MLB Player News

Carlson went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's 7-0 win over the Astros.

The outfielder extended Baltimore's lead with a 330-foot shot into the Crawford Boxes off Shawn Dubin in the eighth inning, his first home run since June 12 and first extra-base hit since June 22. During the prolonged 31-game homer drought, Carlson went just 13-for-88 with three RBI and five runs scored while struggling to make consistent hard contact. Friday's performance not only snapped the homerless stretch but also marked his second multi-hit effort in his last three games, offering a glimpse of improved form at the plate. On the season, the 26-year-old is slashing .200/.249/.315 with five home runs, 17 RBI and 13 runs scored across 61 games

Valdez (11-6) took the loss against the Orioles on Friday, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits and one walk while striking out six over 6.2 innings.

The left-hander worked around traffic early but was tagged in the fourth when Coby Mayo launched a solo homer to open the scoring, giving Baltimore a lead Houston would never cut into. Valdez has now yielded at least seven hits in five of his last seven outings as he struggles to limit hard contact. The outing also raised his ERA above 3.00 for the first time since June 24, though he continues to provide Houston with length, completing at least six innings in 19 of his 24 starts this year. Overall, the 31-year-old southpaw owns a 3.01 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 151:50 K:BB through 152.1 innings and will look to get back on track in his next scheduled start against the Tigers.

Woods Richardson (illness) made a rehab start Friday for Triple-A St. Paul, striking out four while allowing one hit and one walk over two scoreless innings.

Woods Richardson was cleared for his first game action since July 28, after he required a procedure earlier this month to remove a parasite from his digestive tract. He tossed 34 pitches in Friday's outing and may need another rehab start or two to get fully stretched out before the Twins bring him back from the 15-day injured list and insert him into the rotation.

Garcia will serve as the Orioles' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Astros, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Garcia has given up one earned run over 1.2 innings in two appearances since joining the Orioles after being claimed off waivers earlier this month, and the team will now entrust him with his second career MLB start Friday. The 31-year-old is unlikely to cover more than an inning or two, after which Cade Povich is expected to pitch as a bulk reliever.

Young (1-6) picked up the win Friday against the Astros, allowing one hit while striking out six over eight scoreless innings.

The rookie right-hander was tossing a perfect game through 7.2 innings before Ramon Urias broke it up with an infield single in the eighth that could easily have been ruled an error by the official scorer, but Young quickly regrouped to finish the inning and secure his first career MLB win. The outing was especially encouraging coming on the heels of one of his worst performances of the year, when he lasted only three innings and surrendered six runs. Friday's gem not only marked a personal milestone but also lowered Young's ERA by more than a full point, as he now owns a 5.68 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 40:26 K:BB across 52.1 innings this season.

Chisholm went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk, an additional run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 4-3 win over the Cardinals.

That's now eight stolen bases in Chisholm's last 14 games, and the homer was his third of the month so far and his 21st on the campaign. The 27-year-old slugger has been a five-category fantasy contributor for the most part since the beginning of June -- Chisholm is batting a healthy .268 with 14 long balls, 37 RBI, 36 runs scored and 12 steals over his last 60 outings (220 at-bats).

Bednar picked up the save Friday against St. Louis, striking out two in a clean ninth inning.

Bednar registered his 19th save of the year and his second as a member of the Yankees, also turning in his fifth scoreless outing in a row. Fellow high-leverage arm Camilo Doval has a poor 6.35 ERA over seven appearances in August, and Devin Williams also owns a pitiful 9.64 ERA across five outings this month. While that does appear to position Bednar as New York's current favorite for saves, he'll continue to have plenty of competition -- which also includes Luke Weaver -- for the closer role.

Soto underwent surgery to remove a partially detached bone spur in his elbow, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. He will miss the rest of the season but is expected to be ready for spring training.

Soto was off to a promising start at High-A Cedar Rapids, posting a 1.38 ERA and 15:5 K:BB in 13 innings, before suffering the injury in April. It sounds like the No. 34 overall pick of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft has a chance to be back to full strength at the start of next season.

Baez went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Friday's 7-0 win over the Twins.

Baez has now tallied at least one hit in nine of his first 13 games in August. The All-Star utility player had a miserable .426 OPS through 61 at-bats in July, but he's starting to heat up again so far this month. Across his last 43 at-bats, Baez is hitting .326 with five extra-base hits, eight RBI, five runs scored and one stolen base as he looks to work his way up Detroit's batting order.

Roden was diagnosed with a sprained left thumb ligament Friday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Roden's thumb injury caused him to be scratched from the lineup ahead of Friday's contest, and there is a chance it will also force him onto the injured list. If the 25-year-old ends up having to miss an extended period of time, Austin Martin would be the leading candidate to receive more playing time in the outfield.