MLB Player News

The Red Sox activated Slaten (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Thursday, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

Slaten is finally ready to rejoin the Boston bullpen after missing the past three months with right shoulder inflammation. The 27-year-old should eventually return to a setup role for the Red Sox, but he'll likely be eased into such situations following a long layoff.

France launched a solo home run as a pinch hitter during Wednesday's win over the Twins.

The 31-year-old first baseman got some revenge against the team that shipped him out at the trade deadline, coming off the bench to loft a Genesis Cabrera splitter over the left-field wall in the eighth inning. It was France's seventh homer of the season and his first as a Blue Jay, and through 71 plate appearances with Toronto he's slashing .286/.352/.413 with five doubles, six RBI and eight runs.

Gimenez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double, two total RBI and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Twins.

Gimenez has gone 4-for-10 with a pair of homers in his last three games after going just 6-for-32 (.188) in his previous 12 contests, following a month-long stint on the IL. Overall, the second baseman is slashing .221/.305/.336 with seven homers, 34 runs scored, 27 RBI and 12 steals through his first 286 plate appearances with Toronto.

Yesavage allowed one run on two hits and two walks over 4.2 innings for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday. He struck out five.

After a bumpy debut at Triple-A on Aug. 14, the 22-year-old right-hander has a 3.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 13:4 K:BB in 9.1 innings over his last two starts. Yesavage has pitched at four levels in his first pro campaign, and the 2024 first-round pick could make it five if the Blue Jays add him to the big-league bullpen in September.

The Orioles designated Contreras for assignment Thursday.

Contreras fared well in a bulk-relief appearance during Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Red Sox, striking out a pair over 4.1 scoreless innings. However, he will now lose his spot on the roster as the Orioles clear room in the bullpen for waiver pickup Shawn Dubin. If Contreras clears waivers, he would have the ability to elect free agency.

Garcia (elbow) could be activated from the 60-day injured list as soon as this weekend for the Astros' four-game series against the Angels, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Garcia's latest rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday went well, as he struck out five over six innings of one-run ball. He averaged 91.7 miles per hour and topped out at 93.5 mph with his four-seamer, which is notably down from the 94 mph he averaged in his last full season in 2022. Still, while Garcia has had numerous starts and stops during his comeback from May 2023 Tommy John surgery, the results have been solid during his rehab assignment, as he holds a 3.30 ERA and 38:7 K:BB over 30 innings. The Astros are currently using a six-man rotation; they could either keep that setup in place and have Garcia replace Jason Alexander, or they could pair Garcia with another hurler -- likely Cristian Javier or Lance McCullers -- for piggyback starts.

Montero tossed 2.2 scoreless innings of relief in Wednesday's 7-0 loss to the Athletics. He walked one batter and struck out four.

After starter Casey Mize was tagged for five runs in just 3.1 innings, Montero came on and gave the Tigers some valuable long relief. It was the veteran righty's longest outing of the season, and he's now covered two or more innings four times this year. Montero has been fairly effective in Detroit since coming over before the trade deadline, posting a 3.48 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 10.1 innings with his new team.

Duran went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 3-2 win over Baltimore.

Duran (95 percent catch probability) and Ceddanne Rafaela (85 percent) were poised to be the goats after the two outfielders allowed a harmless fly ball drop between them in the seventh inning, which gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead. That's the kind of mistake that would have haunted a younger Duran, but two innings later, he led off the top of the ninth with a single and scored on a Rafaela home run. Duran's multi-hit effort was his first in 16 games as he attempts to break out of an August slump in which he's posted a .220/.343/.354 slash line.

Anthony went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Orioles.

Anthony put the Red Sox on top five pitches into the game with second leadoff homer in three contests. He's tapped into a power stroke over the last two weeks, swatting five of his seven homers over the last 15 games. Anthony sports a robust .517 slugging percentage during the month of August.

Slaten (shoulder) is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list ahead of Thursday's series finale in Baltimore, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Slaten hasn't pitched in the majors since late May, when he was placed on the injured list with what was initially described as right shoulder inflammation. He later learned that his transverse process was pressing against nerves, causing soreness. Slaten looks to be healthy again after tossing three scoreless innings across three rehab appearances at Triple-A Worcester, and he could eventually move back into a setup role for Boston. Slaten posted a 3.47 ERA with four holds, three saves and a .171 batting average against in 24 appearances for Boston prior to landing on the shelf.