MLB Player News

Toro was traded to the Mariners on Tuesday along with relief pitcher Joe Smith in exchange for pitchers Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Toro's presence on Houston's roster was already becoming less necessary following Aledmys Diaz's return, and with Alex Bregman (hamstring) likely to be activated in the near future, Houston has opted to use the infielder as a trade chip to acquire some much-needed relief help. Toro was reported to be in a Mariners uniform prior to Tuesday's game against the Astros, though it's not yet clear whether he's been added to the club's 26-man roster.

Toro is not in the starting lineup Tuesday against Seattle, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Toro will yield third-base duties to Aledys Diaz despite homering in each of the past two contests. He could still see the bulk of time at the hot corner during the next few games, but Toro's role is almost certain to diminish once Alex Bregman (quad) is activated at some point in the near future.

Toro went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk Monday in the Astros' 11-8 loss to the Mariners.

Kyle Tucker and Toro smacked back-to-back home runs off Darren McCaughan in the first inning to help stake the Astros to an early 7-0 lead, but a furious Mariners rally resulted in Houston dropping the series opener. The long ball was Toro's sixth of the season and second in as many days, but fantasy managers likely won't be able to coax much more value out of him. Alex Bregman (quadriceps) kicked off a rehab assignment Monday at Triple-A Sugar Land and could return from the injured list next week, at which point he would reclaim everyday duties at third base from Toro.

Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Monday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Tigers.

If the veteran third baseman is on the trade block, he's doing everything he can to enhance his value. Donaldson is slashing .297/.413/.568 over his last 11 games with three of his 16 homers on the year, and with Jose Miranda banging loudly on the door with a 1.051 OPS at Triple-A, the Twins have every incentive to clear space at the hot corner by moving Donaldson.

Bregman (quadriceps) started at third base and went 0-for-2 with a walk for Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday.

Bregman kicked off his rehab assignment Monday by playing five innings and getting three plate appearances. There had been some hope that he could return during the Astros' current road trip, but Bregman is expected to stay on rehab for another week to 10 days.

Devers went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 5-4 win over Toronto.

The third baseman went deep for the fifth time in his last eight games. Devers has maintained an excellent .281/.354/.581 slash line with 27 homers, 81 RBI, 67 runs scored and three stolen bases in 410 plate appearances. He's now five homers shy of matching his career-high 32 from the 2019 season.

Angels manager Joe Maddon said Monday that Rendon (hamstring) is still on the mend and won't be ready to begin a minor-league rehab assignment this week, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Rendon suffered a setback earlier in the month, and it would appear he's still at least a couple of weeks away from activation, especially since he'll require a rehab stint beforehand. He hasn't seen the field since July 4 due to a left hamstring strain.

Miranda went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBI against Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.

He's now hitting a spectacular .337/.398/.653 across 24 games with the Triple-A club -- even better numbers than what he put up in Double-A. Miranda has racked up 21 homers, 60 RBI and 60 runs in 71 games across the two levels he's seen this year, and he's managed to do so while striking out just 43 times. If not for the presence (and contract) of Josh Donaldson, Miranda might be in the majors already. As it stands, he appears poised to keep terrorizing Triple-A pitching until the Twins are ready to call him up.

The White Sox optioned Burger to Triple-A Charlotte on Monday.

Since receiving his first big-league call-up July 2, Burger had been seeing semi-regular at-bats as a third baseman and designated hitter. He appeared in 15 games, going 10-for-38 (.263 average) with a home run and three RBI across 42 plate appearances. Playing time was about to become more elusive for Burger with the White Sox welcoming back Eloy Jimenez (pectoral) from the 60-day injured list Monday, so the rookie will head back to Charlotte in order to play on an everyday basis.

Jung has a five-game hit and RBI streak going at Double-A Frisco, a span in which he's gone 9-for-20 (.450) with two homers, two doubles, seven RBI and a 2:2 BB:K.

This hot stretch has lifted his season OPS back over the .900 mark to .906. A foot injury caused Jung to miss the beginning of the minor-league season, but he's pushed past that setback in impressive fashion. His power output looks great, his strikeout rate is trim, and he generally looks ready to move on up in the organization. Look for the Rangers to give him some exposure to Triple-A next month ahead of a probable September call-up. It's about time for fantasy managers to make sure they know that Jung is pronounced like "Young."