MLB Player News

Smith went 2-for-4 with a walk and a grand slam in Wednesday's 7-0 win over the Reds.

He blew the game open in the third inning by taking Jeff Hoffman deep with the bases juiced. Smith has found his groove in July, batting .305 (18-for-59) with five of his 11 homers on the year along with 14 RBI and 14 runs through 17 games.

Mountcastle went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and a walk in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Rays.

The home run was Mountcastle's 15th of 2021 but his first since June 28. He's now hitting .178 with seven RBI and seven runs scored in 45 at-bats since the start of July, which has certainly been a disappointing month for him after he hit .327 with nine homers and 26 RBI in June.

Kirilloff is expected to require eight weeks of rehab after undergoing surgery on his right wrist later this week and won't retake the field for the Twins this season, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The 23-year-old landed on the injured list Wednesday and will see his rookie campaign come to an early end. Kirilloff sprained the wrist back in May, and he'll undergo a procedure to repair the torn ligament after a recent dip in productivity. He could rejoin the Twins for the final stretch of the season to finish his rehab and be around the team, but he won't return to game action in 2021. Kirilloff will finish his rookie campaign with a .251/.299/.423 slash line, eight home runs, 11 doubles, 34 RBI and 23 runs in 231 plate appearances.

Voit (knee) resumed baseball activities Wednesday, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Voit was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday due to a bone bruise and inflammation in his left knee, but he was able to take grounders ahead of Wednesday's matchup against the Phillies. It's not yet clear when the 30-year-old will be able to return to action, but Chris Gittens (Achilles) and DJ LeMahieu should continue to fill in at first base in his absence.

Gittens (Achilles) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

DJ LeMahieu will pick up the start at first base while Gittens sits for the second straight day on account of a sore Achilles. According to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, Gittens was spotted on the field Wednesday taking part in stretches and agility drills with a trainer, a positive sign for his chances of avoiding a trip to the injured list.

The Twins will place Kirilloff on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. He's scheduled to undergo surgery later this week to address a ligament tear in his right wrist, according to Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Kirilloff sprained the wrist in May and was able to play through the issue after a brief stint on the IL, but after his productivity had started to wane over the past two weeks, he chose to have a corrective procedure. The Twins likely won't have a timeline for Kirilloff's return until after surgery is performed, but he could be at risk of missing the remainder of the season. Minnesota will call up Willians Astudillo from Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move.

France went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run Tuesday in the Mariners' 6-4 win over the Rockies.

France has put together four multi-hit games in a row, helping him raise his season average from .262 to .277. He'll start at second base in Wednesday's series finale, but France should see the bulk of his playing time at first base moving forward with Evan White (hip) having been shut down for the season.

O'Hearn is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers.

With no designated hitter available in Milwaukee, O'Hearn will be squeezed out of the lineup for the second day in a row. Despite not starting Tuesday, O'Hearn was able to make an impact off the bench in the Royals' 5-2 win by slugging a two-run home run as a pinch hitter.

Hoskins went 1-for-3 with a home run, an additional run scored and two walks in Tuesday's loss against the Yankees.

Hoskins had gone eight straight games without a home run but snapped that skid here with a solo bomb in the second inning off Domingo German. The slugger now has 21 homers on the season and has a realistic shot at posting the second 30-homer campaign of his big-league career. He's also seeing the ball well, as he's hitting .304 with a 1.170 OPS across 56 plate appearances this month.

Tellez isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Royals.

Even with right-hander Brad Keller starting for the Royals on Wednesday, Tellez will retreat to the bench once again. Jace Peterson will start at first base and bat sixth.