MLB Player News

The Royals selected Gurriel's (undisclosed) contract from Triple-A Omaha. He'll bat seventh as the designated hitter Sunday against the Astros.

The 40-year-old was acquired from Atlanta on Saturday and will immediately join Kansas City and enter the lineup, despite having not played since Aug. 22 due to an unspecified injury while he was a member of the roster at Triple-A Gwinnett. The major-league trade deadline passed July 30, but Gurriel was able to be dealt since he was in the minor leagues. He had a .292/.378/.485 slash line with 12 home runs and 11 steals in 75 games at Triple-A with Atlanta, and his 2024 MLB debut will come against one of his former teams.

Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

After signing with the Reds on Aug. 22, Smith had started in each of the Reds' ensuing eight matchups against right-handed pitching, but he'll take a seat Sunday against Brewers righty Tobias Myers. Ty France will step in at first base in place of Smith, who has slashed .208/.296/.292 with a 37 percent strikeout rate thus far during his time in Cincinnati.

Turner went 3-for-5 with two solo homers in Saturday's loss to the Angels.

Turner launched a leadoff shot to left field in his first trip to the plate to put Seattle on the board before then adding a second leadoff homer in the fourth to give his team the lead. The first baseman would go on to reach three times in the contest while posting his first three-hit effort as a member of the Mariners. It marked Turner's second two-homer performance of the season, and he's now driven in and scored at least one run in back-to-back games. The long balls were only his eighth and ninth of the campaign.

Nevin started at first base in a loss to the Rangers on Saturday and went 0-for-3.

Nevin was in the starting lineup for the first time in a week and only the ninth time in August. The journeyman remained in a funk at the plate with his hitless effort, as he's now 2-for-17 in his last six appearances overall. Nevin offers plenty of defensive versatility with his ability to play both the corner infield and outfield spots, but he figures to continue seeing only intermittent playing time down the stretch.

The Yankees reinstated Rizzo (forearm) from the 60-day injured list Sunday. He'll start at first base and bat seventh in the Yankees' series finale with the Cardinals.

After Saturday's 6-5 loss to St. Louis, New York optioned Ben Rice to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to reopen a spot on the active roster for Rizzo, who had been on the shelf since June 18 with a right forearm fracture. Rizzo avoided surgery to treat the injury and kicked off a rehab assignment at Double-A Somerset on Aug. 23, with the 35-year-old going 2-for-13 with a solo home run and a 2:6 BB:K in six games in the minors before being activated. Rizzo should replace Rice as the Yankees' primary first baseman against right-handed pitching, though he could lose work versus lefties to either DJ LeMahieu or Oswaldo Cabrera. Before being shut down in June, Rizzo was in the midst of a rough season at the plate, with his .630 OPS over 291 plate appearances representing his worst mark since his 2011 rookie campaign with the Padres.

Diaz (knee) will bat leadoff as the Rays' designated hitter Sunday against the Padres, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The 33-year-old was on the bench for Saturday's contest after he exited Friday's game due to left knee patellar tendinitis, but he's back in action Sunday for the series finale. Diaz finished August with a hot bat and has a .349/.396/.558 slash line with three doubles and two homers in his past 12 games.

Bauers is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.

As usual, the lefty-hitting Bauers will take a seat while the Reds send a southpaw (Brandon Williamson) to the bump for the series finale. Bauers' grasp on a regular spot in the lineup against righties also appears to be loosening, as he was on the bench for two of the Brewers' previous four matchups with opposite-handed pitchers.

Alonso went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored Saturday in a 5-3 victory versus the White Sox.

Alonso gave New York an early lead with his first-inning, two-run shot to left-center field. It was his 30th homer of the campaign, marking the fifth time in six career seasons he's reached that total (the only exception was the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign). In August, Alonso posted a .250 batting average with eight homers, 19 RBI and 16 runs over 104 at-bats.

Freeman went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Saturday's 8-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

The Dodgers opened the game with three straight homers, with Freeman's giving them a 3-0 lead early against Merrill Kelly. Freeman also had an RBI single in the second inning. He's homered in both of the last two games after taking a three-game break to rest and manage a hairline fracture in his right middle finger that he appears prepared to play through heading into September. The first baseman is up to a .286/.382/.486 slash line, 19 homers, 78 RBI, 72 runs scored and six stolen bases through 124 contests this season.

Cronenworth went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and a double in Saturday's 11-4 loss to the Rays.

Cronenworth opened the scoring with a two-run blast in the first inning and fell a triple shy of the cycle in an otherwise forgettable game for the Padres. He has hit safely in six straight contests and eight of his past 10 overall, driving in five and scoring six runs in that span. On the season, the 30-year-old is hitting .250 with 16 home runs, 78 RBI, 67 runs scored and four stolen bases across 564 plate appearances.