MLB Player News

Duran isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Athletics, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Duran will get a chance to catch his breath Saturday after slashing .250/.277/.408 across 84 plate appearances while playing in each of Boston's games since the All-Star break. Eli White will take over in left field and bat seventh.

Contreras (illness) will start at first base and bat fourth against the Athletics on Saturday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Contreras missed the Red Sox's last two games while fighting off an illness, but he appears to be feeling well enough to return to action Saturday. The 34-year-old has remained hot since the All-Star break, slashing .306/.485/.531 with three homers, nine RBI and 11 runs scored over his last 17 games.

Parker collected five hits, including two doubles and a home run, across both games of a doubleheader for Single-A Dunedin on Friday.

The eighth overall pick in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft has spent his entire first pro season at Single-A so far, but Parker is making a strong case for a promotion before the end of the year. He's hit safely in eight straight games, batting .441 (15-for-34) during that blistering stretch with eight extra-base hits, including four homers. Over his last 40 contests for Dunedin dating back to June 9, Parker has produced a .293/.403/.587 slash line with nine homers, nine steals, 38 runs, 41 RBI and an acceptable 23.8 percent strikeout rate.

Durbin went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Friday's 13-1 win over the Athletics.

Durbin drove in one run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning before closing out the scoring with an RBI double an inning later. The third baseman extended hit and RBI streaks to five games, during which he's gone 8-for-20 with two doubles, a home run and nine RBI.

Gomez struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning to collect his 16th save of the season in Friday's 8-6 win over Milwaukee.

Gomez began the frame with a six-pitch strikeout of Jake Bauers and needed just six more pitches to collect the final two outs of the game. He's now tallied a save in back-to-back games and still seems to be the team's preferred closer despite the addition of Jeff Hoffman at the trade deadline.

Culpepper went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Friday's win over the Brewers.

Culpepper took left-hander Shane Drohan deep in the fourth inning of Friday's contest to check off numerous firsts in what was only the second at-bat in the young infielder's MLB career. Culpepper figures to start nearly every day for the Twins now that he's been called up from Triple-A, and he offers plenty of fantasy upside after slashing .271/.367/.478 with 14 homers, 46 RBI, 63 runs and 17 steals across 74 games at Triple-A.

Smith went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs and an additional run scored in Friday's 6-3 win over the Padres.

Smith provided one of his best performances of the season, opening the scoring with a solo shot off Robbie Ray in the second inning before going deep again against Yuki Matsui to lead off the sixth, and he later singled and scored in the eighth. The two-homer effort was Smith's second multi-homer game of the season and pushed his total to 15 long balls. The 23-year-old has also gone 10-for-20 with two homers, four RBI and five runs scored since the beginning of August, though he's hitting just .222 on the year with a .686 OPS.

Bateman went 1-for-2 with two walks, a double and a run scored in Friday's 5-4 win over the Phillies.

Making his MLB debut, Bateman got the start in center field and hit ninth and didn't appear overmatched -- the 24-year-old lashed the very first pitch he saw from Zack Wheeler off the wall in left-center field, missing a homer by a foot or two. The Blue Jays have a vacancy in center after trading Daulton Varsho at the deadline, and Bateman could claim the strong side of a platoon with Myles Straw if he keeps producing. Over 84 Triple-A games this season between Buffalo and Iowa, Bateman compiled a .311/.429/.416 slash line with three homers and 20 steals.

Hader struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Friday's 6-3 win over the Padres.

Hader was tasked with protecting a three-run advantage and faced little resistance in locking down Houston's victory. The left-hander retired all three batters he faced while recording one strikeout, needing just eight pitches to finish the job. Hader is now a perfect 16-for-16 in save opportunities this season and owns a sparkling 1.08 ERA with an 0.80 WHIP and 36 strikeouts in just 25 frames across 27 appearances. The veteran not only remains firmly entrenched as Houston's closer, but he also ranks among the most reliable fantasy options at the position.

Abreu (4-3) walked one and struck out two over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the win in Friday's 6-3 victory over the Padres.

Abreu entered with two outs in the seventh and Houston holding a 5-3 advantage, and he recorded four outs without allowing a hit. The right-hander worked around a walk and struck out two before handing things over to Josh Hader for the ninth. Despite a 4.29 ERA, Abreu remains one of Houston's primary high-leverage options ahead of Hader, and he's been on a roll of late. This was his 11th straight scoreless outing, a stretch in which he's posted a 0.64 WHIP and a 15:4 K:BB across 11 innings.