MLB Player News

Perez went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Saturday's 8-6 loss to the Phillies.

The future Hall of Famer helped give the Royals an early 4-2 lead by taking Taijuan Walker deep twice in the first three innings. It was Perez's fourth multi-homer performance of the year, and the second blast not only gave him 27 home runs on the season, it lifted him to 300 HR for his career, as well as 1,000 career RBI. The 35-year-old Perez has been fading overall in September, however, batting just .178 (8-for-45) through 12 games this month with a 0:9 BB:K, although six of those eight hits (two doubles and four homers) have gone for extra bases.

Bergert didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 8-6 loss to the Phillies, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks over four innings. He struck out five.

It's the third straight start in which Bergert issued three free passes, and his loss of control has left him with an 8.76 ERA, 2.03 WHIP and 14:9 K:BB in 12.1 innings during the skid. The Royals could get one or more of Michael Wacha (concussion), Seth Lugo (back) and Cole Ragans (shoulder) back from the IL in the next week or two, so Bergert's hold on a rotation spot may be slipping. For the moment, he's scheduled to make his next start at home next weekend against the Blue Jays.

Martin (6-10) took the loss against the Guardians on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three across five innings.

Martin kept the Guardians batters in check for most of his outing outside of a C.J. Kayfus two-run homer in the second, but the White Sox batters weren't able to generate enough runs for the 28-year-old right-hander to avoid the loss. Martin has yielded three earned runs or less in nine of 10 starts since the All-Star break, and over that span he has a 4.35 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 51.2 innings. He's tentatively lined up to face the Padres on the road next weekend.

Carpenter went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-4 extra-innings loss to the Marlins.

The 28-year-old slugger tied the game at 2-2 when he took Janson Junk deep in the third inning. Carpenter went through a bit of a power drought in the second half of August, but over his last eight games he's left the yard three times, giving him 25 homers on the season -- the first time in his career he's reached that milestone. During that eight-game stretch, Carpenter's batting .296 (8-for-27) with nine RBI.

Kayfus went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run during the Guardians' 3-1 win over the White Sox on Saturday.

Kayfus gave the Guardians the lead in the second inning with a long ball off Davis Martin. Kayfus has hit a home run in two consecutive outings and is up to four on the season. He has gone 7-for-23 (.304) with seven RBI and four doubles in nine games since Sept. 1.

Morton came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 6-4 extra-innings loss to the Marlins, giving up two runs on three hits and four walks over four innings. He struck out four.

The 41-year-old righty threw only 42 of 76 pitches for strikes before getting the hook. Morton has failed to last five innings in three straight starts, and over eight trips to the mound since joining the Tigers he's limped to a 5.92 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 45:21 K:BB in 38 innings. He'll try to turn things around in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home next weekend against Atlanta.

Smith struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning to secure the save in Saturday's 3-1 win over the White Sox.

Tasked with protecting the Guardians' two-run lead, Smith struck out the first two batters he faced in the ninth inning before getting Andrew Benintendi to fly out to center field. Smith has converted each of his last seven save opportunities and has struck out 12 batters across his last six outings.

Messick (3-0) earned the win against the White Sox on Saturday, allowing one run on seven hits and one walk while striking out four across six innings.

Messick got off to a slow start by allowing three hits and a run in the first inning, but the 24-year-old southpaw kept the White Sox off the board over the next five frames. He has logged four quality starts in five outings since making his major-league debut Aug. 20 and sports a 1.84 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 29.1 innings this season. Messick is in line to make his next start against the Twins on the road next weekend.

Altuve was removed from Saturday's game against Atlanta due to right foot discomfort, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Altuve was replaced at second base by Ramon Urias in the bottom of the third inning. Prior to his exit, Altuve went 1-for-2 with a single. More will likely be known about the extent of his injury after he's further evaluated.

The Blue Jays plan to call up Yesavage from Triple-A Buffalo prior to Sunday's game against the Orioles or Monday's game in Tampa Bay, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Yesavage has been on schedule to pitch for Buffalo on Sunday, but he'll instead meet up with the big club in Toronto for its series finale with Baltimore, though it's not clear if he'll be activated ahead of that contest. The right-hander has climbed through four levels in the minors this season, beginning the campaign in Single-A ball and reaching the Triple-A level on Aug. 12. Though the 2024 first-round draft pick is considered one of the Blue Jays' top prospects and is viewed as a starter over the long haul, he'll be making his big-league debut out of the bullpen. After accruing a 3.24 ERA and 150:38 K:BB in 91.2 innings while starting in 21 of his first 22 appearances of the season, Yesavage has worked in relief in two of his last three outings for Buffalo and has struck out 10 while allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks over 6.1 innings. The right-hander could be broken in as a low-leverage, multi-inning reliever for Toronto initially, but if he excels over the final two weeks of the regular season, he could emerge as a key piece in the Blue Jays bullpen during the playoffs.