MLB Player News

Stefanic was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Stefanic started off strong after making his big-league debut in early July with a .944 OPS in his first seven games, but the honeymoon ended quickly as he went hitless in his past nine contests. David Fletcher (hip) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move and will reclaim a starting role for the Angels. Stefanic could receive another chance with the Halos later in the year, but for now he'll attempt to straighten things out in the minors.

Haggerty is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros.

Haggerty is on the bench for the second time in three contests, and he appears set to lose out on playing time after Kyle Lewis returned from the injured list last weekend and Julio Rodriguez recently returned from a four-game absence. Mitch Haniger (ankle) is also in the midst of a minor-league rehab assignment and could be activated from the 60-day IL within the next few days, further blocking Haggerty's path to consistent playing time in the outfield. It's a tough break for Haggerty, who has been playing at a high level in July with an .893 OPS and three stolen bases over 17 games.

Biggio is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers.

Biggio's streak of four consecutive starts will come to an end while the Blue Jays roll out a lineup consisting of their preferred option at each position in the series opener with Detroit. Due to his defensive versatility along with the team's inclination to periodically dole out rest days to lineup regulars, Biggio should still pick up a handful of starts per week even while Toronto is at full strength.

Lopez is not in the starting lineup Thursday against the Yankees.

Lopez will get a breather after he went 0-for-9 with a walk and three strikeouts over the series against the Angels. Hunter Dozier will take over at third base while Ryan O'Hearn enters the lineup in right field and bats fifth versus New York.

Frazier went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in a win over the Rangers on Wednesday.

Frazier saw a nine-game hitting streak snapped Sunday against the Astros, but he'll head into a rematch with Houston on Thursday with a new one in tow after recording a single for the third consecutive game Wednesday. The stolen base was a nice bonus for fantasy managers and puts Frazier halfway to the career-high 10 bags he swiped in 2021 with the Pirates and Padres.

Haggerty went 2-for-3 with an RBI double, another two-bagger and a run in a win over the Rangers on Wednesday.

Haggerty wreaked some havoc out of the No. 9 spot in the order, lacing his second and third extra-base hits over the last four games. The 28-year-old continues to produce more often than not with a recent stretch of playing time that's largely been the byproduct of Mitch Haniger's (ankle) IL stint, as Haggerty boasts a .351/.385/.622 slash line with Wednesday's two doubles, a triple, two home runs, six RBI, three steals and 10 runs across his last 13 games.

Arauz doesn't believe he'll need surgery for his sprained right middle finger, but it could be four weeks for the ligament to fully heal, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Arauz's decision to forgo surgery will give him a more realistic chance to play again in 2022, but he still looks like he'll spend well beyond the minimum 10 days on the IL while he heals up from the injury. Terrin Vavra was summoned from Triple-A Norfolk earlier this week to provide the Orioles with an extra utility man off the bench while Arauz is on the mend.

Westburg (foot) started at second base and went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored Wednesday in Triple-A Norfolk's 13-10 win over Memphis.

Westburg exited Norfolk's previous game Tuesday after being hit in the left foot by a pitch, but his re-entry into the lineup a day later suggests his removal was precautionary. The 23-year-old is one of several intriguing infield prospects in the higher levels of the Baltimore system, and he's been able to raise his production at Norfolk since receiving a promotion from Double-A Bowie in early June. Over his first 37 games at Triple-A, Westburg is slashing .288/.327/.526 across 165 plate appearances.

Kemp went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI in a 4-2 win over the Astros on Wednesday.

Kemp's RBI double in the fifth inning cashed in the Athletics' third run of the game and helped his team become the first to sweep the Astros in 2022. The three-hit game from the two-hole lifted Kemp's season-long average to .216. His career batting average is .241 and his 2022 BABIP is .243, so it is possible that the veteran's numbers continue to normalize over the remainder of the season.

Torres sent 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Mets.

Torres took David Peterson deep in the eighth inning to tie the game, but the Mets ultimately walked it off in the ninth. While he's hitting just .179 (7-for-39) in his last nine games, Torres has gone deep three times and racked up seven RBI in that span. He's cooled off from a hot start to July, but he's still slashing .263/.322/.481 with 16 homers, 45 RBI, 46 runs scored and five stolen bases in 87 contests this season.