MLB Player News

Calhoun went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an RBI single and two runs scored in Friday's 5-1 win over the Padres.

Calhoun broke a scoreless tie with his sixth-inning blast off Padres starter Dinelson Lamet. Calhoun then added his RBI single in the eighth and scored on a Starling Marte double as part of a four-run rally to extend the lead. The 32-year-old Calhoun has gone 8-for-18 with three homers, seven RBI and seven runs scored over his last four games. He's hitting .254 with five homers, 14 RBI and 12 runs scored overall in 18 contests.

Gurriel went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Friday's 11-1 win over the Mariners.

Gurriel went deep back-to-back with Yordan Alvarez in the middle of a nine-run first inning for the Astros. In the second, Gurriel laced a triple to right field and scored on a Carlos Correa groundout. Through 19 games, Gurriel has four homers, eight RBI, 12 runs scored and a .267 batting average.

Solano (abdomen) is starting at second base and batting second Friday versus the A's.

The 32-year-old missed the past two games with abdominal soreness, but he'll make his return to the lineup for Friday's series opener. Solano has an impressive .458/.476/.661 slash line with one homer, nine doubles and 15 RBI in 16 games.

Diaz will not start Friday's game against Toronto, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Heavy rotation is certainly nothing new for the Rays, as Diaz hits the bench even after reaching base four times and scoring three runs in Thursday's contest. Joey Wendle gets the start at third base.

Diaz went 3-for-5 with an RBI single, a walk and three runs in a win over the Red Sox on Thursday.

Diaz's run-scoring single in the first inning opened the scoring on what would be a momentous 17-run barrage for the Rays. The Cuban infielder has been highly productive at the plate during August after a slow start to the season, but curiously, the big hits continue to avoid him. Of Diaz's 19 hits on the season, only two -- a pair of doubles -- have gone for extra bases, this after he laced a career-high 35 XBH (20 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs) in 2019. Part of the explanation seems to lie in Diaz's batted-ball metrics -- he's seen drops in exit velocity (91.6 mph to 83.0 mph), hard-contact rate (42.4 percent to 33.9 percent) and flyball rate (32.0 percent to 10.7 percent) compared to last season. On the bright side for his fantasy managers, the 29-year-old's line-drive rate is up from 17.2 to 21.4 percent, which typically leads to more batted balls falling in for hits.

Bohm went 1-for-4 with a double during Thursday's 11-4 loss to the Orioles.

Making his MLB debut after being called up from the Phillies' alternate training site earlier in the day, Bohm started at third base and batted sixth while Jean Segura shifted over to the keystone. The 24-year-old didn't take long to make an impact, sending a liner down the left-field line on the fourth pitch he saw in his first at-bat. So long as he stays healthy and avoids an extended slump, the Phillies' top position prospect is expected to remain a regular at the hot corner for the rest of the season, resulting in Scott Kingery moving into more of a utility role.

Smith went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, double and two runs scored in Thursday's 8-2 win over the Nationals.

It marked the second day in a row in which Smith belted a double and a homer. Smith has been seeing consistent playing time with Yoenis Cespedes opting out of the season, and the lefty swinger now has his OPS up to a stellar 1.020 following Thursday's win. Look for Smith to continue to get consistent at-bats against right-handed pitching.

Cronenworth isn't starting Thursday against the Dodgers.

With Eric Hosmer available for the Padres once again, Cronenworth should see a slight downturn in playing time, but he's played well enough to maintain a fairly regular role in the lineup. Jurickson Profar will start at second base in Cronenworth's absence Thursday.

France was optioned to the Padres' alternate training site Thursday.

France saw inconsistent playing time to begin the season as part of the active roster as he slashed .250/.308/.417 with two extra-base hits and three RBI over 24 at-bats. However, he could be one of the team's top options to fill in if injuries occur. Jorge Mateo was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move.

Hoskins is not starting Thursday against the Orioles, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Hoskins will head to the bench for what appears to be a routine breather following a string of 13 consecutive starts to begin the season. Neil Walker is starting at first base in place of Hoskins, who is slashing .190/.404/.238 with zero home runs, one RBI, nine runs scored and a 14:10 BB:K so far this season.