MLB Player News

Rafaela went 1-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 11-2 win over Washington.

Rafaela got the party started with a second-inning, RBI double and came around to score Boston's second run. He later made a nice over-the-shoulder catch on a Luis Garcia drive in the sixth. Rafaela has been productive at the dish over the last two weeks, posting a .286/.314/.612 line with seven doubles, three home runs, eight RBI, one steal and 10 runs over the last 13 contests. Defensively, he continues to be brilliant in center field and leads all outfielders with 14 outs above average.

Judge went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Mets on Friday.

Judge hit one of four Yankees long balls in the contest, belting a 428-foot solo shot in the first inning. It was the slugger's fourth homer in his past six games, a stretch during which he's batting an absurd .556 (10-for-18) with eight RBI, nine runs and nine walks. Judge is up to 32 home runs on the campaign, second in the majors behind Cal Raleigh (35).

Weaver (1-3) took the loss and was charged with a blown save Friday against the Mets. He allowed two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in one-third of an inning.

Weaver entered in the seventh inning with the Yankees clinging to a one-run lead. Tim Hill had retired the first two batters in the frame without incident before manager Aaron Boone went to Weaver to face Pete Alonso. The righty reliever walked Alonso, then served up a Jeff McNeil two-run shot that gave the Mets the lead. It was another in a series of poor outings by Weaver, who has given up a long ball in each of his three appearances so far in July and has yielded seven runs (six earned) across just 1.2 frames during that span. His struggles have essentially cemented Devin Williams as New York's primary closer.

Hamilton started at second base and went 1-for-4 with a walk and two stolen bases in Friday's 11-2 win over the Nationals.

Hamilton stole bases each time he got on base and now has 15 thefts over 59 games. He's started 10 of the last 13 games and has been the primary second baseman since Kristian Campbell was optioned to Triple-A Worcester. That increase in playing time hasn't resulted in much value, as Hamilton is 5-for-34 (.147) with one home run, three RBI and three steals during that stretch. His playing time could take a hit when Alex Bregman (quadriceps) returns, which could happen next week. In that event, Marcelo Mayer could become the primary starter at the keystone.

Sands will start Saturday's game against the Rays.

Sands pitched one-third of an inning during a win in Friday's series opener, and the Twins will now let him face the top of Tampa Bay's batting order to begin Saturday's game. The 27-year-old isn't expected to last more than an inning or two before turning things over to Minnesota's bullpen.

The Twins optioned Funderburk to Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday.

After tossing a shutout inning against the Marlins on Thursday, Funderburk will head back to the minors, where he owns a 1.69 ERA and 1.04 WHIP through 21.1 frames. Travis Adams was recalled from Triple-A to fill the open roster spot.

The Twins recalled Adams from Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday.

The Twins are going to use Cole Sands as their starter Saturday against the Rays, but Adams is expected to get in the game at some point, which will mark his MLB debut. The 25-year-old right-hander has made 19 appearances (five starts) in Triple-A this year and owns a 3.68 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP and a 58:20 K:BB through 63.2 innings. Kody Funderburk was optioned to St. Paul in a corresponding move.

Kim (calf) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Twins, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Kim had to leave his Rays debut early Friday after his calf began to cramp up on him in the seventh inning. He'll take an extra day off to recover Saturday; meanwhile, Taylor Walls will start at shortstop and bat seventh.

Carter started in center field and went 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases in Friday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to San Diego.

Carter returned from the bereavement list and picked up where he left off. The outfielder extended a hit streak to eight games and stole multiple bases for the second straight contest. Carter is slashing .355/.459/.387 with five steals and one RBI over the hit streak. He was eventually replaced by a pinch hitter in the 10th inning against a lefty reliever, which is a normal practice of Texas manager Bruce Bochy. Carter has just 10 plate appearances against southpaws this season.

Langford (oblique) started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a solo home run for Double-A Frisco on Thursday.

Thursday's appearance was the first of a rehab assignment for Langford and may be his only one. He did not play Friday, and MLB.com reports the Rangers are expected to activate Langford ahead of Saturday's game against Padres.