MLB Player News

Duran went 4-for-4 with a solo home run and a double Monday in a loss to the Giants.

Duran was by far the most productive offensive player for Texas, logging four of the team's seven hits and accounting for the Rangers' only run with a solo blast to left field in the ninth inning. The utility man posted his second four-hit performance of the season and snapped a 2-for-19 cold spell at the plate. Duran continues to provide immense value both with his bat and with his defensive versatility -- he's slashing .274/.326/.455 with 13 homers, 51 runs, 59 RBI and nine stolen bases through 394 plate appearances this season while making double-digit appearances at three different positions in the infield (shortstop, third base and second base) as well as at two different positions in the outfield (left field and right field).

The Yankees demoted Volpe to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday.

After going 0-for-11 with three strikeouts in his last three games, Volpe has been sent down to Triple-A. The 25-year-old has slashed .240/.325/.322 with one homer and 19 RBI in 194 plate appearances. The Yankees will now carry George Lombard and Jose Caballero at shortstop.

The Yankees elevated Lombard from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday, Conor Foley of YES Network reports.

Lombard, the No. 1 prospect in the Yankees system, is being promoted to the big-league club. With Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the 20-year-old slashed .268/.405/.440 with six home runs and 21 RBI in 262 plate appearances. With the Yankees struggling to get production from Anthony Volpe and Jose Caballero at shortstop, Lombard will try and provide a spark for the Yankees offense.

The Angels acquired Nimmala, Eddie Micheletti and Angel Rivero from the Blue Jays on Monday in exchange for Jose Soriano, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Nimmala is the big get here for the Angels. A first-round pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, Nimmala has missed time with injuries this season but has slashed .279/.355/.451 with four home runs and four stolen bases in 33 games since arriving at Double-A New Hampshire. The 20-year-old shortstop is at least a year away from reaching the majors, but he has loads of upside.

Pena went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Rangers.

Pena extended Houston's lead to 3-0 with his 13th homer of the season, a two-run shot off Kumar Rocker. The 28-year-old Pena has been on a tear at the dish -- he extended his hitting streak to 14 games Sunday, going 26-for-60 (.433) with seven homers and a 1.335 OPS in that span. Overall, Pena's boosted his slash line to .322/.375/.529 across 280 plate appearances this year with 53 runs scored. 36 RBI and eight stolen bases.

Caballero went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Cubs.

Caballero supplied all of New York's offense, taking Colin Rea deep for a two-run homer in the third inning. The blast snapped an 18-game homer drought dating back to his two-homer performance July 6. The infielder has gotten off to a slow start in the second half, batting 9-for-43 (.209) over 13 games, but he has found success on the basepaths with five stolen bases over that span. For the season, Caballero is slashing .241/.292/.384 with 11 home runs, 12 doubles, 40 RBI, 37 runs scored and 27 stolen bases across 96 games.

Southisene and outfielder Brett Bateman were traded from the Cubs to the Blue Jays on Sunday night in return for veteran starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Southisene will join the Blue Jays' organization after posting a .326 average with four doubles, two triples, 27 RBI, 39 runs scored and 20 stolen bases over 44 games with High-A South Bend this season. The infielder was considered to be one of the Cubs' top prospects, and he is considered to be the more significant piece heading to Toronto in Sunday's transaction.

Walcott (head) was placed on the 7-day minor-league injured list Sunday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Walcott was struck in the head by a pickoff throw during his contest with Double-A Frisco on Saturday, and he'll now be forced to spend time on the IL as a result. The Rangers' top prospect has posted a .308 average with three home runs, nine RBI, 13 runs scored and three stolen bases over 13 contests since his promotion to Double-A.

Williams will start at shortstop and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Tigers.

Williams will cover shortstop for the series finale while Jacob Wilson is day-to-day with a patellar tendinitis. Though Williams had been included in the lineup in six of the Athletics' previous seven games, each of those starts came against left-handed pitching. The Athletics could still prioritize Tommy White, Donovan Walton and Jeff McNeil over Williams for reps in the infield versus righties.

Baez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

After being activated from the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Baez started in each of the Tigers' ensuing four games -- twice in center field, twice at shortstop -- and went 8-for-19 with a double, five RBI and five runs. Baez is likely to see the bulk of his playing time at shortstop moving forward, as top prospect Max Clark was called up Friday and is poised to serve as the Tigers' everyday center fielder. Kevin McGonigle will shift over from third base to cover shortstop Sunday in what likely amounts to a planned rest day for Baez.