MLB Player News

Stanton went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk Wednesday in a loss to Toronto.

Stanton landed the biggest blow in a six-run fifth inning for New York with a 415-foot, three-run blast to center field. It was the first homer -- and the second extra-base hit of any type -- for the veteran masher since coming off the injured list and making his season debut June 16. Through 13 games this season, Stanton is slashing .244/.346/.333 with seven RBI.

Ortiz is being investigated by Major League Baseball due to a possible gambling-related offense, Zack Meisel and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report.

Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave by MLB on Thursday, and he will remain on leave through the All-Star break as the league continues its probe. MLB has the ability to extend the leave beyond that, if necessary. Ortiz had been slated to start Thursday's game against the Cubs, but the Guardians will now hand the ball to Joey Cantillo instead.

The Red Sox optioned Criswell to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday.

Criswell will return to Worcester after he was called up to serve as the Red Sox's 27th man Wednesday while Boston and Cincinnati resumed a suspended game from Tuesday before playing the series finale. He was expected to work in bulk relief in the second game of the day, but the Red Sox used five other pitchers before Criswell was called upon to record the final five outs of their 8-4 win. He kept the Reds off the board and gave up two hits during his appearance, bringing his ERA and WHIP to 5.06 and 1.78, respectively, through 10.2 innings with the big club.

Triple-A St. Paul placed Fitzgerald on its 7-day injured list Saturday due to a right hamstring strain.

Fitzgerald missed about two weeks of action earlier in June due to a right ankle sprain, and after returning to action June 20, the infielder lasted just five games before going down with another injury to the same leg. The 31-year-old is slashing .287/.378/.473 with six home runs and five stolen bases in 217 plate appearances for St. Paul this season.

Winkel (wrist) has gone 1-for-10 with four strikeouts in three games for Triple-A St. Paul since being activated from the 7-day injured list June 25.

Winkel was on the shelf for three weeks due to a right wrist tendon injury. The 25-year-old catcher is slashing .256/.293/.500 with five home runs in 82 plate appearances for St. Paul on the season.

Ramirez (shoulder) was reinstated from Triple-A St. Paul's 60-day injured list Tuesday and struck out three while allowing two hits over two scoreless innings.

Ramirez had been out all season after suffering a significant right shoulder strain in spring training that ended his longshot bid for a spot in the Twins' Opening Day bullpen. After beginning a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League on June 20 and making three appearances, Ramirez proved his health and was given the green light to make his debut for St. Paul.

Garcia (1-2) was charged with his fourth blown save of the season but picked up the win in Wednesday's 11-9 victory over the Yankees, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks in the eighth inning. He struck out one.

Making his return from a shoulder issue that had sidelined him since May 22, Garcia looked a little rusty as he served up a homer to Aaron Judge and tossed just 18 of 34 pitches for strikes, but after blowing a two-run lead he got bailed out by the Blue Jays offense in the bottom of the frame. The right-hander topped out at 97.2 mph with his fastball and appeared to be healthy, so despite the stumble, he should reclaim the setup role that has seen Garcia collect three saves and six holds in 22 appearances this season.

Gimenez went 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI in Wednesday's win over the Yankees.

Bumped up to the leadoff spot in the absence of Bo Bichette (knee), Gimenez delivered his second straight multi-hit performance. Since returning from a quad injury in early June, the second baseman is slashing .250/.341/.350 with two homers, a steal, nine runs and 12 RBI in 24 contests, but his lack of activity on the basepaths remains puzzling -- he's 10-for-11 on steal attempts in 2025, after swiping 30 bags in each of the prior two seasons for Cleveland.

Simpson went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored Wednesday against the A's.

Simpson has started eight of nine games since being recalled June 24. He's hit .345 across 29 at-bats, while striking out only 3.2 percent of the time. Simpson has also unsurprisingly been aggressive on the basepaths, logging four stolen bases on five attempts to bring his total on the season to 23 in only 44 games.

Smith went 3-for-5 with two RBI on Wednesday against the Rockies.

Smith opened and closed the Astros' scoring with a pair of singles in the first and sixth innings. He now has five multi-hit games in his last six starts, delivering eight RBI and five runs scored in that span. After a slow start to the season, Smith has an impressive .285/.355/.430 line across 276 plate appearances.