it's not his best tool. In the majors, he has a .296/.418/.346 slash line with four RBI, 14 runs scored and a 15:12 BB:K over 98 plate appearances.

Cron (back) was reinstated from the injured list Saturday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Cron last played Aug. 15 but has been activated to take the roster spot of Shohei Ohtani (oblique). With both Ohtani and Mike Trout (wrist) sidelined, Cron should have the chance to earn at-bats as the designated hitter.

Mountcastle (shoulder) will sit for the third straight game Saturday against the Rays, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

An MRI showed no damage to Mountcastle's shoulder Thursday, but he'll nonetheless continue to rest and heal. Ryan O'Hearn will get another start at first base.

Dalbec was recalled from Triple-A Worcester by the Red Sox on Saturday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Dalbec hit a lopsided .232/.298/.456 over his first three big-league seasons, good for a league-average 100 wRC+. He's only received 14 plate appearances at the MLB level this season, striking out in eight of them. He owns a .938 OPS and 33 homers for Triple-A Worcester, but he still struck out 34.3 percent of the time, so it's unlikely his big-league numbers will be significantly better going forward. He could make a handful of starts down the stretch in the absence of Triston Casas (shoulder), though the Red Sox could also play Justin Turner at first base.

Casas was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with right shoulder inflammation, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Casas will be eligible to return for the final week of the season, but with the Red Sox out of the playoff picture, they're likely to prioritize a cautious approach. Justin Turner will play first base Saturday, but Bobby Dalbec could also spend time there after being recalled to take Casas' place on the roster.

Casas (shoulder) was scratched from the lineup for the second consecutive day Saturday against the Blue Jays, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Casas had been set to return from a shoulder issue after just a one-game absence, but the team has decided he needs more time to heal. Given that the Red Sox have seemingly folded their hand for the season, as they 7.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot and recently fired top executive Chaim Bloom, it makes sense that they'd err on the side of caution with their young slugger. Justin Turner moves to first base in Casas' absence, with Masataka Yoshida moving to designated hitter, Adam Duvall sliding to Yoshida's spot in left field and Wilyer Abreu entering the lineup as the center fielder.