MLB Player News

Naylor went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and a run scored in Thursday's 8-4 loss to the Marlins.

Naylor, who extended his hitting streak to five games Thursday, now has three stolen bases in his last two games. He's up to 18 steals in 21 attempts this year, putting him well in range to pass his career-high of 30 set last season. At the plate, Naylor's managed a .251/.312/.353 slash line with eight homers, 36 RBI and 34 runs scored across 375 plate appearances.

Schanuel went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, a run and two RBI in a loss to the Rangers on Thursday.

Schanuel was the star of the Angels offense Thursday, posting four of the team's 10 total hits, including both of the club's extra-base knocks. His seventh-inning single plated two runs as part of a five-run rally that resulted in a tie game, but Texas ultimately came away with a walk-off win. Schanuel was in need of a big performance -- he entered Thursday having gone just 1-for-11 over his previous three games and was batting a meager .211 across his past 10 contests.

Bauers went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, an additional run and a walk in Thursday's 8-4 victory over the Cardinals.

Bauers had the biggest hit of the night for Milwaukee, clubbing a three-run blast in the third inning to extend the lead to 6-0. The long ball was his 17th of the campaign, which is already a career-high mark after he went deep 12 times in three separate previous seasons. Bauers has been a pleasant first-half surprise for the Brewers and fantasy managers alike, as his .873 OPS ranks 18th in the league and his 57 RBI are tied for 23rd.

Smith was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks on Thursday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

After going 0-for-4 with a strikeout Wednesday in San Diego, Smith has been cut loose from Arizona's 26-man and 40-man rosters. The 30-year-old has slashed just .141/.236/.192 with one homer and six RBI in 89 appearances this year. Smith had slowly been losing time at first base to Ildemaro Vargas and Tim Tawa. The Diamondbacks recalled Ryan Waldschmidt from Triple-A Reno to replace Smith on the active roster.

Rice went 2-for-4 with two home runs, five RBI, a walk and an additional run scored in Thursday's 12-4 win over the Rays.

Rice delivered his first multi-homer game of the year Thursday and the fourth of his career, amassing a season-high five RBI in the process. Following a dreadful month of June, when he hit .196 with just seven extra-base hits over 102 at-bats, the All-Star slugger is returning to form in July. Rice has gone deep five times while collecting 11 RBI in only 29 at-bats during July thus far, now slashing .275/.366/.590 with 28 long balls, 15 doubles, 65 RBI and 63 runs scored across 377 trips to the plate overall.

Smith isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against San Diego.

Smith will retreat to the bench to begin Thursday's series finale after going 0-for-8 through the first three games, which has dropped his OPS down to .428 for the season. Tim Tawa will pick up a start at first base and bat ninth while Smith sits.

Kurtz (illness) will serve as the designated hitter and bat second during Thursday's game against the Tigers.

Kurtz was pulled from Wednesday's game in the second inning after he came down with an illness, but he's feeling well enough to return to the starting nine for Thursday's series finale. The 23-year-old has fallen into a minor cold spell at the plate recently, going 0-for-14 with seven strikeouts across his last four contests.

Mets interim manager Andy Green said Thursday that Vientos has been diagnosed with a fractured right hand and will be placed on the 10-day injured list, Chelsea Janes of SNY.tv reports.

Vientos was struck by a 92-mph sinker thrown by Michael Wacha in the second inning of Thursday's game versus the Royals, and imaging revealed the unfortunate news. Vientos will likely be sidelined until sometime in August, though the Mets have yet to divulge a timeline for the infielder. The 26-year-old has mainly been used in a short-side platoon at first base over the past five weeks.

The Tigers recalled Valencia from Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Valencia has spent the entire season in Triple-A, slashing .267/.353/.486 with 16 homers, 49 RBI and 56 runs scored across 331 plate appearances. He'll now be called upon to provide the big club with depth behind the plate while Dillon Dingler manages a thumb injury. Valencia will be making his MLB debut whenever he gets into a game.

The White Sox are expected to activate Murakami (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list ahead of Friday's game against the Athletics, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

On the shelf since May 30 due to a Grade 2 right hamstring strain, Murakami appears poised to resume his outstanding rookie campaign this weekend after checking out well following two rehab games at Triple-A Charlotte. He's gone 2-for-7 with a double and a walk between the two contests and was able to play a full nine innings at first base Wednesday. Murakami's upcoming return from the IL is expected to most negatively affect fellow rookie Jacob Gonzalez, who had posted a .699 OPS in 29 games with the White Sox after stepping in for Murakami as the team's primary first baseman.