MLB Player News

The Pirates activated Gonzalez to the major-league roster Saturday.

Gonzalez had been at Triple-A when the White Sox traded him to Pittsburgh on Friday, but he'll officially return to the majors to begin his tenure with the Pirates. He won't be in the lineup for the final game of Saturday's doubleheader, though Injuries to Spencer Horwitz (hamstring) and Konnor Griffin (finger) could open up opportunities for Gonzalez to get starting reps with Pittsburgh.

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.

Rice went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 5-3 win over the Nationals.

Rice has gone deep seven times in the last 10 games, slashing .324/.432/.892 over that blistering stretch with eight runs and 13 RBI. His 29 homers on the season rank third in the majors, behind Kyle Schwarber's 32 and Yordan Alvarez's 30.

Murakami went 1-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored Friday against the Athletics.

Murakami returned after roughly a six-week absence and struck out in four of his five at-bats. He delivered an RBI double in his other plate appearance, continuing the boom-or-bust profile he had displayed early in the season. Murakami also returned to hit second in the order, and he should retain a key spot in the lineup moving forward.

Torkelson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 10-2 win over the Phillies.

Torkelson hit his second home run over his last three games, and he's now up to 16 long balls on the season. The 26-year-old matched his career best with 31 homers in 155 regular-season contests last year. He's sitting at his current total after 93 games, so he'll need to finish on a torrid pace if he wants to set a new career high in 2026, though Torkelson is plenty capable of going on power binges.

Devers went 3-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two additional RBI in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Rockies.

Devers opened the scoring with a second-inning homer and added an RBI single in the seventh and a sacrifice fly in the ninth. He has gone 12-for-32 (.375) with four homers and eight RBI over nine contests in July. For the season, the infielder is batting .253 with an .808 OPS, 19 homers, 52 RBI, 48 runs scored, 25 doubles and one triple over 94 games.

The White Sox traded Gonzalez and Brandon Eisert to the Pirates on Friday in exchange for minor-league reliever Jaden Woods and the 34th pick in the 2026 First-Year Player Draft, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

After sending him down to Triple-A earlier in the day, the White Sox will now send Gonzalez out to Pittsburgh to help bolster the Pirates' infield depth. The 24-year-old has slashed .244/.323/.360 across 97 plate appearances in the majors since making his MLB debut May 31, but he boasts a 1.040 OPS at the Triple-A level. With Konnor Griffin (finger) expected to miss multiple months and Spencer Horwitz (hamstring) also on the IL, Gonzalez could get an opportunity to contribute right away for the big club.

Kurtz will likely be placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right thumb capsule strain, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Kurtz was removed from Wednesday's game against the White Sox with what was diagnosed as an illness at the time. However, he appeared to jam his right hand while attempting to field a throw in the first inning of that game, and more tests have revealed a right thumb strain. It's unclear whether the injury is severe enough for Kurtz to warrant a stint on the IL beyond the 10-day minimum. However, assuming he's placed on the IL, it means that the young first baseman would no longer represent the American League in the All-Star Game on Tuesday. An extended absence means there will be more reps at first base available for Joey Meneses and Jeff McNeil.