MLB Player News

Hernaiz, optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas earlier in the day, went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a win over Tacoma on Thursday.

Hernaiz put the first runs of the night on the board in the third inning with his shot to center field. The 22-year-old struggled badly with big-league pitching during his 17-game stint in the majors, but he fashioned a .319/.384/.454 slash line across 131 games between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas last season and has picked up where he left off in the minors.

Ramirez went 0-for-4 with one RBI and one stolen base in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox.

Ramirez reached on a fielder's choice in the fifth inning and picked up his first steal of the campaign on his first attempt. The third baseman isn't the fastest player, but he tends to be opportunistic on the basepaths. He has at least 20 steals in each of the last five full campaigns, including going 28-for-34 on his stolen base attempts in 2023. His four-game hitting streak came to a close Thursday, and he's batting a modest .238 with three home runs, 16 RBI, 14 runs scored, three doubles and a triple of 19 contests.

Hernaiz was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Hernaiz had started seven of the last eight games for the Athletics, though he went just 3-for-20 with six strikeouts in that span. It's very likely that he'll be back in the majors at some point in 2024, though there's no indication of how long the team plans to keep him in the minors. The move should give Nick Allen the starting job at shortstop while creating a roster spot for Brent Rooker (ribs) to be activated off the injured list.

Imaging on Devers' left knee revealed a bone bruise Thursday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Manager Alex Cora said Devers will be viewed as day-to-day going forward, and a trip to the injured list isn't expected. Devers was removed from Tuesday's game due to his injury and attempted to play through it Wednesday, but the results of his MRI will presumably keep him out of the lineup for multiple games. Pablo Reyes will start at third base Thursday and will likely continue to do so while the All-Star infielder is sidelined.

Manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Devers is out of the lineup for the Red Sox's series finale versus the Guardians while he receives an MRI on his left knee, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Devers was removed from Tuesday's 10-7 loss to Cleveland due to left knee discomfort, but he felt well enough to serve as the Red Sox's designated hitter in Wednesday's 2-0 win. Though he played the entire game, Devers went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and didn't bounce back from the knee issue as strongly as he had hoped. Cora suggested the MRI is more precautionary than anything just to ensure nothing is structurally wrong with Devers' knee, but his availability for Friday's series opener in Pittsburgh would appear to be in jeopardy, nonetheless.

Paredes is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Angels.

Paredes will get his second day off of the season after starting in 18 of the Rays' first 19 contests. With Paredes on the bench Thursday, Curtis Mead will pick up a start at third base.

Devers is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against Cleveland, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Devers exited Tuesday's 10-7 loss to the Guardians with knee discomfort, but he returned to the lineup for Wednesday's 2-0 win as the Red Sox's designated hitter, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts while playing the full game. Despite the poor showing at the dish, Devers isn't believed to have experienced any renewed discomfort during the game, so his absence from the lineup Thursday looks to be mostly maintenance-related as Boston and Cleveland close their series with a day game after a night game. Devers is expected to be back in the lineup for Friday's series opener in Pittsburgh, though it's unclear if he'll immediately be able to take back his usual duties at third base.

Smith entered Wednesday's game as a pinch hitter in the top of the ninth inning and went 1-for-1 with a double and an RBI in a 5-4 win over Detroit.

Smith, who was held out of the starting lineup against a left-hander, got the call to pinch hit with runners on against righty Shelby Miller and delivered the game-deciding run. It's not surprising that Smith came through, as he's gone 7-for-13 with 10 RBI with runners in scoring position in 2024. He's performed better than expected in a fill-in role while Josh Jung (thumb) is unavailable, slashing .319/.418/.404 over 55 plate appearances. Seasoned fantasy managers should be aware Smith's .366 BABIP indicates a correction is coming. Over two previous MLB seasons, he slashed .191/.306/.287.

Rojas entered Wednesday's win over the Reds as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning and remained in the game at third base, going 1-for-2 with a solo home run.

Rojas immediately delivered upon being inserted into the game to lead off the seventh, slugging a solo blast for his first home run of the season and extending the Mariners' lead to 3-1 at the time. The 29-year-old has now hit safely in five straight games, and with a .343 average and .896 OPS overall this year, he's clearly been one of the most productive hitters in a collection of mostly underachieving Seattle bats.

Garcia isn't in the Royals' lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the White Sox, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Garcia turned in an 0-for-4 performance during Wednesday's early game, so he'll remain in the dugout for the nightcap. Nick Loftin will fill in at the hot corner and bat sixth.