MLB Player News

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a pair of solo home runs and a walk in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Phillies.

It was the first multi-homer of the season for Alvarez and the seventh of his career. The slugging backstop has fared well at the dish since returning from the injured list with a torn meniscus in early June, batting .280 with seven long balls, two doubles and 14 RBI over his last 100 at-bats (28 games). For the campaign (236 plate appearances), Alvarez is slashing .259/.325/.448 with 11 big flies, seven doubles and 24 RBI.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said recently that while he "certainly" expects Smith (neck) to play again this season, he has "no idea" when it will happen, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith has been sidelined for more than a month with a lingering neck issue. He has been hitting and throwing but seems unable to get over the hump with the injury, as there's no timeline for when he will be ready for a rehab assignment. The Dodgers will enter the second half with an 11.5-game lead in the National League West, so they can afford to take their time with Smith.

Oliveto (toe) has gone 3-for-13 with a triple, five walks, two RBI and two runs in five games since being assigned to the rookie-level Florida Complex League after being reinstated from Single-A Lakeland's injured list.

Oliveto had already been on a rehab assignment in the FCL prior to being activated from the IL, going 8-for-37 (.216 average) with an 8:6 BB:K over 12 games. The 19-year-old catcher has shown a discerning eye at the plate through 17 total FCL games with a 20.6 percent walk rate across 63 plate appearances. He could get the chance to debut for Lakeland later on this season.

The Athletics optioned Serven to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.

After coming up from Triple-A to bolster the Athletics' bench depth for the final weekend before the All-Star break, Serven will now return to Las Vegas to begin the second half. The 31-year-old backstop is likely to spend most of what's left of the season in the minors, where he's slashing .308/.403/.525 across 236 plate appearances.

The Nationals will recall Ford from Triple-A Rochester ahead of Friday's series opener with the Athletics, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.

After the Nationals placed Drew Millas on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a fractured left index finger, the team will need another catcher to complement Keibert Ruiz. Ford was acquired from the Mariners last winter and has slashed .223/.370/.335 with four homers, 22 RBI, 34 runs scored and a 45:65 BB:K across 257 plate appearances at Rochester. The 23-year-old was the 12th overall pick in the 2021 draft.

The Nationals placed Millas on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a fractured left index finger.

The move is retroactive to July 12. Millas was removed from Washington's July 11 game in the ninth inning, when he presumably suffered the injury. Millas has slashed .185/.277/.262 with two homers, 11 RBI, 18 runs scored and a 14:37 BB:K across 152 plate appearances as the Nationals' No. 2 catcher.

Campero (hand) will begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Monday.

Campero posted a .618 OPS in 28 games with the Angels in 2025, but he had played exclusively in the minors this season before he was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake on June 6 and subsequently placed on the 60-day injured list due to a fractured right hand. He'll likely need an extended rehab assignment to get his timing back at the plate, but once Camepero is activated, expect the Angels to option him to Triple-A.

Double-A Chesapeake placed Anderson on its 7-day injured list Tuesday due to a left ankle injury, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Anderson sustained the injury Sunday before landing on the IL two days later. The catching prospect had produced a .271/.371/.522 slash line with 17 home runs and five stolen bases across 287 plate appearances for Chesapeake this season before being deactivated.

Langeliers went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 9-1 loss to the White Sox.

Langeliers accounted for Oakland's only run of the afternoon, taking Noah Schultz deep in the first inning for his 21st home run of the season. The catcher has cooled off to begin July, batting 5-for-27 (.185) with a 43 percent strikeout rate through his first eight games of the month. He heads into the All-Star break slashing .257/.324/.483 on the season.

Higashioka went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Astros.

Higashioka went yard in the eighth inning, tying the game at 5-5 a half-inning after the Astros had pulled ahead. Higashioka has started three of the last four games behind the dish for the Rangers, perhaps suggesting he's clawing back some playing time from Elias Diaz. Higashioka is batting .220 with a .670 OPS, seven homers, 17 RBI, 19 runs scored, three doubles and no stolen bases over 177 plate appearances.