MLB Player News

Busch went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Friday's 5-1 win over the Giants.

Busch went deep off Erik Miller after Giants starter Landen Roupp left two runners in scoring position. This was Busch's second homer over his last four games. He has hit safely in 16 of his last 18 contests, going 22-for-67 (.328) in that span. On the season, the first baseman is batting .252 with a .787 OPS, eight homers, 41 RBI, 30 runs scored, 12 doubles, two triples and a stolen base through 69 games. Busch hasn't been close to matching his power from last year's 34-homer performance in the regular season, but he's starting to come around.

Schanuel (calf) is not in the Angels' starting lineup against the Rays on Friday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Schanuel will be out of the Halos' lineup for a second consecutive game while dealing with a left calf injury that he sustained after he took a pitch off his leg during Tuesday's game against the Astros. Trey Mancini will serve as the Angels' first baseman and bat fifth in Friday's game.

Young went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals.

Young extended New York's lead to 3-1 in the first inning with a solo homer off Hunter Dobbins, his fourth of the year, before tying the game at 4-4 with an RBI single in the fifth. Since returning from the IL on May 26, Young has gone 12-for-46 (.261) with a .911 OPS while playing nearly every day at first base.

Alonso went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 7-5 win over the Mariners.

After also homering in Wednesday's contest, Alonso has now gone deep in consecutive games for the third time this season. Over his last 15 contests, he's hitting .279 (17-for-61) with five long balls and 11 RBI. The first baseman continues to be a steady source of power with 15 homers, 44 RBI, 42 runs scored, 12 doubles and two stolen bases while batting .243 with a .775 OPS over 70 contests this season.

Torkelson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 11-0 win over the Twins.

It was a pretty typical Torkelson performance, as he struck out in his other three at-bats. The slugger had no home runs through his first 23 games of the season but has now gone deep 10 times in his last 45 contests. Torkelson figures to continue to struggle with making consistent contact, but he can still provide some fantasy value if he can maintain his power stroke.

Burleson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Mets.

With his 424-foot blast off Christian Scott in the first inning, Burleson extended his home-run streak to three games and his hit streak to 11. In those 11 contests, Burleson has gone 16-for-45 (.356) with a 1.119 OPS. He's boosted his slash line to .290/.356/.486 across 284 plate appearances this year with 11 homers, 48 RBI and 35 runs scored.

The Pirates optioned Wendzel to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

Wendzel was just promoted earlier this week and went 0-for-4 at the dish in his only start. He's being replaced on the active roster by Esmerlyn Valdez.

Harper went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double, a walk and two additional runs scored in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Blue Jays.

Harper is off to a strong start in the month of June. The All-Star first baseman is hitting 9-for-29 (.310) with two homers, two doubles, four RBI and two stolen bases over his last nine games. For the season, Harper is slashing a robust .267/.376/.517 with 15 big flies, 38 RBI, five stolen bases and 45 runs scored across 282 plate appearances.

Ward went 1-for-3 with a grand slam Wednesday in a loss to the Pirates.

Ward gave the Dodgers a 6-1 lead with his grand slam to right field in the sixth inning, though Pittsburgh made a late comeback to secure the victory. Ward could have had the opportunity to drive in another run with a runner on second base in the eighth, but he was pinch-hit for by Alex Call. Regardless, Ward has shown ample power since his most recent call-up May 28, mashing three homers and driving in 10 runs over seven contests. He's working in the strong side of a left-field platoon, starting at that position each of the Dodgers past five games against a right-handed starter.

Devers went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 11-10 win over the Nationals.

After going 0-for-11 in 14 plate appearances over his previous three games, Devers launched a home run to center field in the eighth inning and drew a walk in the ninth before coming around to score. The veteran infielder has struggled through 10 outings this month, batting .122 with seven runs scored, three RBI and two home runs across 48 plate appearances. Overall, he's slashing .233/.292/.415 with 33 runs scored, 33 RBI and nine long balls in 295 plate appearances this season.