MLB Player News

The Mets placed Smith on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a right ankle sprain.

The transaction is retroactive to Sunday, so Smith will be eligible to come off the IL as soon as July 27. The Mets have yet to announce a corresponding roster move, but Smith's placement on the IL should open up more reps against right-handed pitching for Luis Guillorme or J.D. Davis.

Steer has gone 13 straight games without a homer at Triple-A St. Paul, though he's still hit .260 with a .362 OBP and 8:9 BB:K in that span.

He's hit four doubles and a triple in that time, too, so it's not like Steer's extra-base power has dried up altogether even while he's been stuck on 19 home runs since June 24. Even with this power outage, he still has a solid .253/.344/.531 line in Triple-A, and that's with an uncharacteristically low .259 BABIP. Steer's bat ought to write his ticket to the big leagues before too much longer, though the Twins' overcrowded infield remains an impediment.

Tellez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 9-5 loss to the Giants.

Tellez's eighth-inning blast off Jakob Junis was his 18th of the season, leaving him one behind Willy Adames -- who hit a solo shot in the first inning -- for the team lead. Before leaving the yard in the Brewers' final game before the All-Star break, Tellez had endured a prolonged power outage, as he produced no extra-base hits in any of his previous nine contests.

France went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an RBI single in a 6-2 win over the Rangers on Sunday.

France showed why he was named to the AL All-Star squad with a two-RBI performance that helped the Mariners extend their winning streak to 14 games. His towering home run off Glenn Otto in the fifth was all the offense the Mariners would need to secure the win, and he added an insurance run later in the game. The first baseman is hitting .308 on the season with a 14.8% strikeout rate.

Wade went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Sunday's 9-5 win over the Brewers.

Wade blew the game open with his third-inning blast, which stretched the Giants' lead to 7-1. Injuries have limited his chances to build momentum, but he's yet to have a multi-hit effort since returning from a knee injury June 29. Four of his seven hits since that date have gone for extra bases. The 28-year-old owns a .181/.294/.347 slash line with three homers, 14 RBI, seven runs scored, a triple and a double through 85 plate appearances. Wade is likely to be limited to playing against right-handed pitchers until he can show more consistency at the plate.

Vaughn went 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, three RBI, a run scored and a walk in an 11-0 victory Sunday in Minnesota.

Vaughn drove in two with a double in the fifth and tacked on a solo homer in the seventh off reliever Joe Smith. It was his fourth straight multi-hit game, and he is 9-for-17 with two homers and nine RBI in those contests. The recent offensive outburst has pushed his batting average over .300 as he heads into the All-Star break with a .301/.350/.470 slash line and 10 homers in 72 games.

The Royals optioned Pratto to Triple-A Omaha following Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Blue Jays.

With its four-game series in Toronto now complete, the Royals are set to add the 10 players currently on the restricted list back to the 26-man active roster in advance of the team's first game out of the All-Star break July 22 against the Rays. Pratto will be one of several replacement players who will head back to the minors as a result, spelling an official end to his first stint in the big leagues. He started at first base in all four games in Toronto, going 4-for-14 with a solo home run, a double and a walk while striking out four times.

Rivas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.

Though the lefty-hitting Rivas is on the bench with New York bringing a lefty (David Peterson) to the hill, Rivas' time as the Cubs' primary first baseman looks to be over in any case. Frank Schwindel (back), who was reinstated from the injured list Thursday, will be making his third consecutive start to close out the Cubs' first-half schedule and should serve as the Cubs' main option at the position moving forward.

Smith (ankle) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

According to Tim Healey of Newsday, manager Buck Showalter said Sunday that the swelling in Smith's ankle has lessened since the 27-year-old exited the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. Even so, Smith will be sent in for more imaging when the Mets return to New York following Sunday's contest, so a trip to the injured list could still be a possibility. Jeff McNeil will replace Smith in the lineup Sunday as the Mets' designated hitter.

Solano will serve as the Reds' designated hitter and No. 7 batter in Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

He'll close the Reds' first-half schedule having made four consecutive starts, but Solano could be in danger of falling into a short-side platoon role coming out of the All-Star break. Provided he hasn't experienced any major setbacks in his recovery from the virus, Mike Moustakas (illness) could be ready to return from the COVID-19-related injured list and take back primary duties at DH for next weekend's home series with the Cardinals.